Title: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Developed By: Naughty Dog
Published By: Sony Computer Entertainment
Based on: The third instalment in the Uncharted series
Console: Playstation 3
Release Date: November 2011
Genre: Action-adventure, Third-person shooter
Audio: English
Subtitles: English
Region: This was based on the Australian version of the game however no difference should be present between regions.
Special Thanks: Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, for providing me with a review sample.
Naughty Dog over the years have produced some brilliant series that deliver not only brilliant gameplay but also intriguing designs and plotlines that to me at least, have always left me impressed and awaiting the next addition to the franchise – and has held true for the Jak & Daxter and Crash Bandicoot series, as well as the one I will be discussing about today. I refer you to one of the earlier Kevin Butler trailers made HERE, where a “Concerned Gamer” was having trouble with his girlfriend thinking it was a movie. While no game has come close to replicating the movie so far, I would say that the starting moments of this game really made me question if the game system was viable for use as a movie. But more on that later… how does the game shape up to previous installments and does the game live up to the hype? Find out in my review of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.
As with every other installment in the series, the game focuses around Nathan Drake, your some-what run of the mill adventurer (Aka. Thief) who for the last two games as well as this, has been uncovering hidden relics and lost civilizations such as El Dorado, been pitted up against everyone from fellow treasure hunters to treasure collectors (Among others) and endured a seemingly endless number of cryptic puzzles and plot-twists…. and you know what…. it has a damn good storyline to go with it. The storyline begins you in a bar doing no doubt dodgy business transactions which turn sour and results in a movie-like brawl between you and many other thugs (and a woman named Katherine Marlowe with a killer British accent), followed by you travelling a city environment to set the plot behind the ring of Sir Francis Drake and the “City of the week game”, the Iram of the Pillars.
The game can be split up into three parts, each of which feature different and similar characters. For the first 10 or so chapters, you are joined by Victor Sullivan, Chlor Frazer (Uncharted 2) and Cutter (New) in order to discover the location of the city through the collection of an amulet which is spread out over France and Syria. I actually enjoyed these chapters as while they did drag on, it was fun not randomly searching around forests and instead getting to traverse around castles and abandoned chateaus. The second of these once again feature Nathan and Sullivan, but brings back the third recurring character Elena through their journey in Yemen, however this is the chapter also where you spend much time alone with Nate, so Elena is present primarily for storyline only but does a good job at setting the “concern” element to Nate’s recklessness. The third is your normal adventures with Nate and Sullivan which while beginning intense, end up being both intense with a slight hint of supernatural – in which for this game surrounds mind control and psychological delusions. Along the trip, the relationship between Nate and Sully is investigated, including showing off how they met (Allowing you to control a teenage version of Nate) as well as how this relates to Marlowe and the reason why Sully chose him as a protege. It doesn’t differ all that far from Uncharted 2 (With character and scenario changes), but it is still an interesting storyline that you most probably will play through again to get a full grasp of it.
I think the best way to get across how realistic the design quality is of this game is to have you look at all the in-game screenshots throughout this review. The design is beautiful in every aspect that gives you the closest impression any game has previously that you are watching this happen through a live feed of real life in comparison to it being a game. The game does give the impression of being a quicktime movie at points over giving you control, which works for the design but conflicts with the gameplay at point – however everything from the cutscenes to in-game battles have brilliant animation and Naughty Dog really deserves three cheers for bringing out what could easily be the best designed game on the console yet. However, while the environments were picturesque and the character designs were surprisingly realistic in detail, the game did have two very small issues. The first of these is camera control – I generally do not mind if a game tries to limit my view of the environment otherwise I would be here in every PS2-era RPG review whining about it, however it was really hard to get the right angle and the targeting system was far too sensitive for my liking. As well, there were two instances where the character models glitched up and started getting very jumpy in the animation – the one time I do recall vividly was in Syria when Cutter was standing on the side of one of the towers with Nate and then suddenly glitched up for the rest of the area which got frustrating…. but that might just be me.
I have my music preferences and I sometimes cannot help but somewhat bring them into the review…. but even if this is not music I would casually sit down and listen to on a Sunday afternoon, the music sets the scene perfectly when used, but also when it isn’t used and adds to the suspense. Sound effects are also very well done, from the crawling of the flesh eating spiders to the splashes and Nate runs through water, it will set the scene even better than the music. Voice acting is brilliant, with the dialogue being brilliantly written with nothing too cheesy and the characters being voiced by (without a doubt) a highly talented voice cast which accents that match each characters personality and age.
This should not be conceived as a negative comment in any form, however I would highly recommend not playing this and Assassins Creed Revelations at the same time. There are elements to the gameplay that are similar that traversing around the levels may result in the different controls of the game getting subconsciously mixed up and having you aimlessly run against the wall or scream why you are not running instead of jogging. The core gameplay however is in essence the same, and some might call it a tired old formula but I call it a fun system that has had a few things added to it. Scaling buildings using the walls, walking along narrow ledges, gunplay and doing minor puzzles have been with the game since Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and if you are reading this – there is a good chance you should have at least played one of the original two games if not both.
Now, assuming that you are familiar with the original gameplay format, you will be happy to know that they have added a couple of new features to spice up the gameplay experience. For example, the melee system has been improved allowing you to take on multiple opponents at once, (althrough not perfect) you can also attack enemies with bottles or other hittable objects lying around, throwing grenades back at the enemies (Which can backfire) and several other small improvements that you will most probably appreciate from the previous games. With expansive battle fields and I am sure their desire to not make the game seem like it has the same battles, they have in my opinion at least made the gameplay just a little bit more difficult and using new traps more frequently to test your skills in both melee and of course… with the number of guns that seem to mysteriously litter the landscapes. The game also retains the collectable treasure system from previous instalments which has you straying from the normal track and finding obscure treasure – such as one or two ancient artefacts in the local bar. When push comes to shove, it is your same Uncharted game with the improvements needed to make it from great to excellent! Just wish the camera controls were not so fidgety as aiming ranged weaponary was a hassle – but I seemed to perfect the headshot – a surprise as shooter games have never been my forte.
For those who are wondering if I will be diving into a review of the online multiplayer – unfortunately that will most probably be coming around as a separate review as I have yet to find some time to do a long play session and hone my very poor shooting skills. But from the limited experience I have had with it – it is a tonne of fun.
In terms of this games re-playability, the multiplayer from my experience will be something you will return to several times after having completed the main storyline, however it really depends on how much you enjoyed the story if you will return for a second playthrough of the story campaign. The game is extremely linear, leaving the only purpose of replaying to enjoy the plot again or alternatively Platinum the game, for which there is a nice collection of trophies requiring you to unlock ranging from treasure collection to using weapon X, Y number of times on enemies. But besides that, it is multiplayer all the way.
For those who love the Uncharted franchise, this is without a doubt a must buy game and could very well be a strong contender for my Game of the Year, which last year Alan Wake for the XBox360 received. It is a brilliant mix of strong storytelling, good gameplay and fantastic voice acting and design that should make it a big hit with all who play it.
Final Score
Storyline/Character Development: A
Design: A-
Music/Voice Acting: A
Gameplay: A
Replayability: B
Personal Opinion: A
Overall Score: A
