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3.1.2012

It rarely gets much better than this. Naughty Dog knock it out of the park once again to create a trifecta of terrific titles and hold onto their crowns as true artistes of the third person action adventure. There are a couple of minor stumbles with the narrative and the combat isn't perfect, but these are minor quibbles when you consider that as a whole package Uncharted 3 is in a league all it's own.Beginning with a mysterious meeting between Nate and Sully and some unidentified gangster types in a London pub, the game begins in fine style as events quickly spiral out of control and a massive bar brawl breaks out (Mainly, it seems,to demonstrate the new melee system in the game)and culminates with Nate and Sully seemingly being shot and killed(Spoilers: They aren't really) in an alley after being cornered by a mysterious woman known as Marlowe who seems to know Sully(This is all within the first ten minutes to be clear). Flashback twenty years in what is the first of several seeming nods to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (A fitting choice given the parallels) where we are introduced to a teenaged Nathan Drake, apparently a vagrant of some sort, who is scoping out a museum with a view to stealing a ring that belonged to Sir Francis Drake(Who, you'll recall from the first Uncharted, Nate has a bit of an obsession with.). It is here we get to see the first meeting between Nate and Sully... as Sully is at this point working for Marlowe with the intention of also stealing the belongings of Sir Francis Drake, as they can lead whoever deciphers their code to a mysterious "treasure" of some kind. From here, we get to learn how and why Nate and Sully have been such close pals all those years, and exactly how deep Nat's obsession with Francis Drake runs. Back in the present, it seems Nate and Sully are involved in a cat and mouse game with Marlowe, as each group tries to find out how information the other has on where to find Francis Drake's secret treasure, and as Nate obviously still wears Drake's ring around his neck(Remember this from the previous games?), he's Marlowe's main target and finds himself involved in a more deadly, personal treasure hunt than anything he's ever been involved in before. As ever, the story in this third Uncharted game is an absolute masterclass in narrative structuring in games, weaving a twisted, intricate plot and compelling characterisation around a superb game that utilises the bare minimum of cutscenes, keeping the player in control of Nate as much as possible while simultaneously feeding you bits and pieces of story. It's the same approach that worked so beautifully in Uncharted 2 and here it's even more refined and impressive, with many segments where I was sitting watching a cutscene only for the game to put me back in control in set pieces so outrageous and visually stunning I was completely taken by surprise. It's a superbly scripted and plotted game to be sure, but in terms of actual story I'd have to say I'd rate Uncharted 2 a little higher than this, as Uncharted 3 does have a few rather pointless tangents it goes off on that may be great for gameplay sequences, but occasionally they do more harm than good for the story's pacing/momentum. Plus, some characters feel a little shoehorned in or surplus to requirements to me... most notably Chloe. Minor gripes? Maybe. It's still head and shoulders above the kind of plot and storytelling you get in 99 percent of modern day games though, that's for sure.The gameplay may appear on the surface to be little different from Uncharted 2(Which would be no bad thing), but there have been numerous refinements and additions that add some really nice touches and variety to the gameplay. In particular, the new free form melee system can make for some hilarious moments during play. For example, one set piece right at the start sees Drake involved in a pub brawl. During this, if you're near a table or the bar while punching an enemy, Drake will automatically do something like grab a bottle off the table/bar and smash it into the enemy's face or grab the enemy's head and smash it into the table/bar without breaking your combo chain or requiring any sequence of buttons to be pressed. This sort of scenery interaction can occur pretty much anywhere and while it may only seem like a small aesthetic addition, it does add to the cinematic feel of the game and can look damn fine doing so. To be honest, it had me at Drake doing an elbow drop onto a bad guy on a lower floor than me when I hit attack beside a ledge. It's the little things, innit? The shooty combat is more or less the same as Uncharted 2, with some minor tweaks made to the weapons and much bigger scale battles and much more inventive use of the verticality of the game, with cover based shootouts occurring while enemies shoot at you from a ledge above as you're climbing a building and ducking under things like air conditioning units as cover as you continue to climb and shoot at the enemy. It's quite inventively done and can make for an amusing change of pace. The combat here isn't exactly flawless though, as the aiming can feel a tad stiff at times and the enemies can grenade spam you to death far too easily but honestly, when it comes to third person shooter combat you would still be hard pressed to find a more polished, fast paced and downright exciting offering than UC3. Combat aside, the game is again somewhat light on puzzles and there are a lot of interactive 'scripted' events throughout. The game does a great job creating genuinely tense moments without needing to resort to another shoot out. Like where you're forced to pull off some truly insane acrobatics to escape from a sinking cruise ship or have a desperate fist fight on the cargo ramp of a transport plane in mid flight... the game isn't short on big action moments mixed with tense gameplay, but at the same time there are a couple of set pieces that could have been lifted straight out of Uncharted 2, with two of that game's most stand out moments recreated almost exactly at points in this threequel. It'll never win any awards for originality, but as said, the gameplay here and the fun on offer are of an extremely high quality and the game's single player play time is at least on par with Uncharted 2's 9 or so hours worth of game... just don't expect a reinvention of the wheel for that run time is all I'm saying.The big surprise in the package though is unquestionably the greatly improved multiplayer elements. These were solid enough in UC2, but here they are simply exceptional. The map design coupled with the game's fast paced combat and sheer verticality of movement make for some superbly intense battles that allow for some creative approaches to combat compared to most online shootfests that basically consist of cover and shoot and little else. It may not have the bells and whistles of dedicated multiplayer focused titles(Though it's no slouch in the online design department at the same time, there's a lot of incentive for continued multiplayer play), but it's solid, it's fun, it works and it stands out as being something a bit fresher than the norm. High marks on this front from me. There is also a co-op mode which is also superbly put together but has a story and locations that are again almost directly lifted from Uncharted 2. It's fun being able to play as Nate and Sully with a friend, but Uncharted veterans may get a touch of Deja Vu from the level design.In terms of visuals and sound Uncharted 3 is pretty much at the peak of what we'll likely see this generation of consoles. The level of detail in the characters and areas is amazing, the performance is rock solid and the animation is unbelievably fluid and realistic looking, most especially with regard to the new melee system's attacks. The soundtrack is the usual excellent score work mixed with the nigh on perfect voice acting, featuring another show stealing performance from Nolan North, the man who is seemingly in every game ever nowadays.There's not really a whole lot I can add here. If you've played the previous Uncharted games, I can't imagine you wouldn't want to play this installment, and if you haven't played them... why would you start with the third game in the series? I realise I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but Uncharted 3 truly is a fantastic gaming experience. It may not be quite the revelation to third person action games that it's predecessor was but when the worst complaint that can be levelled at a game is that it's ONLY as good as Uncharted 2 then I daresay it's doing something very very right.Phenomenal.
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24.12.2011

I have been a huge fan of Naughty Dog games ever since I was a child. First there was the Crash Bandicoot series, followed by the Jak and Daxter series and now the Uncharted series. To be completely honest, I picked up Uncharted: Drake's Fortune ONLY BECAUSE Naughty Dog had developed it. Having played the series in order right from the beginning, and playing the campaigns of the first two games over 50 times combined, I have a really good knowledge of the Uncharted world.Story-Uncharted story lines are great; they start off with a huge historic figure with great achievements (For example Sir Francis Drake's Expedition), which have gaps in them, which later on have some sort of fantasy twist.I really enjoyed the story's of the other two games, but the third one...well, it felt slightly rushed. It starts of very solid, and I expected the story to be the best out of the three, but as I progressed, the story just seemed rushed, and it wasn't easy to understand what was going on, what the enemies were after - what YOU, as a player, are trying to help Drake get. Even after playing through the game twice, I still don't understand the story fully. as you get nearer to the end, the story seems more and more rushed, which for me, being a gamer that actually cares what happens in the campaign, was slightly disappointing. The campaign is also really short, so for those of you who like 30 hour long campaigns, this isn't it - it can be finished in about 6-8 hours. Also a lot of the levels are really slow moving and have lots of cutscenes, which are good the first time you play, but then get slightly boring. If anything, it was TOO much like a movie, if I really wanted to watch a movie, I would have picked up a film.Game play-In Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog had really upped their game on the physics. The movement was more fluid and the cover action was so smooth, it really helped the game play. In Uncharted 3, the physics are slightly different, not too much, but enough for me to notice. It's really awkward at first, as when you are moving around, it's a bit clumsy and you can't really get Drake to go where you want at first. But once you are used to the physics, it is great! The new hand-to-hand combat is a great improvement - they last more than 2 seconds now and are actually like a real fight, with counter attacks, so you can't just beat some guy up just by smashing the square button. The shoot-and-cover physics are pretty much the same as the second game, except for the cover mechanism being slightly different - but again, it doesn't take long to get used to it and isn't a major issue. Another addition that really improved the game as well is the fact that the grenades thrown by enemies can be thrown back at them. It adds more of a thrill in playing the game. The climbing physics haven't really changed much - a lot like Assassin's Creed.The new additions in this game is the water, fire and sand and more moving environments. But personally I didn't see much point of adding fire and sand. The fire was completely useless, it's only used in one level, and there isn't much that it does. The new sand addition isn't much either, I admit the sand dunes in the game are really impressive, and when drake walks his footprints are left on the sand, and how the sand clings onto his hair, but apart from that, there isn't much the sand does either. And as for the water? Well the water is the same the first game...except for the fact you can dive a certain amount of meters under water. It has more of a role than the sand and fire, but in my opinion, it's great, but not needed. It seemed like more of an experiment for their future games. The moving environments is probably the best addition, having shoot outs on a crashing plane, or taking down a huge enemy on a boat that rocks with the rough sea, really adds to the experience. They also removed the in game medals, which is a small thing, but I missed it.Graphics-The graphics of this game is one of the features that DIDN'T disappoint me. They've definitely improved from the second game, with all the locations looking exactly like their real locations. The guns look a lot more realistic, and the scenery, like the London landscape, are just phenomenal. But I did feel like that Naughty dog just recycled their old games. A lot of the locations look like locations from their previous games; like the beginning of Chapter 6 in uncharted 3, called 'The Chateau' looked as though it was imported from Chapter 3, 'Borneo'. A lot of the game is like this, which was slightly disappointing as I wanted new surroundings.Online-The online game play has been greatly improved as well. There is so much you can customise about your character and guns, and there is more point of collecting money than the second game. The new EXP system means that even when you have a frustratingly bad game, you still gain EXP, making you feel slightly better. You can even choose what guns you start of with, which is so much better than going around the map and learning where the weapons are situated and then racing to it to beat the other person to it. There still are 'power' weapons that you can't start off with, which are good, but with a huge selection of weapons to start off with, not many people bother with it. The maps are really a breakthrough. I don't think I've seen a game where you fight each other on a moving train or a plane that's about to take off! There are so many new features in the online mode, that there's too many to list here. The online mode is the biggest improvement - it is really fun and the best thing is that they've added in split screen mode, so you can even play with your friends!Overall-Uncharted 3 is a great game, and really worth all the money, but in my opinion, I preferred the campaign in the previous two games, as it seemed really rushed, but that doesn't make the game unplayable. But the online mode and graphics really made it for me. A definite buy.
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3.11.2011

...and yet, I can't help but feel I'm missing something. I really, really wanted to love this game: and whilst it's very good, I don't believe that it's as amazing as the hype would have you believe. You know when you love a game, you just love it. Uncharted 2 was easy to love because it took massive strides forward in a number of ways for gaming. The story was fantastic, the characters were funny, complex and interesting: and the graphics, oh those graphics. But, I just don't feel the same amount of glowing positivity for this than I did for its predecessor. When reviewers talk about a "masterpiece", it being "hard to imagine a game being better" and this being the "greatest in gaming history",I don't support anything like that view. Uncharted 2 was closer to being a "masterpiece". I know that it's apparently unpopular to criticise Uncharted 3: but that's the truth, from my perspective.Here's why.Uncharted 3 has those same components (that made the original so compelling, mostly). Aesthetically, it's fantastic. It looks and sounds as good as the hype would have you believe. I can't help but wonder if people are getting a bit caught up in a few elements. There's nothing wrong with that; if you enjoy it because of that then great! But there are flaws that, although there in the previous games, weren't noticeable because we were all so transfixed by the innovation and what was being achieved. Strip away that innovation (since this edition is more evolution than revolution), and suddenly those flaws become that much more noticeable. Sometimes you can get away with that (as in God of War III, for example: which capitalised on it being the first PS3 title in the franchise, whilst doing very little to the structure of the game); but I don't feel that Uncharted is one of those games. The experience needed to move on in someway: and it just hasn't. Again, how you take that could be either as a good or a bad thing. But on the plus side it does mean that if you haven't played an Uncharted game before, then prepare for an awesome ride. As a stand-alone product, Uncharted 3 is absolutely jam-packed with quality (compared to other games), and deserves it five-star rating.The graphics, whilst generally the best you've ever seen on a console, are only that way because the story and game-play is practically on-rails; and too passive, too often. It's delicate balance to achieve (the whole, "I'm in a movie-game!" thing), and I think the experience has suffered a small amount for it. I found myself switching-off on numerous occasions as a result. It wasn't a problem before; but suddenly, with a lot of what makes Uncharted great no longer being a novelty, it became the case this time around. Perhaps this wasn't helped either by the (this time shorter) story. Whilst peppered with good moments, it was nothing like as grabbing as the previous two. Sully's a good character, but in my view the least interesting of the cast, and this game hasn't changed that for me. I wanted to see the more interesting characters (like Chloe, Elena and Cutter) more often than I actually did.The 3D is really good on this game. But, the frequently contrasting nature of the colours means that anything less than a stellar 3DTV will produce cross-talk. For reference, I have a Panasonic 3DTV (the 2011 entry-level 'ST' range) and had enough cross-talk that I had to switch the 3D off to not be put off from the experience.The controls are a series of love-it/hate-it affairs. Often it was addicting and smooth. Others it was clunky, frustrating and forced (into the on-rails story mode and the environment): enough that I felt it was worth mentioning in this review. The AI, during my campaign, were generally pretty smart (with flanking maneuvers, and other clever tactics). But they killed themselves more often with grenades than I did! So, there's alot to work on there, too.Lastly, the online is great. Put it into context though (against the likes of CoD and Battlefield) and suddenly most people realise that even though it is as such, you'll almost invariably end-up on one of the big-hitting FPS's. It's like England failing to make World Cup finals; no one know why it keeps happening, it just does.So we conclude with the overall feeling that, yeah, Uncharted 3 is a really good game. Don't be put-off by the amount of this review dedicated to its flaws; Uncharted 3 has a lot going for it as a stand-alone product (especially for newbies) and is worth your time. I don't give fives stars for many games (because as a stand-alone product, it is worth that). But its longevity is in question: and for me it was a ride I enjoyed, but with those negative elements being enough to drag it down from brilliant to just very good. I've finished it, traded it in and haven't looked back since. I think that'll be a bit more common an experience than the media would have you believe.
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24.11.2011

Well after 10 glorious hours, I finished Uncharted 3 last night.I decided to play the game on the hardest level available (HARD) to give myself a bit of a challenge (and to also get 3 trophies at once on completion - EASY, NORMAL & HARD completion trophies rewarded).It's been so long since I either played UC or UC2, that I can barely remember the games so I am not going to make the usual comparisons between UC3 and its predecessors.Uncharted 3 has been described as a visual masterpiece via the usual glut of PS3 magazines such as PSM3..... and it is. In my opinion, it is beautiful. Probably Game of the Year if Graphics were the only scoring category, but alas it's not and that is were UC3 falters and falls.Whilst playing the game,it cuts over to movie interludes all too often and nearly 40 - 50% of the game is set movies. Well thought out and enjoyable movie clips, but you have no control over what happens in them thus you are just a spectator for 50% of the game. And as this is a game, surely that is too much. Now some will disagree and say that it adds to the splendor and ambience of the overall Uncharted 3 experience, but personally I found it quite boring after the 1st couple of hours.The added Melee combat of attack (square), Counter-attack (triangle) and throw/grab (circle) is introduced right at the start of the game. You (Nathan) and Sully get involved in fisty cuffs in a bar and the game shows you how to punch, counter attack and throw your attackers over bars and pool tables.It's a great way to get the game started and I loved it!!From that point the story structure of the game begins to unfold.....Throughout the game you will be required to take out an assortment of enemies using guns, rifles, shotguns, machine Guns, RPGs, etc. You will get the opportunity to ride a horse and jump form horse to truck and back to horse again. You will roll and dodge bullets from every direction and will be required to traverse cliffs, walls, hangers, trucks, statues etc.Through your (Nathans) journal, you will have the ability and help to solve puzzles scattered throughout the game ,..... and all this combines to give you the splendor of Uncharted 3!!So what are the negatives...?1. The gameplay can be sluggish at times and slow. I found myself pushing down on the L3 stick hoping Nate would move faster.2. There are certain parts of the game that add nothing of value to it. *Spoiler Alert* - Like the part in the desert when you are walking around looking for water. Too many scenes where you walk from one area to another to no avail. Felt like a time-filler to me.3. Very, very linear. Now I know that it's not an open world game and that is one of the reasons that it is the best game this year graphically (scenes and environments kept to a minimum), but it really is very limited on what you can do. So much so that the game will tell you were to go if you linger to long (you will notice a HINT appear).4. Too many movie sections to the game (already discussed).Multi-Player & Co Op.Only played the MP for a couple of hours and that was primarily to get the "ThrillSeeker" trophy.Can't really comment on it but seemed like good fun.Noticed that the usual MP formats of Team DeathMatch, etc are all there.It takes the form of 3rd person shooter (same as the Solo) as compared to the FPS of games such as COD of BF.If you are playing Battlefield or Modern Warfare 3, then this won't hold your attention for long.As well as copying the usual game formats on MP, it also has level upgrades, xp and unlocks.If you love UC, you will most likely get hours of enjoyment out of this.The Co-Op consists of you and a friend following an objective and killing waves of enemies. Make sue to stay alive until such time as your objective is complete. You can revive one another if someone gets hurt and you start with 7 lifes.In conclusion, would I recommend Uncharted 3 - yes, absolutely. It's a unique gaming experience and for the most part - enjoyable and positive. The graphics are brilliant. The sound and background noise are very well matched to the game play and the movies. Finally, the primary characters of Nathan and Sully are very well acted and you warm to them right from the beginning scenes of the game (aforementioned bar fight scene).However, rather than dish out £40 to buy the game, I would recommend you rent it for the week for the usual £5. You will complete the Solo Campaign in 8 - 12 hours and if you find that you love the MP section and co-op, then go purchase the game for the long run.I have restarted the game on very easy as I am trophy hunting, thus I am happy that I pre-ordered the game and paid top dollar for it.On scoring, I would give it 3.8 out of 5.0, thus will give it a four star and a thumbs up.
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6.2.2012

As the follow-up to the very impressive "Uncharted 2: Among thieves", I was very curious which direction the next game was going to take. As an action game, "Uncharted 2: Among thieves" was so very effective there seemed to be little room to improve upon it. While "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" contains all the elements of previous games, it uses them better, and has an unexpected focus on storytelling and characters.In "Uncharted 2: Among thieves" the game at times consisted of linked action set pieces and prolonged shoot-outs, connected by only brief moments of "reprieve". As intense as the action was, it would wear you out. While the intense action returns in "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception",the "editing" of the action is better, heightening its impact. Level exploration, puzzles and character interaction connect the action, and when the gunplay begins, it flows naturally from the events that preceeded it, and connects to the story that follows it. The same is true about the game's puzzles, which are so much better integrated into the story than in previous games. They no longer feel like they might have been slotted in for the sake of having a puzzle moment here and there: in "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" the puzzles are part of the game and its story. Finally, the action set pieces no longer have the strong emphasis they had in "Uncharted 2: Among thieves", in which they were perhaps the defining aspect of the game design.As a whole, "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" is a much more assured and balanced game design than its predecessor, since it gives each part of the design its due.What surprised me was how much more emphasis there is on characters and storytelling in "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" than in previous games. These elements were certainly present, and moments such as the closing scenes of "Uncharted 2: Among thieves", in which you had to wonder whether one of the main characters had actually survived would make you feel a lump in your throat. "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" manages to do this successfully, repeatedly and without becoming manipulative. If "Uncharted: Drake's fortune" succeeded by making you care about the game's protagonist and then repeatedly put him into jeopardy, "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" goes that one crucial step further by putting the other supporting characters in jeopardy, too. This part of the game works so well because of how the storytelling makes you care about the characters, who are fleshed out even further than in previous games. Yes, "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" has flash-backs and a "When Nathan met Sully..." section, which tie everything together.All of these aspects would already make a great game, but there is, of course, more. Instead of action set pieces that focus on gunplay, "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" features recreations of breathtaking live action film stunt work in which you are placed in control. The "playable blockbuster" aspect of the game, so prominent in "Uncharted 2: Among thieves", shifted from making things explode bigger and louder and bodies piling up higher to intense action which repeatedly surpasses the hanging train sequence which introduced "Uncharted 2: Among thieves". Without spoiling anything, the later parts of "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" which take place in a ship graveyard and on a ship rolling on a stormy sea are unique in action games, and they surpass what is even possible in live action films. It is as if the designers of "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" had thrown down the gauntlet to say "let's see you try this in the inevitable 'Uncharted' franchise movie".While "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" is a game, it succeeds where contemporary live action adventure films struggle, and struggle hard indeed. The writing, the characters, the storytelling, the action and how it is staged, make "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception" the best action adventure "film" in many years, so to speak. It sets the bar so high that it should put the very idea of a film adaptation into doubt.The game closes with the game's protagonist stating that he had "nothing to prove", his actions and conduct already spoke for him. I believe that with "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception", the game is in the same situation. It is no longer part of a franchise which used to be another riff on a riff on an action movie series, angling for its own movie adaptation, the inevitable movie-tie in game and the merchandise. With "Uncharted 3: Drake's deception", it no longer has anything to prove, it finally has come into its own.
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15.2.2012

The third edition of Sonys PS3 flagship title arrived with mass fanfare and promises of it being the best one ever and the game of the year all rolled into one small, shiny, little bundle. Unfortunately after playing Uncharted all I felt was a severe case of déjà vu, admittedly a very pretty case of déjà vu. Fans of the Uncharted series will need no explanation as to what you have to do and the game is very simplistic in its approach so newcomers will have no problems with getting to grips with it as it follows a shoot, run, climb, shoot some more, solve a puzzle (or don't if you cant be asked), shoot some more approach to gaming, which is entertaining in a summer Hollywood blockbuster type of way.That's not a sly dig at the game, but you expect more for something that's being considered as the game of the year as the industry has released some genuine classics in the months preceding Uncharteds release.Saying that you can understand why the plaudits for this game are plentiful as you fall in love with it as soon as you look at it. This is most definitely a case of style over substance but it looks sooo good you really do not care as you are swept along for the ride from one beautiful location to another be it the dark streets of London to the much discussed desert scenes. Admittedly the same effort that was put into the these various backgrounds could and should have been used to the actual characters in the game as they just look OK compared to everything else going on around them.While on the subject of the characters and the work that was put in it was obvious to me that the team working on the AI of your enemies in this game obviously took some time off or thy decided to make a salute to the retro era of gaming as the AI in most cases is awful. I played this game after the excellent Dead Space 2 where you are attacked by largely unarmed necromorphs and they displayed more restraint in getting in close for hand to hand combat than some of the enemy AI in Uncharted. If it wasn't so bad it would be funny as they run toward you so you can take them out a lot easier.I mentioned previously that the puzzles could be solved if you felt like it, I only say this because it seems like Naughty Dog must have got a few emails stating that the puzzles on previous games were far too difficult and they wanted to stop anyone from getting stuck. Imagine this scenario if you will you walk into a room where a puzzle is displayed you take two steps and you get a helpful request to solve the puzzle or assist you in solving the puzzle if you wish. It is annoying that in this day and age and yes I blame the rise of the casual market that we have this in our big releases. That's what the easy setting is for people as a fairly experienced gamer I don't want to be handheld through my experience as it detracts from why I'm playing the game for in the first place, the challenge.Just when you think there is nothing else that can plague a `game of the year' contender you realise there is yet another flaw which while admittedly not being 100% broken but should work better considering it is a third person action game is the cover system. How did this go wrong, it should be the one part of the game apart from the climbing which should be perfect as it is an important part of the gameplay required to complete the game. Stay out in the open too long and you get taken out, this is understandable, getting taken out because Nathan decides to rollover or refuses to get into cover next to a wall that has no obvious reason for not being allowed to be used for cover is infuriating.Is this game as genuine game of the year contender? Judging by some of the reviews on the many available forums you would think so but for me it is lacking that something to make it a genuine classic. For fans of Uncharted it is more of the same so they will not be disappointed unless they also have the sense of déjà vu but I just needed and wanted something a bit more. The thrills and spills are still there but how about pushing the boundaries of this medium a bit more rather than playing it safe.
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9.6.2012

(Actually 3.5 stars)Having finished Uncharted 3 my feelings were mixed between two halves of the story with the first half the most intriguing and the second half becoming repetitive and frustrating. As usual you start the game off with Nathan Drake the treasure hunter who gets himself in predicaments that would result in certain death. The game has the most beautiful visuals I have seen as they really pushed the boundaries on the lighting and presentation. None of the environments felt the same and all looked like 100% effort was put into designing all of them. The most enjoyable part for me was clinging onto a plane while it rapidly descends and eventually crashes.It makes me think that Nathan Drake is the luckiest person alive to comically survive such disasters which have always amused me since playing the Uncharted series.The animation of Drake's every movement is the best in gaming history. For once we have a character who actually feels alive rather than controlled by the gamer. Drake is animated in every action. if he is walking next to a wall he will touch it, if he is in a desert island he will walk tired, if he needs to be stealthy his body movement will change, if he is just standing still he will even look around and so on and so on. This type of animation is superior to anything I have seen before as I really put extra effort in helping Drake reach his goal. The game also has lovely changes in the environment. I have found myself in a position where I was in a ship only for it to cap size and provide me a different perspective of the environment. (Although they over did it with the in game cutscenes as I couldn't tell when I was controlling Drake or not).The acting and characters as usual are interesting and performed just as well as the previous games with Drake and Sully staring. I'm glad to see more of Sully as him and Drake's banter can be hilarious at times and you really see they have a close father son relationship.Now onto Drake's frustrationDrake cannot even get a drink of water without having to deal with a shoot out. Too many times in the latter stages of the game you will have to deal with waves after waves of enemies, poor ai and cheap deaths. The enemies seem to not care if they die as they charge straight at you instantly drawing your attention while others try to flank you. I felt like the developers ran out of ideas as the platforming and puzzle elements started to take more and more of a back seat as the game progressed. It's like this you go into a room there is two guys with snipers, done, cutscene developers think "hey lets add 3 snipers and a grenade launcher", so then you deal with that wave as well. Its cutscene, shoot out, cutscene shoot out with only changes to design. I was even interested in the stealth elements but then they turn into shootouts as well as if they lied to me about doing things stealthily. The good thing was that the combat has been greatly improved but the problem is because it is long enemies can force you into it while you're getting flanked which leads to frustration but combat is still one of the highlights of the game.In the end I felt the game seemed to follow more closely to the first Uncharted as Drake has to constantly deal with wave after wave of enemies rather than mixing the platforming and the shootouts like Uncharted 2. Despite these problems I do feel presentation wise it has pushed the boundaries and the animation is superb in how it changes the environments and how Drake body language changes within different situations. It really is a great game but doesn't mix up the gaming style as it feels more like a shooter in the final hours which stops it from being better than Uncharted 2. You can hate my opinion on the game but at least I have backed it reasons while acknowledging some of the better points of the game and it is good but not as good as it could have been.
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12.8.2012

Uncharted 3, the end of a trilogy but not necessarily the end of the franchise. This Franchise for me and many others is a marvel, its very polished good story telling accompanied by good gameplay , fairly challenging puzzles, and cinematic moments. Overall Fun.The game is a 3rd person shooter accompanied with a close combat system which is pretty simple and never becomes a challenge(as long as you're not rubbish at quick time events).The combat and gameplay like I mentioned is fun but not much has really changed since the first Uncharted game. Now there nothing wrong with keeping to a winning formula and for people who don't play many video games id recommend this whole heartedly it's easyto get into and not all that challenging the combat never really gets old as the game while linear has a fair share of wide combat areas and the game does a good job of changing things up location wise. At times however when you've seen one armoured bad guy who takes loads of bullets to put down you've seen them all and can be tiresome when you just want to get on with things.This game really does do a good job at creating interesting characters you care about and then throwing them into dangerous film esc situations .However while the main character Nathan Drake is charismatic and a good protagonist with witty remarks and enough good in him to take the moral high ground. And yet I cant help but dislike him , you cant go on about the fight against evil one minute and doing what's right only to then snap 20 guys necks and blow up a plane. I realise its a game but when you build characters, who have complex personality's and then make no mention of the sheer number of people they just killed its just kind of creepy , I mean the body pile is a bit ridiculous by the end . Naughty dog (the developers) I don't need hundreds of bad guys to kill to have fun I just need a good pace and fun gameplay, by throwing so many goons at me it becomes a chore .Story though good but very familiar , Drake and Sully(his mentor) must find some relic before some super evil British people get the relic and ......well watch any Indiana Jones film or the National treasure films and you'll know the way the Uncharted games will go.Graphics= Superb , nice variety in environment's and lots of pretty vistas, sands never looked so.....sandySound = good overall, however some guns sound a bit under powered but the soundtracks pretty epic .Multiplayer= Good but it won't keep a lot of people hooked, ranking system and unlocks is a fun idea ripped straight from COD but there's balance issues e.g. players a higher rank will always have superior fire power being a high level their guns are just better and you might as well quit because they will ruin the fun for new players. Offline co-op is only crap because half the screen gets covered with some stupid logo , still it's a fun alternative to COD or battlefield but the lack of balancing the player levels is just a annoying mistake which while is in other games doesn't mean it should be here.Conclusion- Close to perfection , I played through it twice because it is a damn good game and its been out a while now so I have had enough time with it to be a little bit critical. So Yeah good game but just there's a feeling throughout I can't quite describe it's just not the great game it's praised as, it's a damn good game but there are parts which just feel like time wasting because the game might as well do it for you ,plat forming aside id recommend it to a friend.
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5.1.2012

The Uncharted series has always managed to wow critics and players alike with a unique take on the adventure series mixing some solid gunplay with tight platforming elements to deliver an excellent experience and turning this series into more of an interactive movie than a game.Uncharted 3 has received rave reviews from some of the top pundits and having played through this game and currently playing through it a second time, I think the hype is slightly over-exaggerated despite how awesome this game is.The graphics are very impressive and the sand, water and fire effects are the best I've seen anywhere in any game. My biggest gripe is that the fire isn't used nearly enough and considering how much hype went into bragging about the effects,its disappointing to only see it used in a set piece that lasts for around 3 minutes. Aside from the fire, the character models look excellent and generally every other graphical element is spot on.The story in Uncharted 3 is the biggest disappointment here and really detracts from the experience. Another ten hours of story feels like its needed here with the breathtaking pace that sets in after a dreary and slow start to the game. You don't even fire your gun until the 4th Chapter! This slower pace is good for setting a more deliberate story-driven game but it feels awkward and slow due to the constant need to walk at a snail's pace.The plot itself is confusing and revolves around another Francis Drake expedition featuring a lost city in the desert. The "villains" here are under-developed and aren't explored nearly enough. The ending also falls flat and it feels like Naughty Dog were desperate not to repeat the first two games with the inclusion of monsters. What results is an underwhelming ending to a game with so much promise.The settings vary wildly in such a short space of time (20 chapters) which sees you travel at breathtaking pace through England, France, Syria, an abandoned shipyard, a cruise ship, Yemen, a plane, the barren desert and the Lost City itself. The varying places are brilliantly realized but make for an undeveloped plot and the inclusion of the "abducted" sub-plot is unnecessary and ironically the biggest action-paced part of the game.The gameplay itself is largely untouched from the previous two games but the hand to hand combat has been revamped to be more like Batman Arkham Asylum which helps to give some much-needed variety to the melee attacks. However, the biggest problem is there's no option to get out of the combat if you need to. What I mean is that you are locked into a one-on-one confrontation that plays out like a mini cut-scene and when you have two snipers tracking your every move, it becomes frustrating with cheap deaths galore.Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception is a game of two halves really. On the one hand, its the prettiest game on PS3 which improves on its predecessors in some ways but the lack of epic gunfights and imagination in the story department overshadows the positives of this game. Is it worthy of Game Of The Year? Possibly. Is it worth lavish 10/10s across the board from all the major reviewers? No. Its a fun experience while it lasts (only 8 hours mind you for the campaign) but its certainly not without its flaws and unfortunately this is, in my opinion, the weakest entry in the Uncharted series. Its still an amazing game but lets hope Uncharted 4 irons out the plot problems and delivers an experience we all know will be worthy of the praise.
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6.11.2011

After the first two amazing games I have to admit I was a little worried as to whether it was even possible that Uncharted 3 would be as good or would turn out to be a Return of The Jedi style dissapointment. I am happy to report though that this third Chapter in the Uncharted series is every bit as good as its predecessors and then some.Once again the game follows the adventures of Nathan Drake as he travels around the world in search of some long lost treasure. And as before there is a group of rival treasure hunters ready to do anything to get there first. What is impressive though is that the story never gets old and the plot for Uncharted 3 is more original and involving than anythingHollywood ever produce these days.This comparison to movies goes one step further though as the whole game is like some massive blockbuster movie in which you are the star. The whole game is cut in cinematic style and blends seamlesly between cut scenes and action scenes without any difference in the graphics. Its script and characters are also just as enjoyable to follow, and for the first time I found one of the reasons I was buying a game was to find out what happened next in the story. I guess I'm still a bit in love with Elena Fisher.As you might expect if you have played the first two games the graphics are outstanding. I think I said this of the predecessors but Uncharted 3 now has in my opinion the best the graphics I have ever seen in a computer game. The level of detail is phenomenal, even areas you run past for just a few seconds have intricate detail and depth. As you visit different parts of the world you really get the feeling that these are real places and not just a setting for a computer game. The characters themselves have also been given a makeover so the level of facial animation is just as good as games like LA Noir. In addition to this each characters movements are perfectly natural, making them utterly believable in the way they move and interact with the environment.The action as before mixes between fight scenes, exploration and puzzle solving. It might be my imagination but the fights seem a little tougher than before, but just as cinematic and exciting. Exploration is also a joy because the environments are so natural looking. Unlike games like Tomb Raider the hand holds are blended in rather than emphasised to look like an artificial climbing wall. One new element to the puzzle solving is the option to give up and let the computer show you the solution. This is a nice addition if you have spent ages on the same puzzle and just want to get on with the story.In summary then this is as close to perfect as you can get from a game. If you don't like the adventure genre then obviously its probably not going to appeal but if you have ever enjoyed Raiders of The Lost Arc, Tomb Raider, The Mummy or any similar action adventure films then please give this a go. I highly reccomend playing the first two games first to see the story develop but I think you will find this series just gets better and better. This really is the game of the year for 2011.
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31.1.2012

Uncharted 3 - one of the most anticipated games of 2011 had very high expectations to live up to from its two predecessors, and to be quite honest before playing the game i was thinking, 'How can they make it any better than the previous two?' - And this is where Uncharted 3 as a whole dissappointed me. Yes, there may well be lots of exploration. Yes, there may also be a mouthwatering amount of detail put into every aspect of the game, every single nook and cranny is filled and toned to look immaculate. Yes, even the gun system which has been to be quite honest - a little shoddy to say the least compared to other games on the market - was improved and refined a little.However here is where the big dissappointment came for me,although i found that it was fantastic and a wonderful piece of eye candy, and some levels in it are literally spectacular especially the level within the burning building - I found the sense of adventure just isn't there... in the first uncharted - Drake's fortune, i was wowed by the graphics and the story and the sheer size of level design and this happened all over again in the second game - Among Thieves. But with this game i found it a lot harder to get into the story with its darker tone, and i felt that the idea of venturing far and wide in search for treasure didn't matter nearly as much as it did in the previous games. I found that although the gameplay - especially the melee (which i think is very similar to Batman: Arkham City) was refined and improved i found the whole experience was a slight let down.Uncharted 2 was such a step up from Uncharted 1, that i was simply amazed but there was no big leap ahead for this game and after all the adverts and developers bigging this game up i found that i enjoyed the story in the first 2 games much more than in this one.Also for me, this implementation of the series it is a lot darker and the character of Nathan Drake is a much less likeable character, his charm is still there yes, but he has a certain disregard for others which you realise throughout the game, and in that sense i felt like the Nate i had played with in the first two games had almost completely turned on me. He still had his adventurous flare and his nonchalance which is great, but it almost seemed too over the top, he seemed obsessive to me and i feel that it was harder to play due to this.I understand a lot of people may disagree with what i'm saying, you don't have to take my word for it, but as a great lover of the series i felt a certain sense of unfulfillment from this game - i had that fulfillment from the first two games but it lacked in this game.Overall i think this game has great visual appeal, it is a fantastic story with a darker tone, it has improved gameplay and i would play it again, and would most definitely reccommend it to anyone who is thinking of buying it.I hope you enjoy it and i hope this review has been helpful. :)
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7.11.2011

Out of all the games to be released this Autumn, this is the one I'd been looking forward to the most. More than Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City and Call of Duty. And why? Because I loved Uncharted 2. So with anticipation I slid the disc into my PS3 and sat back in preparation for the thrill-ride to come. And in so many ways I wasn't disappointed. Straight from the off you're thrown into the action, the story twists and turns and then you're off again to another beautifully rendered location. For such an old and often repeated concept of archaeological adventurer Uncharted seemingly breathes new life into it.George Lucas should have had a word with Naughty Dog before making the horrific monstrosity that was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.There's a lot of humour in Uncharted 3, much of it as banter between characters in the more quieter moments. I find it refreshing in and amongst lots of other games that take themselves very seriously. At the end of the day how can I not like a game that has the line: "He's tripping balls." While the humour and banter allows the dialogue to bubble along nicely it helps you care about the characters. And care you do. More than the other two games the personalities and relationships are further developed here. Drake isn't a loner. These are his friends, his family. His actions affect them all. Its nice to see this aspect of storytelling in a game.Okay, so why only four stars? There was a development between Uncharted one and two. I don't really mean in terms of graphics (which was there of course) but more in the natural story progression through the game. In the original game you often had to go climbing, solving an ancient puzzle to unlock a door only to then be confronted by enemies shooting at you. Once that was done you solved an ancient puzzle, did some climbing to unlock a door only to be confronted by more enemies. It just didn't seem natural. And then in Uncharted 2 they fixed this. But its back. There's too many times I thought, well that was a nice diversion but it made no sense and ultimately pointless. And the endless waves of enemies just got, well, tiring. I'd hate to think what the bad guy's payroll is.The way in which the game manipulates the environment is frankly amazing. Perspectives shift during moments of action dramatically. Visually its a wonder to behold. No other medium can really give us this. And here it happens again and again.Sure this isn't the longest game you'll ever play. But think about it this way, on a wet Sunday afternoon you don't necessary want to start something that needs way too much time investment. But if you want to travel the world fighting bad guys, climb though ancient ruins, solve puzzles, have a laugh and know you can get it finished in six or seven hours then this is a winner.
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1.1.2014

Nate Drake's third adventure boasts all the same perks as the previous two - great characters, cinematic set pieces, a winning combination of puzzle solving, stealth and blowing the hell out of people with rocket launchers. While realism was stretched in this one to brand new breaking points, it did so with a great deal of charm and charisma.The story starts in London (you Americans love a sinister British accented bad guy) or at least a vision of London populated entirely with grimy bars and Jason Statham look-alikes. There is brawling and smashing heads into toilets, and a great deal of `grabbing things from the environment to smash over peoples' heads.'Thus begins the adventure to prevent said British bad guys from acquiring an ancient artefact of untold power.While the gameplay is almost identical, the characters now familiar faces and the continent hoping escapades expected, Unchartered 3 does manage to keep the franchise fresh. There are some intriguing sequences that reveal more of the central relationship between Nate and his mentor Sully. Seeing Nate as a young boy, and a few suggestions implied by the bad guys give us telling insight into our heroic lead and the past that we know very little about. There are also some pretty great mind bending sequences as Nate succumbs to the mind altering effects of a drug the bad guys use.Best set pieces include an utterly ridiculous, but spectacular fight on board a plummeting aircraft and the following escape from seemingly inevitable doom, a nausea inducing sequence on board a boat in rough seas and of course the final location - a secret city in the desert.Downsides include some pretty impossible sections where pressing a button at exactly the right moment was the only way to escape an untimely (and repetitive) demise. The game does tend to throw you a lot of checkpoints in these sequences though, so each bit of progress you make is at least saved. The controls in general did seem a bit shaky at times. Trying to climb out of a collapsing building is rather difficult when you're trying to jump over a stair banister and can only manage to repeatedly jump in the air as if trying to grab a higher ledge. And there was Nate's habit of throwing back grenades into the cover you are standing next to, resulting in them blowing up right next to you... That got me a few times before I gave up on the `throw back grenades' mechanic.But overall this is a great game for fans of the franchise like me. The puzzles are hard enough to be satisfying, but not rage inducing, while the shootouts don't drag on too long, but do provide plenty of opportunity to cause creative mayhem. If you enjoyed Unchartered 1+2 you'll definitely get a kick out of this one.
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4.11.2011

Having finished the game in just over 8 hours on normal difficulty, i found myself a little disappointed. I am a person who own Uncharted 2 and this latest installment only, and i found myself enjoying the previous installment more.Gameplay.nearly exactly the same as Uncharted 2 except for the forced melee fights which you have to do during the single player. this would be okay if your were not forced to do it so much against the same enemies. little grunts and then big muscled bound persons who take about twice as long to kill. what makes this worse is that in previous uncharted games, there has been a boss finale in which you run around, dodging bullets in intense combat, this is not the case with this game.just another fist fight as the climax. which i found highly disappointing.having said this, there are some excellent levels within the game, personal favorites being the ship grave yard and the entire desert sequence. they have continued with the game play structure which made the last two such massive hits, and they having carried this over into Uncharted 3.like in the last uncharted they have portions of the game which are slow walking around, just listening to the characters converse with each other. this happens ALOT at the beginning of the game, though once you get past this, the game opens up into a much more enjoyable structure.i found treasure hunting in the last game more challenging, however in this one, i was able to obtain 60% on the first run through, and that was without even looking for them properly. with the secret relic being embarrassingly easy to find, as i did by looking at it first time through.Visuals.it is a uncharted game, so naturally it looks fantastic. As a current animation student, i am able to appreciate the complexity of what they have done even more. with stunningly beautiful environments (desert a personal fav)the game is inciting enough on visuals alone.Story.while the story is there, it appears to disappear for a portion of the game only to be introduced again. this happens with characters as well, with them being a major part of the game to suddenly not appearing again at all. i felt the story was not as easy to immerse in as uncharted 2 and this made the game a bit shallow most of the time.The main thing i miss in this game, is completion bonuses. In uncharted 2, after completing the game, you could replay it with different character skins, pick able weapons and fun cheats (eg big head mode). this is completely gone in the game, making the game that bit less enjoyable.Overall, a great game despite what i have said. i thoroughly enjoyed the game, however, i feel that it's older sibling Uncharted 2 was a better game.
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3.1.2012

I love the Uncharted games and the original game was what tipped the balance for me getting a PS3 at all so it was fair to say that I was pretty excited about the release of the 3rd instalment in the series. And all round it was a fun, gorgeous-looking single player experience that definitely had some genuinely epic set pieces and a story that moved along and kept me interested, definitely worth a go and inevitably a "must have" for fans of the previous games.I'm not sure it quite lived up to my expectations though, the new unarmed combat system which gets an extensive try-out in the ridiculously "East-End" pub brawl opening scene feels much less immediate than in the previous games,more like an extended QTE "press the right button" session than anything that you have any control over. There are also a number of running away/escaping scenes that felt to be frustrating trial and error affairs (particularly with my low levels of dexterity and coordination) that could easily end through turning the wrong way or missing a jump or not realising where the game wanted you to go next in time this was especially aggravating as during these sections you get limited control of the camera and suddenly don't seem to have all your skills available... so no jumping unless the game says that it's time to jump.Throughout there was definitely an emphasis on storytelling over gameplay with fairly extensive sections where it didn't really seem to matter what you did the result was pretty much the same and why wasn't a bit where you're slogging through the desert a cut scene? Why do I have to press left on a joystick when that's basically all I can do? There's no alternative route through the desert, I can't do anything except what the game dictates so why pretend? In similar vein I also occasionally died because a scene that felt like it should have been a cut scene apparently needed some input from me... something I only found out after having died for not providing the input.One of the Uncharted series' key selling points is its characters and the interplay between them, some of the dialogue and humour in the 1st two games was genuinely funny and engaging and set a new standard in games; I don't think Uncharted 3 really managed to build on this legacy. A lot of the characterisation was too angsty for what had been a relatively Devil-May-Care series, for all that the investigation into some of the backstory was interesting from a fan perspective.So yep, fun, gripping stuff and a good storyline if not exactly what I'd have done characterisation-wise, but I felt a lot more like a passenger in this game than in the previous two.
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