Game review: Uncharted: Golden Abyss, PS Vita

SET before the events of the first Uncharted game, Golden Abyss follows Nathan Drake as he travels to South America to uncover the secret behind a long lost Spanish expedition.

Drake must also contend with his crooked partner Dante and Merisa Chase, who has a hidden agenda.

Together Drake and Chase must elude a ruthless dictator, who sends his private army after them, triggering strings of tense gun battles that fans of the series will enjoy. Drake also scales the mountainous scenery and crumbling architecture using both the analogue stick, and PS Vita’s front and rear touch functions.

Golden Abyss also makes use of the Vita’s tilt feature, which comes in handy when helping Drake keep his balance on thin ledges, and when taking photos with his digital camera. You can also drag your finger around the front screen to make Drake climb with ease.

All of these features come together to make for a superb Uncharted experience that replicates the full PS3 series perfectly, including all the spectacle and high quality visuals fans have come to expect over the years. Nolan North returns to voice Drake, delivering laughs aplenty across the cracking script.

The Vita’s dual analogue sticks work wonders during the shooting sections, a trick that most handheld consoles are sorely missing. As such, it’s clear that Sony has created a handheld that is highly capable of delivering home console thrills on the go.

PS VIta £ 44.99