Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

I grew up with Tomb Raider and was likely one of those people who saw Uncharted initially as a ripoff, but alike all those people I was wrong SO badly wrong.

Uncharted was an incredible game met by justified critical acclaim and just kept hitting us with further phenomenal sequels and this of course being one of them.

So what's so good about them? They play beautifully, the environments and puzzles are flawless as is the gunplay. The storylines are deep, memorable and very well scripted. The voice cast are the best of the best and Nolan North could simply never be replaced as the now iconic Nathan Drake.

The games truly are that good and over the years they've never missed a beat and not made a single bad game. Naughty Dog is a developer in a million who lovingly craft these near perfect games consistently.

Drakes Deception is the 3rd of the 4 outings for Mr Drake and picks up with the second game left off, brings back all the old characters and gives Nathan and friends another memorable, powerful and action packed adventure.

The Good:

Great story

Very fun to play

Flawless voice cast

The Bad:

Nope

1.

Bought my PS3 Uncharted 3 bundle and immediately bought the first two in the series before I started playing three. The first two were just amazing, especially the second one. Now I'm on Drake's Deception and I have to say, I find it a real clunker in comparison. You need to be much closer to ammo to pick it up, when you are close to objects and you pan around the objects become transparent totally confusing you, the controls are slightly altered making it confusing when you're in a fistfight, the hint button barely ever shows up and I've found myself wandering around in frustration wondering what the heck I'm suppose to be doing. The only frustration I had with the first two games was the final boss battle in Among Thieves, which was a real bitch, but I've already felt like throwing my controller at the TV at least a half dozen times during number 3 and I'm still really early on in the game. Hope it gets better. I don't understand why they feel like they needed to change things. The second game was rated perfect by just about everyone, so, what, they decided they had to change it? Makes no sense.

2. Farther into the game now. It's starting to pick up but so far the characters have been much more wooden. It seems like they are just going through the motions at times. Also, way too many cut scenes and periods during which you don't have full control of Drake. It's like you are just watching a movie and you don't really have any control over what happens next. Sometimes Drake can't aim his gun. Sometimes he can do nothing but walk to the next cut scene. Finally Elana is back in the picture so the romantic tension is beginning. Hopefully that will cure what is wrong with this installment. Also, the fights are very redundant and the prompts are annoying. Okay, I get it, I'm suppose to press O and triangle, do I really have to be reminded every single time just to see the exact same fight scenario played out? The graphics are better than the previous games but seems that came at the expense of plot. Also, Sully giving hints every five minutes about stuff that is obvious and vague hints about stuff that isn't obvious gets pretty annoying.

3. About three quarters of the way through now and I must say the game has picked up considerably. The cruise ship chapter alone is worth getting this far. This game starts off slowly but stick with it; during the second half it delivers the intensity that made part two such a masterpiece.

4. Just finished it. Great game. You just have to get through that clunky first third of it and it really kicks off.

I had high expectations for Uncharted 3. They were exceeded and smashed. Naughty Dog did what many, many people thought impossible and made a sequel that was even better than its predecessor.

The game feels so much more whole as an experience, it feels complete. It answers questions, and asks a few new ones as well. From start to finish, it's a tight, enriching and wholly engrossing experience; not just a game.

I won't reveal any spoilers. But I'll just say that a few new features go a long way in enhancing the Uncharted experience. Different takes on the way the story is told and set up is also another plus.

As a game, it may seem like more of a playable movie. BUT, it's so much more - it remains a GAME. It pulls you in until you can't put the controller down.

Once you've finished, there's a hint of sadness - you'll find yourself wishing you'd never finished it, just so you could discover and experience it all again.

Easily Game of the Year. I can't fault this.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception takes place about two years after the events of Uncharted 2. This time Drake is looking for a treasure that both Francis Drake and T.E. Lawrence were after. Ubar, Iram of the Pillars, The Atlantis of the Sands. Drake's gotten in over his head this time as a mysterious woman named Katherine Marlowe is looking for the lost city along with her group of men, and they'll stop at nothing from preventing Nate and Sully from getting to the city alive.

Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan, Elena and Chloe are all back to go after this incredible treasure and the world is throwing everything at them. First let's talk melee combat. Uncharted has gradually gotten better with hand to hand combat as the series goes on and I think Uncharted 3 has just about mastered it. You can take on more than one enemy, pick up an object nearby and hit your opponent, and counter with relative ease. Gunplay is still the same, with the same duck and cover routine as the previous games.

The puzzles in Uncharted 3 can range from easy to mind-numbingly hard. I'll admit I had to look up how to solve a puzzle or two but once you find out how it goes it becomes fairly simple.

Of course one of the things that makes Uncharted so appealing are the graphics. They look amazing. The characters are even more realistic than last time and some of the environments are really mind blowing. Two things that stood out for me were the areas with fire and the desert areas. The sand looks real, the fire looks real. Sometimes it feels like you could just reach out and touch the locations. Nate makes subtle movements as he's walking too that give him a bigger sense of reality, though sometimes it feels a little awkward.

All I can say is Naughty Dog has delivered once more. While the climax felt a little rushed to me and the game is a bit short, Uncharted 3 is a game that is just as good if not better than its predecessor. I'll be playing it a lot more times in the future and I recommend it to any Play Station 3 owner.

Pros:

• Great story & characters
• Simple but effective gameplay
• Great graphics
• Great voice acting and animation

Cons:

• Enemies are still very spongy...
• Not allot of innovation from Uncharted 2 (thou not really needed)

Verdict: A great uncharted instalment, thou not allot of differentiation from 2, but doesn't necessarily need it.

8.5/10