Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

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

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.

Out of all the video games ever released in gaming history, the Uncharted saga stands out as one of the best. Ever. Calling this series the "modern-day Indiana Jones" is pretty close to what is it, but in all respects, it's a mix of Indy and the Lord of the Rings. "How does LotR fit into the picture?", you might ask. Well, here's how: the scope and scale of the Uncharted games/stories is so massive, you are truly thrust into a whole new world (almost literally in the last 2 games). But in all respect for the games, there is not much i can offer but to say that these games are works of art. There are very, very few game sagas that truly deserve universal acclaim, or near-universal, and the Uncharted saga is one of them. Drake's Fortune was a spectacular, ground-breaking set piece for consoles, and then Among Thieves was released; a landmark and milestone of the gaming world. Drake's Deception is as good as Among Thieves, and completely awe-inspiring; an adventure epic.

P.S. To those staying on top of the movie adaptation news, please help try to find a way to get Sony to pick new writers because, The Wibberleys, really? They are one of the WORST choices to write the film for Drake's Fortune. I say either Jonathan Nolan & David S. Goyer, or William Monahan & John Logan

What Nathan Drake does to Sony is truly like Mario does to Nintendo or Sonic to Sega. He is certainly Playstation's long-lost lover and once found, inseparable. He was born from the same womb that gave birth to the once-considered-Playstation mascot, Crash Bandicoot.

Uncharted series prove to enjoyable in all its iterations, and every new release gets better charm upon the previous. As you might expect, Uncharted 3 is the best among the whole series. The graphics and gameplay are naturally the most gorgeous, the actions are engaged and virtually non-stop, but the biggest improvement in UC3 is its amazingly diverse settings. If you got bored of running in the woods just like in UC1 and some in UC2, worry no more, UC3 got you explore a lot of gorgeous landscapes: from the bleak underground, remote castle ruins, market, airport, seaport, desert, and even a ghost town. Not to mention, the game also has the longest time to complete, in fact it was so long that I remember when I finally finished the game, I recalled playing the early chapters like it was years ago.

With all those cramped in a single disc, you might not notice that UC3 has the largest data size ever released as a video game to date - over 50 GB! Finally, a game that justifies the sheer capacity of blu ray disc! I can't imagine if it is not a PS3 exclusive, how many discs it will come on PC or Xbox 360.

One glaring omission out of the box somehow is the movie viewer feature! In past UC games, I really love viewing the cutscenes I've passed over and over again through movie viewer feature to admire the scenes and as an enjoyment bonus (in fact, I do think that the movie feature is among the feature you love in UC series, right?) Now in UC3, with all those major overhauled in graphics and others, can't you imagine the passion to watch it over and over again? And this time, Naughty Dog has removed that lovely feature, do you believe that? I wonder if they were too busy finishing the lengthy gameplay that they forgot to include this. Fortunately, Naughty Dog realized this and through patch 1.03, they returned this little nice feature. If you own the earlier version (just like me having the 1.00 version), you will only need to update the game. No big deal indeed, unless you have no proper internet connection. Unlucky me, I am among the second one. Oh well...but OK, this should not ruin the whole UC3 experience..But if you purchased the game recently (or just plan to purchase) chances are good that you will get the updated version, which means the feature is already available out of the box.

Move over Indiana Jones. Nathan Drake has come to claim his crown. His adventure is not over, there's still plenty to do out there, UC series could continue as much as tenth of iterations. Let's just imagine what mad quest he will engage next..Or, get this...how about he meets Lara Croft and they venture together (and eventually, maybe get married?)? They are surely match made in heaven. Sounds really unlikely, but hey...it's cool!