Dillon Larson

Game Review: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

Details

• Title: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
• Developer: Naughty Dog
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Platform: PS3
• Release date: November 1, 2011
• Price: $59.99 at time of review
• Rating: Teen (ESRB) ¹
• Link: Uncharted series, Naughty Dog

Review

Introduction

Uncharted 3 was one of this year’s most anticipated games, and rightly so—its predecessors were wild hits for the PlayStation 3 and video gaming as a whole. Uncharted 3 continues the adventures of treasure hunter Nathan Drake. Is the third game a worthy entry in the series? Does it live up to the fame of the Uncharted franchise?

Story

My only major complaint about the previous games was the sometimes haphazard storytelling. Although this is common in action movies—death-defying stunts, close calls, and the like—it takes away from the believability of the work considerably. While Uncharted 3 is filled with heart-pouding action, it seems more realistic to me. It’s quite a bit tamer in comparison to its predeccesors, but it is much more satisfying. Drake still travels to an exotic location, but some of the strange, obscure names are left out, which makes the whole game much easier to relate to.

The game’s main struggle for Drake is keeping his enemy—a woman, called Katherine Marlowe, this time—from getting to the “Atlantis of the sands,” a city of “immeasurable wealth” in the middle of an enormous desert. As Drake finds out, he will need both the knowledge of his (purported) ancestor Sir Francis Drake and the adventurer Lawrence of Arabia to find the lost city. Shortly into the game, there is a flashback sequence—a technique Uncharted 2 experimented with—of Drake at fifteen when he first meets his mentor, Victor Sullivan (“Sully”). The section was simply enchanting; it sets a perfect tone for the game.

A major complaint of the game I’ve read is its length. Although it may be shorter—for the record, I have not compared my play times against mine from the other games, so I’m not sure if this is true—the story takes place in so many locations that I don’t feel disappointed in the least (locations include London, France, Syria, Yemen, a shipyard, a cruise ship, a cargo plane, and various locations in the desert).

The game sees the return of Chloe and Elena, two characters from the previous games, and the introduction of many new ones, but the main relationship is undeniably that between Drake and Sully. The story is about maturity and power. It succeeds in being both easy to follow and yet filled with subtle details you may only discover after several playthroughs. Uncharted 3 proves that video games can be used for strong and effective storytelling.

Gameplay

In general, Uncharted 3 lives up to the spectacular expectations I had after playing the first two games. The series’ trademark physical elements such as climbing return in full force. The weapons selection has evolved, but nothing spectacular has changed in that department. The biggest changes are with melee combat. What used to be rather lackluster in the previous games is actually quite impressive in Uncharted 3. Melee combat includes punches, pulls and kicks down, and snapping necks from behind. While these are the same moves as before, combat is cinematic and finally feels exciting in this game.

Another highlight of the game is the horse riding section near the end. Drake rides a horse while following the enemy’s caravan through desert canyons. The section is both beautiful and fast paced. The way the game experiments with different locations is really amazing. From the cruise ship to the cargo plane, there are so many ways to interact with all the environments. The varied gameplay types are superb and make Uncharted 3 a fresh, lively action game. Unfortunately, I did notice enough bugs to warrant a quick mention here. I experienced several times glitches and bugs and well as some lag and freezing. Two or three times I had to restart my PS3 when Uncharted 3 froze everything. While these bugs do not ruin the entire game for me, they definitely made this game feel a bit inferior to Uncharted 2.

As with its predecessor, Uncharted 3 features an online multiplayer mode. Unlike Uncharted 2’s, which seemed somewhat like an afterthought, this game’s multiplayer is a major component of the gameplay. I do not doubt that some players even enjoy the multiplayer more than the single player campaign. The game features a variety of maps influenced by environments from the campaign, including the airstrip, the museum, and the village Drake visits in the desert. Most of the “gametypes” are kill-based, but the ones I like best are based on objectives. Plunder returns alongside my favorite gametype, Team Objective. In Team Objective, two teams of five face off in a best-three-of-five competition featuring five small objectives (examples of which include Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Multi-Marked Men).

The multiplayer is filled to the brim with customizations, both of the characters and the weapons. Players can choose from many boosters (a la Uncharted 2) and also a special “medal kickback,” a reward activated when the player collects a specified number of in-game medals. Uncharted 3’s multiplayer experience is captivating—extremely so—but I sometimes feel there is a little too much going on at once. Between the flashing messages on the screen to the feminine computer voice guiding me along, I cannot help but feel a little overwhelmed at times. That said, Uncharted 3’s multiplayer mode is very fun and is a great addition to the single player campaign.

Visuals and audio

The Uncharted series has been known as much for stunning graphics as its gameplay and storytelling. The third installment does not disappoint. Whereas the first and second games mainly took place in jungle and ice theming, respectively, Uncharted 3 is mostly about the desert. The sand looks beautiful and it is obvious a lot of attention was paid to the details of most graphical elements. I was amazed by all the tiny details in the game’s metal, wood, and stone textures. Several important sequences take place near or in the water, and though the water looks good, I felt it lacked the realistic look Uncharted 2’s water had in some of that game’s beautiful rain scenes. I experienced a few annoying graphical glitches while playing—mostly minor things, but things that nevertheless took away from the experience.

The music is good, but it’s really nothing special. Like Uncharted 2’s, it serves its purpose well: to heighten the action without getting in the way. It actually sounds a little too much like the previous game’s to me. I would have preferred they made more unique music for this game, but the music didn’t affect my experience with the game too much.

Conclusion

Is the third time the charm for Uncharted? I don’t quite think so. Having played through the game several times, I would not be honest if I said I like this game more than Uncharted 2. The previous game was an absolute masterpiece. But let’s be clear—this is a great game too. I don’t think anyone expected Naughty Dog to come back after Uncharted 2 with such a great sequel. It’s not perfect, but its story and pacing are fantastic, even a cut above its predecessor. Uncharted 3 is a great Uncharted game, a great action game, and a great video game in general.

Ratings

• Story: 10 out of 10
• Gameplay: 8 out of 10
• Visuals and audio: 8 out of 10
• Overall rating: 9 out of 10

Dillon Larson

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