" Climb the mountain of pixel perfect precise challenge where you can fall down to the very bottom and lose all your progress (takes 2 hours) "

Me: 😍😍😍😍😍

" Gather all 5 collectibles hidden in this level (takes 15 minutes) "

Me: 😩😩😩😩😩

An absolutely excellent 2D platformer in every conceivable way. It's definitely weird that Donkey Kong isn't playable but it's for the better. Dixie Kong's "helicopter" hair is so useful for longer leaps but she is definitely not overpowered, Diddy Kong is still the most agile Kong and his agility is also useful in the brilliant level design this game offers. Like, seriously, this is one of the most expertly designed platformers I've ever played. I don't think there is a single level that feels like a letdown, all of them are intricately designed with the characters' special abilities in mind. The levels make use of their abilities not only to reach the end of the level, but also to find bonuses throughout the levels, rewarding those who master the controls and abilities, which is pretty genius.
Also the levels and overall world in Donkey Kong Country 2 have much more interesting set pieces compared to the first and the third. It not only makes the pirate theme super effective and memorable but also makes locations like amusement parks and beehives feel oddly natural for Donkey Kong, which usually has a bigger focus on jungle themed stages.
This game's presentation is absolutely superb for SNES standards. The first Donkey Kong Country already looked impressive but, I'm not gonna lie, there were instances where it didn't look very great. Donkey Kong Country 2 is a big improvement in visual and sound quality and it's very easy to see. It's a gorgeous SNES game with one of the greatest soundtracks in video game history.
Yeah, I don't know what to say anymore. DKC2 slaps and if you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and go play it, it's one of the best 2D platformers ever made.

NOTE: This is part one in an ongoing retrospective where I dissect each Uncharted game and talk about my experiences, joys, and qualms in regards to each game. Today we will be looking at Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. If you enjoy this review, please check out each new part when they are released. With that being said, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.

So when I started playing Uncharted last Spring, I never expected to get so heavily invested in the series. My only exposure with the series prior was beating Uncharted 2 the week I got my PS4 in 2015 because it came with a bundle that had a download code for Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. But here I am almost a year and a half removed from finishing the first game and I’ve now played each entry and fallen head over heels for this series. The series mixes third person cover shooter gunplay with bombastic action set pieces and ambitious story telling. Yeah, sure, not every game lands (Which we will be getting to in this review), but every game is at least competently made and worth at least one playthrough. So given how amazing the series is, how does the first entry hold up? Does it feature that amazing cover based gameplay with huge landmarks around you all while telling a deep story about learning when to cut your losses and call your heyday quits? Well, uh… no, it doesn’t.

Now, I’m making Drake’s Fortune sound like a bad game when it's not. It is a competently made third person shooter with the plot of a B list action movie and that’s all it really needs to be. The story follows the protagonist Drake, his friend Sullivan, and a photographer met in the first chapter named Elena. They all go on an adventure to retrieve famous nomad Sir Francis Drake’s treasure and end up crashing in a Spanish fortress. There, Drake climbs rocky cliff sides and crumbling ruins all while trying to retrieve the treasure. There’s also a supernatural element featured in the last three chapters, but I forgot everything about it, so I won’t be covering it. While, yes, the plot is really bare bones and by the numbers, it holds its own and ends up being a memorable experience because of the landmarks you see while adventuring. The Uncharted series is known for its excellent action set pieces and while not as boisterous as the third or fourth game, Drake’s Fortune still has tons of memorable moments like when you first crash in the castle and see the stunning cliff sides or while you explore an abandoned sea vessel while paranormal creatures attack you.

So if the set pieces hold up in comparison to the rest of the series, does the gameplay? Ehhh… it is hard to explain. To be honest, the only game where I liked the shooting was Uncharted: Golden Abyss and that was because of the gyro aiming. Besides that, I’m not a fan of any cover shooters that aren’t Call of Duty or Halo and I have a special distaste for cover shooters of the third person shooter variety. While the combat is competent, each section feels like it lasts too long and the guns feel like plastic. Combine that with the janky platforming and mediocre puzzles, and the gameplay is just sort of a blur that carried me from Chapter 1 to the Epilogue.

You might think because of this review I dislike Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, but that’s far from the case. I just feel the game shows its age more than any other game in the series and that it isn’t anywhere near as strong as most of the games that would follow it. I still recommend Drake’s Fortune if you’re looking to get into Uncharted because you just don’t appreciate the transition from silly action movie stories to the gorgeous narrative of Uncharted 4: A Thieve’s End without it. With that being said, I firmly place this game in a C tier and if I could rate it among the rest of the Uncharted games, I’d say it goes towards the bottom. Where at the bottom will remain a mystery til we reach further entries. Please check out Uncharted, though. It’s a phenomenal series and I’m looking forward to reviewing each entry in a retrospective styled review series.

Rating: C
Genre(s): Action adventure puzzle, third person shooter

Is the act of reviewing something to pass judgment on the way you spent your time and how the experience you had made you feel? Most often, yes...Quantify an experience?.. To make the most of this dilemma or perhaps sidestep it, you could educate yourself about contemporary media and what's expected of a genre. Quantifying how much unknown genres and novel concepts improve an experience is harder since you have no frame of reference. I say shut the whole thing down, who gives a single fuck about your armchair designer thoughts on expensive nintendo games from over 20 years ago. You could make reviews about what kind of person might get something out of the thing you're discussing. But of course, what's the point of that if it invalidates the need for my very thoughtful 7.2 out of 10 score.

Ok seriously man... like Man like... Even the worst games you've played have something interesting to ruminate on, there is something of value where your bias implies none. I promise. I can't change your mind and I don't want to, but I do hope at least one person understands that they can learn to seek out the good and not throw away the things they've experienced as though it were all for nothing. What you did was not a complete waste of time until you pass that judgment onto it. You should think about these things, considering you're some dickhead who writes reviews on a website like this.

I like Leopold a lot.