Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

How do you follow up one of the most perfect video games ever made? If you’re part of Naughty Dog, the answer is apparently to obfuscate most of the elements that made that game so great and break the rest. That might sound unnecessarily harsh, especially because Uncharted 3 is still a great game, but it’s hard not to be disappointed by what should be one of the best action games of all time when it turns out “merely” great.

Picking up a few years after Uncharted 2 came to a close, this third entry sees Nathan Drake and partner-in-thievery Sully quickly getting in over their heads when an exchange goes wrong. They brawl their way through a London bar in search of the mystical antique that, when paired with Nate's ever-present ring, will reveal the path to ancient riches. It's a good start but, just like its predecessor, the events slow down shortly thereafter and, unlike its predecessor, Uncharted 3 takes a while to get things going again. There's a decent level in a burning mansion that provides a few thrills despite begging the question of why, exactly, the enemy goons prioritize taking Nate's life over preserving their own. Other than that little bit, the beginning hours feel bogged down by an unusually large amount of puzzles and small conflicts that mean nothing in the larger scheme of things.

Luckily, the puzzles are still well put together and satisfying to figure out. As usual, they often require careful observation of Nate's notebook. Looking at the drawings in the notebook and comparing them to Nate's surroundings remains a satisfying way of eking out a solution without resorting to cheap tricks or online FAQs; the puzzles evolve and develop at such a rate that it feels like you are figuring them out organically, just as an explorer might.

The generally high quality of the puzzles does little to distract from the fact that they're just not evenly distributed over the length of the game. The Uncharted series has always been about incredible action and great character at its core, and because the past two entries balanced those elements so well with the puzzling it's a bit disappointing to see such lack of graceful pacing in this third entry.

When the shooting finally does start, it's generally of the same high quality that it has been in the past. Enemies are still a little too resilient to bullets, a problem that plagued the first game heavily but that I didn't notice in the second, but guns control smoothly and are satisfying to shoot. A few new weapons have been added, such as a machine pistol, and although there aren't many of these new additions they are great fun to shoot and serve to round out the arsenal nicely. Melee combat has also been expanded, both for better and worse. Group combat has been added, so now Nate can brawl with several opponents at once. The "Square to attack, Triangle to dodge, Circle to grab" controls reminded me of Batman's latest outings, although not quite as finessed.

The expanded melee works great when getting into a straight-up brawl, but when armed opponents are in the room things take a turn for the worse. The circle button now has three functions; it's used for taking cover, dodging, and grabbing. Other buttons are similarly overburdened, and when attempting to fight armed enemies the game gets confused, leading to a lot of cheap deaths. I can't tell you how many times I've watched helplessly as a sniper took Nate in his sights, and instead of rolling for cover I ended up grabbing an enemy, making an easy target for the sniper. It's frustrating issues like these that just weren't present in Uncharted 2. I don't know if the level design has gotten worse or the combat has simply become more cluttered, or maybe both, but battles just don't flow like they used to.

Even the story never manages to reach the heights of its predecessors. While the first Uncharted had enough intrigue and newness to keep itself interesting and the second featured a menacing villain and great setpieces, this third entry is starting to feel a bit formulaic. It's obvious that the treasure will be cursed when they find it, it's obvious that some sort of mythical beast will appear towards the end, and it's obvious that Nate will end up destroying whatever it is that he finds for the good of humanity. Nate's relationship with his on-again-off-again girlfriend Elena seems to have hit a wall as well. At some point between the ending of Uncharted 2 and the beginning of Uncharted 3, they've broken it off again, but I'll be damned if they don't try to get back together again by the end. It's as if the developers can't think of anything meaningful to do with her as a character, so they keep running her through the same tired story beats over and over again.

Still, despite the mountain of small complaints I've leveled at the game, I enjoyed my time with Uncharted 3. The traversal gameplay is as automated as ever, but also among the most thrilling I've seen. It's still integrated beautifully into the combat and the puzzle solving, even if it is a bit suspicious that all of these ancient puzzles seem to revolve around the subject having preternatural climbing abilities. Gunplay is equally polished, and aiming a grenade right into someone's face remains hugely rewarding. Finally, the setpieces may not be as liberally placed as they were in Uncharted 2, but when they hit, man do they hit hard. A sequence on a sinking cruise liner is thrilling and highly challenging, while the airplane sequence shown at E3 ranks among the best moments in any game all year.

I'd be remiss to mention the setpieces without bringing up just how stunning they all look. Sure it's a given that Uncharted games will look good by now, but there were still moments that blew me away, the aforementioned ship and plane moments being among the best. The facial animations are incredibly convincing as well, which goes a long way towards selling the story. Contrived as it can be, the plot is given gravitas thanks to the excellent voice acting and stunning animations. The audio, another high point of the series, is still great too. The theme song is just as rousing as always, and it made me eager to jump into the game.

Ever since Uncharted 2, multiplayer has played just as big a part in the success of the franchise as single player, and this is one area that has seen the most consistent improvement in the sequel. A bunch of new modes and mode variants have been added in, all of which are genuinely fun and don't feel tacked on. The traversal mixed with the gunplay still feels unique even a few years after Uncharted 2 brought the series' trademark gameplay online, and it's always satisfying to climb up behind an unsuspecting sniper and pull him off his perch. The biggest issue with the multiplayer right now seems to be with the blind firing, which is perhaps a little too accurate and thus easy to abuse. It's not an issue that should persist for long, though, as the community has been fairly vocal about it. Other than this one quirk, the competitive play is a blast. Tons of perks and weapons are available to unlock, as well as skins, kickbacks, and more. Uncharted might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think competitive multiplayer, but this third entry proves that maybe it should be.

Aside from the competitive play, Uncharted 3 sports a full suite of cooperative options as well. Instead of choosing to put co-op into the campaign, Naughty Dog has crafted a series of shorter campaigns to be completed by multiple players. This plays out as a sort of "what if" scenario, covering events from all three Uncharted games from a different, quirkier perspective. It's a lot of fun to play through what amounts to an entire (albeit much smaller) campaign with two friends. Other co-op modes are available too, such as a Horde-like mode in which the objective switches between pure survival and treasure hunting, all while under the pressure of numerous waves of enemies. Then there's the Hunter mode, which tasks a team of two with completing numerous objectives, while a team of two villain players attempts to stop them. All of these modes are interesting and captivating, although I found the alternate campaigns to be the most fun.

As disappointing as its campaign can be, Uncharted 3 remains a solid game. It lacks the pure spectacle of Uncharted 2 and the newness that the first game befitted from when it emerged early in the PS3's life cycle, and there were moments that frustrated me more than they had any right to due to the overcrowded control scheme. That said, there are some great character moments in the story, and when those setpieces finally come they don't disappoint. Still, the multiplayer is what will keep me coming back to this game. The competitive play is surprisingly addictive and skill-based, and the co-op introduces some great alternatives to classic scenes from games past. Uncharted is a series that is no doubt past its prime, but even at its weakest it remains a worthy choice for armchair adventurers.