Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Review

• Developer: Naughty Dog
• Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Platforms: Playstation 3
• Genres: Action, Adventure
• Release Dates: November 1 (NA), November 2 (EU)

The first Uncharted game helped define the PS3 and silenced cycnics when it released in 2007. Two years later, its successor took everything good about it and made it bigger, better, prettier and threw in some fun multiplayer for good measure. Now, Nathan Drake’s third adventure is finally here, but does it send the hit franchise to new heights, or are things starting to get a bit stale?

I’m happy to report that Uncharted 3 is a solid and captivating experience. While it doesn’t re-invent the wheel in terms of gameplay, the game’s single-player campaign is excellently paced and throws you enough curve balls to keep you interested until the closing credits.

That’s not to say the gameplay has been completely untouched. Melee combat is now a lot less clunky and the guys at Naughty Dog have obviously been inspired by Batman’s latest adventures. Melee now involves countering an enemy attack and then going in for the kill. Thankfully, this is pretty easy to accomplish as on-screen button prompts guide you through the process. On top of this, you can now break an enemy’s arm and then steal his gun, which is a really cool thing to do when you’re running out of ammo. Nate can also grab enemies and use his acrobatic skills to jump on them from above.

Bitch slapping goons has never been easier.

Another neat addition is the ability to throw back enemy grenades. When a grenade is near Nate, a little triangle button will flash next to it when he can pick it up. If you press triangle at the right time, the grenade gets thrown back. However, sometimes the button doesn’t come up at all, which of course leads to Nate getting the shit blown out of him if he’s near the grenade when it goes off. It’s a good risk-versus-reward system that can add an extra layer of tension and unpredictably to the game’s many firefights.

Apart from that, though Uncharted 3 plays like, well – Uncharted! It doesn’t deviate too much from the formula, which means that there are still a few minor annoyances present in the game’s design. You’ll still inexplicably die if you deviate from the path that Naughty Dog want you to go down. The enemies you face are still surprisingly stupid, randomly running out of cover for no reason at all. They also occasionally blow themselves up with their own grenades! Didn’t these goons go to goon school? These moments are rather unfortunate, as they really pull you out of the game.

Puzzles have a much more prominent role in Uncharted 3 when compared to its predecessor. The infamous diary from Uncharted 1 returns and and the puzzles are surprisingly more difficult this time round. They’re not going to rape your brain by any means, but some of them aren’t exactly a walk in the park. Still, they are a welcome addition and serve as downtime between the game’s relentless bombardment of action and set pieces.

And boy, are there set pieces! If you thought the train section from Uncharted 2 couldn’t be topped, then I demand that you eat your own hand because you’re just plain wrong. The set pieces are thrilling and varied, ranging from hastily trying to kill enemies as the ship you’re in fills with water to pursuing the enemy on horseback through a stunning desert landscape. The campaign is crammed with amazing moments that are such a spectacle to watch that they rival the best, most ridiculous action movies out there.

Sully and his infinite supply of cigars are back!

Don’t be mistaken – Uncharted 3 isn’t all style and no substance. Naughty Dog have out-done themselves when it comes to crafting a narrative. This is by far the best story of the bunch and is full of shocking twists and revelations that are guaranteed to leave you open-mouthed. The supporting characters you know and love are back and are as likable as ever. There’s also a new ally – a cockney geezer called Charlie. While he may look like a generic thug, he’s surprisingly knowledgeable when it comes to reading ancient texts and his dry, sarcastic humor leads to some memorable banter.

Nate’s past and his relationship with his cigar smoking mentor, Sully is explored in detail. Naughty Dog uses their relationship and our connection to the characters to make the game’s story have an emotional impact. The narrative dares to question itself, and explores what drives Nate to get both himself and his friends into these ridiculous situations where they could easily die. This gives the over-the-top set pieces an emotional context and prevents them from ‘jumping the shark’.

The story is the driving force that sends Nate and his companions on a globe-trotting adventure. There’s a wide variety of locales in Uncharted 3 and each one is more stunning than the last. Naughty Dog demonstrate their versatility by handling environments like the streets of London, a french chateau and the busy streets of Yemen with an obsessive attention to detail. The desert landscape in particular is a sight to behold – with little details like sand getting in Nate’s hair really making it feel real. Though the game does look better than Uncharted 2, it’s pretty clear that the guys at Naughty Dog are close to getting all that they can out of the PS3 hardware.

Uncharted 3′s campaign clocks in at just under 10 hours and is by far the best of the series. It’s excellently paced, incredibly varied and the gripping, unpredictable story compels you to keep playing and makes up for the game’s tried-and-true gameplay. Tthere’s not much in terms of replay value apart from the usual collectable treasures and the ‘crushing’ difficulty that unlocks when you finish the story. Thankfully Uncharted 3 has a fully-featured multiplayer component as well.

"WHO'S YOUR DADDY!?"

Uncharted 3′s multiplayer is just as varied and entertaining as its single-player campaign, with the added bonus of giving the player more freedom. You can play this mode however the hell you want to. If you want to be the guy who gets close up and personal with a shotgun, you can. If you prefer to snipe from a distance, you can do that too. The maps are cleverly designed to accommodate for all playing styles.

 Characters can be customised by purchasing weapons (that are also highly customisable) and clothing with in-game cash that’s earned by playing matches. Once you start to level up, you’ll unlock a wide variety of boosters (the game’s equivalent of perks), ranging from being able to sprint for longer to reducing your respawn time. Unlike in Uncharted 2, boosters can be leveled up, which is a big incentive to keep using them.

The multiplayer is fast, frantic and unpredictable.

During a match, you’ll earn medals for your actions that go towards unlocking your Kickback (power-ups that can give you a temporary boost of speed, a powerful weapon like a RPG or even make you disappear in a puff of smoke!) They’re extremely useful in do-or-die situations and add an element of unpredictability to a match.

This unpredictability is further emphasised by another new addition – Power Plays. If a team is really getting their asses handed to them, then Power Plays are activated to give them a fighting chance. They give the losing team temporary advantages, ranging from doubling their damage to enabling them to see where every member of the opposing team is located. If this doesn’t sound like your kind of thing, there’s a Hardcore mode available for those who prefer the outcome of a match to be decided solely on the skill of the players.

Uncharted 3 has a diverse range of multiplayer modes to choose from. The typical variations on Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch are here as well as some brand new modes like Team Objective – a round-based mode that (you guessed it) requires teams to complete specific objectives like capturing and holding territories. The game also has its own version of Horde mode in the form of Co-op Arena, which tasks players with surviving 10 waves of enemies. The mode attempts to mix things up by asking you to complete various objectives on top of taking on hordes of enemies, but it struggles to stay interesting and soon gets tiresome.

On top of the game’s plethora of competitive multiplayer modes, there’s also a co-operative adventure mode that consists of 5 chapters set in various locales from world of Uncharted. It supports split-screen as well as online, which is a really nice touch. The mode is all about shooting enemies and working with your team-mates in order to complete objectives. You’d best hope that the players you team up with are good, though as you have to share lives with them. Co-op adventure can get pretty damn difficult in places, which may be why it’s so fun and addictive.

All in all, Uncharted 3 is a really easy game to recommend. Its campaign and multiplayer are vastly superior anything we’ve experienced in Nate’s previous adventures. It’s not a game that redefines the franchise, but it successfully builds on its strengths and the end result is a near-perfect experience. While Uncharted 3 does have a few flaws, they’re very easy to overlook when the overall package is this awesome.