10

Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception

My god... what a game! Although Batman Arkham City may have the upper hand on action, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is far superior when it comes to storytelling and creating an insightful interactive movie/game experience. From the very first cinematic, you immediately know that you are in for a treat as gamers are re-introduced to the world of Nate and Sully, two treasure hunters who always find themselves in hot water and nearly getting themselves killed in the process. It's the perfect formula!

The game is highly reminiscent of the Indiana Jones series with a touch of James Bond, especially with the main protagonist in the Uncharted series, Nathan Drake. Nathan Drake or "Nate" to his friends has the looks, charm and wit to be the perfect action hero and although he can take his fair share of punches and bullets, this man has a history and the latest game in this series, further explores this. Unlike Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the third game in the series definitely explores the history of its main characters which was huge a highlight in the story but needless to say, the game does not crimp on action.

The story of Uncharted 3 revolves around the fabled "Atlantis of Sands" which sees Nathan Drake and his mentor/father figure Victor Sullivan (Sully) up against a shadowy clandestine organisation. Although part of the game is set in the Arabian Desert, there are several other interesting areas such as England and a few places that I won't spoil. It's the perfect action adventure story that once again pushes the hero to breaking point. With these facts, the game starts with a bang and when a deal to trade the legendary ring of Francis Drake goes sour, Nate and Sully must fight their way to freedom. The first chapter of the game also acts as a tutorial to the player as the game teaches you the basic mechanics of the title. However if you played the previous games, you should have no problems at all.

When you do finally escape, something interesting happens and without spoiling the plot, the player is treated to a brilliant chapter that involves around the first meaning between Nate and Sully which is a key plot to the main theme of the game. Just like James Bond and Indiana Jones, the story is filled with humour, action, intrigue and even a touch of romance with some great one-liners thrown into the mix. The camaraderie between Nate and Sully is brillant, especially their little digs at each other. Needless to say, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is easily one of the best games written thanks to its witty dialogue, it's action scenes and the intricate story that weaves with the gameplay, graphics and audio together.

Although there's quite a bit of exploring to do in the game, combat plays an integral role to the game and whether you're punching enemies, shooting guns or using the environment to gain the upper hand on your fights, everything feels considerably smoother and flawless than the previous games. I really enjoyed how you could maximise the environment around you to dispatch your enemies such as banging a door onto their heads, smashing a bottle over their head or throwing them to the floor. Combat is quite versatile and the game gives the player a variety of satisfying ways of killing your enemies from grenades to sniper rifles or good old fashioned fisticuffs to name a few.

Combat is also a mixture of quick-time events and when the buttons start flashing, it sometimes creates a sense of panic as it creates an emotional connection between you and Nate. Using guns is still similar to Uncharted 2, however there is plenty of cover to be found in the game and it should be noted that as you progress, some of the enemies can take an awful amount of bullets, especially near the end of the title and those damn clandestine soldiers!

In terms of difficulty, there are a variety of levels to choose from, however if you want a challenge, it's best to play around medium to hard. Add in a few difficult yet entertaining boss battles and the combat works perfectly with this over the top action game but don't expect to try and grab a bosses gun and smash it over their head. Bosses are a little tougher than your regular Uncharted thugs. Nonetheless, combat is thoroughly entertaining in this game, thanks to its diversity and my only annoyance with the combat is that sometimes the AI is a little stupid. The key word here is "sometimes" and on a higher difficulty, they will kick your butt repeatedly.

However action is only just one aspect of the story and puzzles are the next difficulty that you may encounter. Like the last two games, your journal is sometimes required to solve these puzzles and whether it's shining torches on bricks with light triggers or precariously climbing some vertigo dropping ledge, it's pure gaming goodness. In reference to climbing which you'll do quite a lot, the gameplay does offer quite a few different paths to reach your destination and one wrong slip can sometimes mean the death of Nate. Aside from climbing, sometimes you need to use objects like signs and poles to swing from section to section. Fortunately the game is quite forgiving with deaths and generally spawns you to the  place just before you died and thankfully the auto-save feature is quite decent.

Opposed from single-player, the game does contain multiplayer maps for some awesome uncharted action and even a co-op mode. Needless to say, there's quite a bit of replay value in this game and whether your fighting friends online, joining in on a co-op game or increasing the difficulty once you have completed the game to start again, Uncharted 3 is a very well made game and delivers on all levels.

The co-operative mode is quite fun as the developers have taken five levels from the last two games and created a multiplayer environment as you take on a variety of different enemies and without co-operation from your fellow gamers, things will fall apart quickly. Another change of pace for online co-operative is Hunters, which is requires teams to either steal or protect treasures and all three modes are very fun to play. Online also awards the player with experience which allows you to purchase additional items for your character. Brilliant!

Graphics & Audio

Graphically, the game is a visual delight on the PS3 with its outstanding High Definition graphics that really create this Hollywood movie atmosphere. The attention to detail with the in-game graphics boasts everything you want in a AAA game from perfect animation, especially the fight sequences to realistic facial features and some great texture details. Add in some realistic lighting and some rather cool special effects and you'd think that Stephen Spielberg was involved in the production.

Cinemas on the other hand, compliment the in-game graphics and although its reminiscent of the game graphics, they have received a slight makeover to make them stand out more. The soundtrack of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is one of the best scores on any game that really tugs at your emotional heart strings, whether it's the action or some key moment in the game, it definitely enhances the gameplay. Sound effects are great, especially through surround sound but the highlight of the audio is the professional voice acting and once again Nolan North does a brilliant job at playing the hero known as Nathan Drake.
 
Final Level

I thoroughly enjoyed this game from start to finish and even though there are a few glitches with the gameplay, they are truly few and far between. From the mateship between Nate and Sully to the amazing action packed journey that they undertake, the gamer definitely gets drawn into this remarkable and interactive universe. Best of all, there are different ways to complete certain tasks in the game and whether that's finding an alternate way to a goal or using the myriad of weapons and unarmed combat available to Nate, this is all part of the fun. Not only does the game offer an extremely sturdy single-player mode but the implementation of the online levels is a real treat to this franchise and definitely fleshes it out considerably. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is not just a game but a true masterpiece in the gaming world which is a must have title for all owners of the PS3.