In 2009 Naughty Dog released one of the biggest games of this generation. Uncharted 2 redefined the adventure genre, and skyrocketed the franchise to unfathomable heights. Here we are two years later and the long awaited sequel to the best game of 2009 is here. Can Uncharted 3 outdo it’s predecessor, or is Drake deceiving himself?
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Before we start the review, we apologize in advance for not being very clear with the story. But in a story driven game like Uncharted 3 we prefer being vague and not spoil the game for our readers. The story in Uncharted 3 unlike Uncharted 2 focuses more in the relationship between Drake and Sullivan, showing the strong relationship they have between each other and how far one would go for the other. The plot itself is quite entertaining and you will find yourself aching to see the next cut scene. As a matter of fact this is the only game where I almost prefer watching rather than playing, every time the game cut to a cut scene I felt a sense of delight in putting the controller down and watching the story unravel before me.
With that said, I did have some problems with the game’s plot. The story feels a bit rushed at times and definitely seems like it got some major cuts in development. It takes you all over the place and never focuses in one specific part at a time. It’s very hard to explain without spoiling the game for you, but as far as story execution goes, it could’ve been a lot better.
Gameplay wise Uncharted 3 doesn’t stray too far from its predecessor. The game is still very linear, very scripted, and you are still the luckiest and most talented man in the world when it comes to climbing and falling in the right places. The game still has some of those “OH MY GOD” moments where you feel like you were an inch away from death. Although these moments were nowhere near as intense and invigorating as the previous chapter of the series, they still manage to get your heart racing and adrenaline pumping every time.
Not to sound like a little baby, but difficulty in this game can be very frustrating at times. There will be points where you will be overwhelmed with enemies attempting to kill you, as there will literally be enemies in a 360 degree radius attempting to kill you at once and they will shower you with grenades and pretty much kill you over and over again. Plenty of times I found myself cursing at the game for being absolutely nefarious with it’s difficulty. To be fair the game at least has a plethora of checkpoints to make the experience less frustrating, but you will die a lot in this game.
Multiplayer is an often overlooked featured in the Uncharted games since the single-player is so mind-blowing, but truth be told the multiplayer is incredibly well executed and entertaining to play. The multiplayer maps are incredibly well designed as well as mind blowing; one stage will have you racing after a moving plane while you are on top of a truck, while another level has a desert storm which can completely change the pacing of the game. On top of having your regular team deathmatch, free for all, and objective based combat gameplay, you also have some co-op modes.
Co-op modes vary anywhere from a horde like mode where you must survive wave of enemies, to a co-op adventure mode that can be played online or split-screen. The adventure mode has separate missions that are unrelated to the story, but are still very fun to play through. The arena mode has you and two buddies attempting to survive a series of waves while having a rotating objective that changes between rounds. Bottom line is, the multiplayer will keep this game on your PS3 for quite a while longer than you thought thanks to the variety that is offered.
So is this the best game in the series?
I truly enjoyed the awesome experience that Uncharted 3 has to offer, but I must say that this game is nowhere near as revolutionary as its predecessor. This is mostly due to the story that lacks in execution. There were some memorable moments in Uncharted 2 (like the train stage), that stuck out from the rest of the game and truly left an impression on me. I loved Uncharted 3 however, there is never an awe inspiring moment like that where I feel that one part of the game was more memorable than the rest. Don’t get me wrong, the game has some amazing moments, but nothing that seriously blew me away like the train stage from Uncharted 2.
Ultimately, Uncharted 3 is not as good as Uncharted 2. This reminds me of the same situation Modern Warfare 2 was in, where the game plays safe and builds on what its predecessor built but it’s nowhere near as mind blowing. Does that mean that Uncharted 3 is bad? Absolutely not, the game is fantastic and still an incredible game that any fan of the series will enjoy. However it just doesn’t top what Uncharted 2 did. The bar that game set was incredibly high and I don’t think that bar will be topped any time soon. If you enjoyed the series thus far, this is an easy buy. If somehow you didn’t like Uncharted 2 then feel free to skip on this one, as it’s pretty much the same game.
