He's not REALLY a rug merchant
I thoroughly enjoyed the previous Uncharted games, and was excited to dive into more via Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. And for the most part, that’s exactly what Uncharted 3 is; more Uncharted. That means this is an explosive action game full of spectacular set pieces and lovable characters. It may not rewrite the book on action games, but Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is a good time nonetheless.
Uncharted 3 is about as standard as sequels come, and offers exactly what you would expect from the follow-up to Uncharted 2. This is a fast paced action game that combines solid gunplay and platforming mechanics into some great set piece moments. In fact, the set pieces here are as good as they’ve ever been; the boat segment in particular is incredible, and stands side by side with my favorites from the entire franchise. The game also paces itself well for the most part, though a few gunfights as well as fistfights can drag on for a bit too long. Otherwise, it does a splendid job at mixing things up and keeping you moving, thus providing a thrill a minute. That’s what made Uncharted such a fantastic series in the first place, and Uncharted 3 follows suit through and through. Of course, it’s all enhanced by some incredible visuals and audio. This remains one of the best looking games out there on any platform (particularly in the animations department), and the voice acting and musical score are equally stellar. Uncharted 3 is a technical marvel as much as anything, and is essentially unmatched for its audiovisual splendor.
The Uncharted series has also been renowned for its wonderful storytelling, but this is one area where Uncharted 3 feels lacking (though the characters are as lovable as ever and their clever banter is still hilarious). Past a few interesting plot points relating to Nate’s past, the minute to minute happenings are pretty forgettable (the villains in particular are less than menacing), and the interactions between the characters are much less dramatic. A lot of this is due the fact that many of its narrative hooks are simply recycled from past games, which makes me think Naughty Dog is running out of tricks. In fact, that’s really the only substantial downer about Uncharted 3 on the whole; it feels as though the franchise is more or less spinning its wheels. Uncharted 2 raised the bar incredibly high two years ago, and a lot of what made it stand out was in the novelty of the ground it broke. Nothing in Uncharted 3 breaks new ground or makes any similar kind of impact, which may or may not be a fair criticism of an otherwise great action game. That lack of freshness may dampen the game for some, but for everyone else Uncharted 3 should stand toe to toe with the best action games around.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception may not be the revelation it was two years ago, and it may not wiggle its way into my heart the way its predecessors did, but it's still a blast to play. If an exciting action game fueled by incredible set pieces, an unparalleled audiovisual presentation, and a fun cast of characters sounds good to you, then Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is totally worth experiencing.
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