Worth the wait

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Uncharted 3 was released this week, and I’ve spent more than enough time playing through this title to give my opinion (I wanted to play through the online parts before writing this review so it took me a few days). But this game is great, and if you’re an Uncharted fan, undoubtedly you’ll get hours and hours of enjoyment out of this title.

Story

The gang is all back in this game, Sully, Elena, Chloe, but the story is a bit more adult this time around. The Uncharted games are famous for their cinematic quality and their great writing (and acting) and this is just more of that. These games are head and shoulders above anything else in the medium story wise, and they have a way of getting you to invest in these characters, and this time around they delve a bit more into the origins of the characters, which was refreshing. Everything in this game was built to serve the story and this makes everything weave together, you’re never somewhere generic just to have a cool set piece (although there are a lot of those) everything moves the story forward, and most interestingly it takes a toll on the characters. There’s a reason why Sony Japan had Harrison Ford play this game despite the obvious marketing ploy. This game can show him how Indiana Jones should be done, because this is the most exciting and satisfying action entertainment since Uncharted 2 was released two years ago.

The gang is back!

Gameplay

The gameplay is very similar to the earlier Uncharted titles, there are platforming sections, shooting sections, puzzle sections and they all blend together. There are great chase sequences and set pieces that will blow you away, again just like in the other titles. There is a bit more of an emphasis on hand to hand melee combat in this one though, and it hits with mixed results. In the first sequence (next sentence is  a bit of spoiler!) you get into a bar fight in England, and it’s exciting and just fun. The problem is that large hand to hand opponents continue to show up throughout the game, and their attack patterns never change, so it can feel a bit like a chore at that point. Despite that very small gripe, the gameplay is in tact, a classic formula that is unobtrusive for gamers, allowing you to enjoy the ride. It will take you between 8 and 10 hours to complete this game in the normal difficulty, but it feels a lot shorter, I was actually pretty surprised when I looked at the time after playing through it. That feeling of “it’s too short” just means that it’s incredibly well paced. There is a lot of meat on this game don’t let that persuade you from waiting, there’s also a great multiplayer suite to look at.

It's almost hard to believe that it's all in game engine footage at times...

Multiplayer

I wanted to spend the same amount of time on the multiplayer as I did on the single player campaign so this took me an extra few days to finish, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve had so much fun in multiplayer for a long, long time, and I’m not talking strictly deathmatch here. These are numerous game modes, including a great co-op adventure campaign where you go through unique (not in the game) story missions with two friends, complete with voice acted cut scenes and boss battles (There is still one level I’ve yet to beat, this has me addicted to playing at the moment). There is split screen multiplayer online and offline, split screen co-op, capture the flag, a version of survivor where waves of enemies attack you and your online colleagues, tons and tons of excellent content. I played about 9 hours of multiplayer over the last few days and it has me hooked. Everything you do also earns you money to spend on upgrades new character skins for your character, boosters, weapon mods, and while using these mods they get stronger and stronger! This has some serious addictive qualities to it and as of this week the community is thriving, with tons of people online.  Top marks on this one.

Fire effects, lighting effects, sand effects and water effects are all almost unbelievably gorgeous in this game.

Graphics

This is where Uncharted 3 really shines, Naughty Dog has always managed to push the capabilities of hardware and after Uncharted 2 it’s almost hard to believe they could make a game that looks even more gorgeous. There are some jaw dropping moments in this game, the art style, lighting, colours and effects are just spectacular, and it’s almost hard to believe that you’ll never see a loading screen, and that the engine is powerful enough to change the physics of a level, making old locations new puzzles. The camera work is also to be commended, I can honestly say that there’s no way a director could do the things Naughty Dog did in this title, the stunts involved boggle the mind. The animation and capture technology is also amazing, all the characters move realistically, I’ve never seen a game with better graphics, innovation and art style as Uncharted 3. The only thing that is a contender in my mind is Uncharted 2. Many people will gaff at this and say something like Battlefield 3 (on PC) is better looking, but I’ll describe the art style is what elevates new tech to greatness, and that’s something that Naughty Dog has definitely done here.

The music is also deserved of your special attention. It’s the same theme as Uncharted 2, and it’s up there with great summer blockbuster soundtracks and in many ways better.

Sorry Big Boss, this is the best father figure in gaming.

Is it worth your time and money?

Despite one or two gripes this is undoubtedly a must buy. The campaign is something you’ll want to play through more than once, the multiplayer is incredibly addictive, the graphics are spectacular, and the story is a new benchmark for gaming. Naughty Dog has managed to craft an incredibly tight experience and everyone who owns a Playstation 3 should get this game without exception. This is certainly on the short list for industry game of the year, and these are the types of games I want to see moving forward. Games that not only manage to out-thrill Hollywood blockbusters, but to out write them as well.

9.8/10

A game that will be remembered for years, hopefully we’ll see an Uncharted 4 somewhere on the horizon, because these are the best characters in gaming, and some of the best games as well.

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