Review: Uncharted 3

Uncharted 2 is widely regarded as the greatest game to ever grace the Playstation 3, but Naughty Dog is attempting to challenge its own crown with Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception. Is this third installment another jewel in the collection, or destined to be lost in time.

Its been a week since Drake’s Deception hit store shelves, so you may be wondering why it’s taken so long to review. The answer is simple, having to stop playing Uncharted 3 to write about it requires almost superhuman will. Many outlets have already called this game perfect, but the fact of the matter is that despite the hyperbole they all speak the truth. Uncharted 3 really is as good as everyone says it is.

The story of Uncharted 3 is more human and grounded than its predecessors, yes there is a supernatural twist later in the game, but its a twist that itself has twists, never quite straying from realism as much as the previous games.  All told even the most outrageous plot points are always within spitting distance of realism. But that isn’t to say the story is any less grand. As I stated before this a very much more human tale, a story about who these people we’ve come to love are, what they’re scared of and what drives them to do what they do. Rather than just be a series of impeccable set pieces we now have an adventure that slowly explores and reveals the emotions of the characters rather than exploits those of the player for an instant pay off.

The actual plot sees Nathan Drake on an adventure that has been ongoing since his childhood – What is the truth behind Sir Francis Drakes circumnavigation of the world? Drake’s Deception posits that Francis was sent to Eastern Arabia in search of Ubar, the mystical Atlantis of the Sands, said to hold vast wealth and unimaginable power. What follows is a breakneck chase from London to France, Syria, Yemen and the Rhub Al Khali desert. Antagonising Drake and friends throughout is Katherine Marlowe, head of a secret society whose founders include Francis Drake and Queen Elizabeth I herself.

Right from the opening pub brawl to the closing credits the game never truly lets up, dipping only to provide a respite and some exposition, drawing us even further into this world, before exploding to yet another impossible peak. These peaks are thanks to some quite frankly astonishing set pieces. While no set piece wows the player as much as Uncharted 2 did this is only due to the fact that we were now expecting such incredible design from Naughty Dog, the set pieces themselves are consistently amazing and intense.

Unrelenting is the only verb that I can think of that can even come close to describing Drakes Deception. Even the dips in the action are positively engaging and emotionally gripping. Without spoiling anything too much, one such moment of downtime sees Drake (and the player) suddenly and terrifyingly alone in the desert, its a moment that is simultaneously beautiful and horrifying. The backdrop of the desert is visually stunning and watching Drake becoming more and more tired as he stumbles down sand dunes with absolute precision of animation is something to behold, but to realise that this is a perfectly solitary environment is a harrowing thought. Drake himself even drops the bravado he is known for and starts to question himself.

This attention to detail and best in class design is evident throughout the entire campaign. Environments are dense with objects, and the love that has gone into the environments is obvious. Every location within Drake’s Deception carries a unique feel of that place in the world, from the architecture to the populace (or lack thereof). Everywhere in Drake’s Deception is painfully beautifully, there were countless times I had to stop and just look. The forest in France is of particular delight as sunlight filters through the trees casting light upon a crystal clear river cutting its way through dense foliage, all of which have been given as much attention as the character models.

As good as the writing is (and it is oh so very very good) its the characters that truly bring this world alive. Whoever at Naughty Dog decided to record the dialogue and motion capture with everyone on a set in the same room deserves a medal. Conversations flow naturally as the characters interact with their environment in ways that make them seem like actual real beings. Watching Uncharted 3 is just as good as playing it, which is where the single criticism lies.

Uncharted 3 is very much a cinematic experience in every sense of the phrase. There is only one way to do everything and if you dont do it that way then your going to have to do it again. Uncharted 3 is very good as presenting the player with a false sense of scale. Take for example the chase sequences, in these sections your either running away from or chasing after someone, and are shepherded down a very strict and linear path, but at no point will you ever really notice. The pace is set to such a blistering speed and the path is so expertly signposted while still showing other deceivingly potential routes that you never question it.

If watching Uncharted 3 is as good as playing it then playing it must be very very good as well right? Yes, it is. Naughty Dog have taken everything that worked in Uncharted 2 and refined it even further. Gunplay is still a cover based affair but the battles now often take place is much more open arenas. Rather than having to keep pushing forward you’ll be given the task of taking out all the enemies in a given area, and how to do so will be up to you. There will often be the choice of stealth but when things go south shooting your way out is gloriously satisfying. Uncharted 3 also utilises the 3rd dimension for gunfights, seeing you able to climb vantage points or even occasionally having to take cover and fore while hanging. This verticality is what really sets the gunplay apart from other shooters, but a little melee combat never hurts either.

In most games melee combat is relegated to a single button and is nothing more than a knife kill or rifle butt. Uncharted 3 features a fully implemented melee system. It may not exactly switch to the complexity of a fighting game upon initiation but having attacks, counters, grabs and contextual environmental options really makes it stand out and ensures that melee is always an enjoyable and engaging option, which is good news considering Drake’s Deception’s new focus on melee combat, it even being several chapters before you get a gun.

When Uncharted 3 isnt about killing people its about puzzles, and the puzzles are some of the best in the series, often actually worth calling puzzles rather than being able to use Drake’s journal as a walkthrough. All the pieces are always there but how they go together is often left up to the player. For the most part. Should you get stuck and start taking too long your companion will often come up with a hint or suggestion, or sometimes (mainly in the case of platforming puzzles) a solution. Speaking of the platforming this is the least refined element from previous games, if only due to how little it could be refined. The only new addition is the aforementioned occasional shootout taking place during an otherwise routine climb.

All these distinct types of gameplay are often brought together by the level design, resulting in a whole that is consistently more than its parts. To say time and care have been put into the design is to understate the work of everyone involved. Not only are the beautiful locales expertly designed but the camera is always moving in such a way as to guide the player without ever obstructing his view or removing control should the need to see else where arise. This virtual director always knows exactly how to frame a shot for both beauty and utility.

The sound doesn’t show any chance of a weak link either. Not only is the music absolutely astounding, fitting the setting to perfection while relaxing or exciting the player as necessary but it even holds up on its own (an 11 track CD is included in the collectors edition strategy guide so those who enjoy the score may wish to look into that). The rest of the sound design holds up well, with every punch having a satisfying connection and every gun having its own recognisable report. Even small details like the ringing in your ears after an explosion muffling everything else all work to bring the world to the player in every single way possible, but none does more than the voice work.

The actors for Uncharted are talented, and Uncharted 3 is the perfect proof of this. That fact that we like (or hate in the case of the villains) these virtual characters is praise enough, but to actually start caring and feeling a connection to these people is astounding. Were right by there side throughout this entire adventure, sharing the ups and downs and pushing them on when they shouldn’t be able to go on any more, at one point even literally. The emotions on show are never forced, and the emotions it draws out of the player are not simply the usual scared or sad, but they somehow even manage to draw out of us abandonment and actual fear of worldly possibilities. Ive already said that Uncharted 3 is a human game, but to witness these characters and their souls through the voice work and animation is to know that its more than that, its something that even only the greatest of films can achieve, its a true work of art.

As a single player experience I strongly believe that you cant get any better than Uncharted 3, it is, quite frankly, as close to perfect as there is to find on the market right now, and for the foreseeable future. Naughty Dog has once again set the bar to an almost unobtainable height.

However single player is not the only game mode in Uncharted 3, those wanting to share the experience can opt to play competitive or co-operative multiplayer.

The competitive modes are mainly what you would find else where with deathmatch or basic objective types, but there is a mode that more games should start to incorporate – “Team Objective”. Here two teams fight to complete a randomly chosen objective to win one of three rounds, each round consisting of a different randomly chosen objective, similar to Killzone’s “Warzone”.

While the games which you play may be similar the way you play them is unique to Uncharted. Rather than become a standard third person shooter the multiplayer retains the single players levels of verticality, incorporating platforming into the battles, and opening many possible routes to and from objectives. Melee has been scaled back to a more simple single button single hit affair but this stops players from becoming too slow in an environment where anyone and everyone will take no hesitation on picking of another player.

Co-op is more than the standard horde mode found in many games (though that option is also featured) but is less than a fully fledged campaign, instead finding a middle ground of self-contained stories that take up to three players from area to area fighting enemies. These areas are re-configured from the single player game and some from Uncharted 2, and while offer a nice diversion to those who want to adventure with others it is little more than a distraction.

As separate parts I can not fault Uncharted 3. As a whole package I can not fault Uncharted 3. What Naughty Dog has created here is not just a game but a reason, an example. If anybody ever believes that video games are for children, or that they are a lesser source of entertainment of other media, or ever wonder just what it is we see in them just show them Uncharted 3. This, my friends, is the perfect example of why we game. Naughty Dog, thank you.

Uncharted 3 is available now exclusively on Playstation 3.