More Uncharted is never a bad thing
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception isn’t a surprising game for those familiar this the series. It still provides those thrill a minute moments that were so ground breaking the 2 game, but this time it feels more of the same. Still saying its simply more Uncharted 2 isn’t a bad thing and with an improved multiplayer and co-op features, Uncharted 3 is a still one the best games this year.
The campaign follows the continuing adventures of Nathan Drake, treasure hunter extraordinaire, as he and his gang try to find the Atlantis of the Sands. Turning away from the love triangle that played so prominently in Uncharted 2, the story focuses much more on Drake’s relationship with his mentor and father figure, Victor “Goddamn” Sullivan. What makes these games so good is the realistic and likable characters and you really get a better understanding of what Drake and Sully are all about.
Of course for every hero you need a villain. Kate Marlowe, an old but aggressive britsh woman, hounds Drake every step of the way on his journey. She plays its very differently than previous villains and acts with a lot more class then say the brutally ruthless Lazarevic from Uncharted 2. However, you’ll still find plenty of that in Marlowe’s right hand guy Talbot. An absolute bastard of a man, I found myself focusing far more of my hate towards him rather than Marlowe.
As stated before, if you’ve played Uncharted 2 then you know what to expect from the gameplay. The combat is pretty much the same cover based shooting you expect. Enemies seems to act more aggressive this time, flanking you and tossing grenades like they need to get rid of them as fast as possible. This is good because around it keeps the combat more challenging, but it also creates situations in later parts that seem almost unfair. I had many deaths that seemed to come out of nowhere and could be quite controller throwing frustrating.
Remember how awesome moments like the train scene in Uncharted 2 were? Guess what? Uncharted 3 has those moments in spades. Whether you’re running from a swarm of spiders to riding on a horse after a convoy of trucks, Uncharted 3 keeps the big action moments coming at a consistent pace. The only real downside to this is that once you play them, the magic of experiencing it for the first time is gone. There’s not much incentive to play though the 7-8 hour campaign again once you finish it, unless you want to test your luck on crushing difficulty.
Thank god Uncharted 3 features a fully robust multiplayer component to keep you busy then. Building off what was in Uncharted 2; Naughty Dog has refined the experience into something that can stand on its own with the rest of the big boys. A lot more emphasis is put on customization this time around, allowing you to tweak out your loadout, character, and perks to your liking.
Also back is the up to 3 player co-op mode. Each scenario has its own unique set up with a standalone mini story. If the competitive multiplayer isn’t your thing and you’re looking for more bits of great dialogue between characters then this mode is perfect for you.
Uncharted 3 doesn’t leave as big of an impact as Uncharted 2 did back in 2009, but I don’t think it really needs to. Nothing has come close to matching what Naughty Dog did with that game back then and simply matching that experience is awesome in its own right.
