Sony's known for great first party games, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is no exception. Developed by Naughty Dog, creators of the Jak and Daxter franchise, this PlayStation 3 tour de force takes you on a thrilling journey through a tropical paradise as you, adventurer Nathan Drake, attempt to uncover the lost treasure of El Dorado. Plenty of shenanigans ensue, with you dashing through a lush jungle and ancient ruins, fending off pirates and jumping over a waterfall, all the while enjoying a phenomenal cinematic experience.

Uncharted is a third person adventure that borrows elements from Tomb Raider and fuses them with good old fashioned over-the-shoulder gunplay. Throughout the course of your journey, you'll navigate past the aforementioned waterfall, climb ledges, hit switches to solve puzzles and ascend mountains. When the action heats up, you'll whip out your pistol (or AK-47), shotgun, grenades and a host of other weapons) and engage slimy pirates in thrilling gun battles. As is the trend these days, like in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, you'll need to take cover to survive, so much of the fighting entails peeking behind objects, popping off a few shots and then hiding until the enemies empty their clips or seek refuge. Just watch out for grenades, as bad guys have a nasty habit of chucking them continuously.

Despite being a mashup of other games, Uncharted is a lot of fun. Yes, we've activated plenty of switches in our day, and the combat doesn't scream original, yet the game moves at such a fast pace that it feels fresh and exciting. Of course, it also helps that it's one of the most gorgeous looking games you'll play. Doesn't matter if you're riding a boat, navigating a lush tropical paradise or investigating an old temple; everything looks beautiful, from the plants to the sheen of metal in the sunlight. And it's the little things that make the game stand out from its competition, how water soaks through clothing and the way Nathan instinctively grabs onto something to keep his balance. We can't stop gawking at this game.

With that being said, even if we saw past the eye candy and disliked the gunplay, we'd still want to see how the story ends. It may not be the most original narrative, but Naughty Dog's done a superb job creating likable characters, hiring solid voice actors and using the in-game engine to seamlessly blend cut scenes and gameplay with little to no loading.

Everything just flows remarkably well, and the banter between characters will power you through the game. In addition, and as an added incentive, you can unlock achievements from scoring a certain number of headshots or finding artifacts. It's not as cool as the Xbox 360 gamer points, but it gives you more reason to play.

It's easy to view Uncharted as a PS3 tech demo that relies on old mechanics, and if you feel that way, then congratulations on being a grump. Drake's Fortune is a remarkable visual achievement, but more importantly, it's a lot of good old-fashioned fun that's worth its weight in El Dorado's gold.