Uncharted 2 is easily my favorite and best rated game this generation with MGS4 right behind it. I thoroughly enjoyed the first fame, and loved everything about Uncharted 2, and so I was ecstatic when the third title in the franchise was announced. The anticipation is finally over, and I’ve completed the game. Unfortunately I was not as thrilled as I was after playing Uncharted 2 due to some questionable issues I had with the game, but Uncharted 3 is still a really great game.
Let’s start off with the bad:
The beginning of the game is starts a tad slow after the opening scene. It’s nice to be able to see some history of the cast, but it moves at too slow of a pace IMO. There’s a ton of walking around and exploring which would be great if there was actually exploring rather than the linear scope you have to follow. The game picks up in about an hour and it’s back to smooth sailing from there, at least most of the time.
The fighting mechanics played entirely too much of a role in this game. I can shoot one of those big hulking guys with 128 bullets and not kill him, but 10 punches is enough to knock him out...Yeah makes no since does it. The physical combat was an improvement just forced entirely too much. After a very early part in the game there was no need to force it anymore, that part got the job done.
There are still too many unnecessary platforming deaths, an issue that remains from the second (If I remember correctly the first didn’t have this issue nearly as much). If you don’t want me to jump down there then make the jump look far enough that it would kill me, instead of a 10-foot drop. And in cinematic scenes don’t make things look like you need to jump when you don’t have to. Example conclusion of the French Chateau if you jump there’s a 50 / 50 chance you’ll die when all you have to do is run to the end, and Drake will vault over the obstacles, yet doesn’t do this automatically any other time. Which brings me to my next point.
There are too many chase scenes in this game. Whether it’s running after someone, running from armies, riding after someone, running from some creepy crawlies, or running from nature. It happens too much. I know they’re suppose to be nice set pieces, but there are too many of them.
The pacing was off in this game. Some scenes last entirely too long perfect example the castle. It felt like it was never ending. And at the same time transitions from location to location don’t seem as fluid this time around. There’s little reason why things move from one location to another, and the believability is somewhat dwindled because of this (example after getting off the cruise ship). A reviewer said it best, the game is set-up for its set pieces and the rest of the game is just there to help you progress towards them, before reaching the end, and ultimately makes the game feel a bit non-cohesive.
Finally the graphics. Yes the graphics. Graphically the game is very impressive in most areas, however, some questionable inclusions hurt some of the games visuals. The Prime example is the castle stage in the single player. The castle itself is incredibly detailed, and looks amazing. But then you look off into the distance and see a small city that looks good enough. But look to the left and it’s one huge bland texture with scattered reused buildings from the city all in low res. Why was that even made viewable is beyond me, but it ruins the total beauty of the game when instances like this pop up, thankfully they don’t happen often. All the characters look great except Drake’s face is too detailed with scratches and dirt, and makes him look downright weird at times, like he’s been a bum for all his life, and it won’t wash off.
Finally our heroes don’t get to show as much personality or play enough of a role this time to feel like the cast we all know and love. This is Drake’s story and Sully’s along for the ride and Elena and Chloe are in the back seat. I just feel this was a missed opportunity for us to get to know these characters more, but they drop out of the game like flies.
But even with all these problems, Uncharted 3 still manages to be good, really good.
There are definitely improvements over the previous game. For the most part the game looks absolutely beautiful with special note of the ship yard, Desert chase scene, and entering the lost city (Lost City WOW). Improving over what they did with Uncharted 2 would have been a difficult goal for any developer, but Naughty rose to the challenge. While not visually leaping forward, Uncharted 3 manages to do so much more and still look better than Uncharted 2, which is a huge feat. Animations make the experience seem real.
The story is unexpected, and seems a bit underwhelming at first, but ties everything together in the final couple of chapters.
The gameplay is better then Uncharted 2 on so many levels. It’s just tweaked to a new level.
Multiplayer is better in most regards, and is the greatest improvement in the game; however, I had more fun with Uncharted 2.
I completely understand what reviewers were saying about how they couldn’t get Uncharted 2 out of their head while playing Uncharted 3, and that’s because Uncharted 2 is the better game, and you’re constantly thinking if only they did this, or I wish they had done that better. But don’t think I’m down on Uncharted 3, that’s not the case in any way. I just feel the game could have been better if Naughty Dog waited another year to release it. It would have been polished more, had the pacing fixed, graphics could have been even better than what they are, the story could have been worked on more and told better, the aiming could have been perfected, the fighting to shooting ratio could have been tweaked, some of the areas could have been more open and exploratory. There’s so much they could have done better if only they had another year to work on the game, but that’s not the case. That seems like a lot of bad in this review, but that’s what I decided to focus on, because those of you interested in the game already know how great the franchise is, and Uncharted 3 is a worthy addition to the franchise, just not the leap over Uncharted 2, that we saw in 2009.
Also why is it that Drake and company tries so hard to be careful about finding the location they’re seeking to be followed every single time by the baddies? I know it’s there to keep the action going, but instead of being followed all the time this scenes would be the perfect opportunity to introduce new enemy types.
The open areas like moving through the city should have been what the whole of the game was. That would have been the innovation needed to make this a Game of the Year winner vs. being a forefront contender. The open areas look great, and had you been able to actually maneuver your way to you destination freely vs. the snail paced walking it would have gave something refreshing to the amazing formula Uncharted 2 already provided. More open areas would have made this game stand above and beyond what the final product was (even if limited like in MGS4).
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception has a lot to live up to as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an incredible and near-perfect game.
I cant even say what the point was its easily the worst story in the series. The online was a whole lot of fun though but overall doesn't come even close to 2
It was a step back for sure. Personally, I thought even the MP was way better in U2. Solid game, glad I played it. I just think they didn't push as hard as they did with U2.
The "young Drake" portion was pretty top notch, story-wise. But yeah, everything outside of that I felt was inferior.
Villains were all over the place in this… one second they wanted Drake dead, the next they needed him, then they want him dead again, then they coulda killed him, but poisoned his friend instead, then coulda shot him again, but had brunch with him, then needed him alive, then coulda mowed him down, but decided to kill him by fire and let him escape… Uncharted 2 was way better. 😅😅
=D Sounds crazy. I don't remember any of that. Played it on ps3 and I remember thinking that why was this game so bashed compared to second one. I liked it.
Another thing that annoyed me about UC3 events was the agent Talbot teleporting around Turkey. It just felt off to me, and made no sense.
Also, for about one third of the game, you go on a wild goose chase to rescue Sully, who wasn't even there to be rescued, and you end up back where you started again. There was simply no pay off for all the events you go through, so it fell flat in that regard as if they couldn't figure out how to make the game longer, so they decided to side-track you to do something with no pay off, hoping you wouldn't notice due to all the incredible action set pieces they made.
Overall though, even with its flaws, I still enjoy the game.
This was actually my least favorite in the series. Didn't have that same impact that part 2 set.
Uncharted 2 is the pinnacle of the series (to me).
Granted, 4 had the best story in my opinion, but 2 was the overall best game.
A decade after its release, how does Uncharted 3 fare today? Does its story still work? Was its precursor’s legacy a bedrock or quicksand for its own aspirations?
Replies(2)When arguably the weakest game in the series is still awesome and more fun than most games today, you know you're onto a winner!
I'd extend "arguably" before awesome too. Many technically demanding scenes were jaw-dropping for the time, but it's tough to ignore the sub-par context propelling the action forward.
Tough for you, perhaps, and that's fine. I enjoyed it very much. Perhaps a little less than the others in the series, but then the bar is extremely high.
I remember being blown away by the water and sand tech in U3 for the time too. It certainly was a visual treat!
It is very good, but when I originally played Uncharted 3 it was the most disappointed I'd ever been in a video-game because Uncharted 2 was just that good. I enjoyed 3 much more when I replayed it in the Nathan Drake Collection though. I could just enjoy it for what it is and accept that it's not Uncharted 2 - it's not a roller coaster, and it doesn't balance and rotate between action, puzzles, platforming and set-pieces in the same way.
Uncharted 3's gameplay is a bit more compartmentalized and focused on one thing at a time. I'm not surprised the scrapped version of Uncharted 4 was going to have no gunplay for the first half. It's also paced much differently - it takes a long time to get to the notable set-pieces. Uncharted 2 is insane from Nepal onwards which is about an hour into the game. haha.
I did like the introduction of chase sequences, and I love first hour (bar fight, young Drake) and from the airplane sequence onwards but I just think the rest of it just sort of meanders along without as much purpose as 2.
When it comes to the script, you can feel the absence of Neil Druckmann and Josh Scherr (writer on every other console Uncharted game). Drake gets hit in the face, and the game goes on a random side plot for an hour to give you some boat set-pieces. He then washes up on a beach close to where Elena is staying to get you back to the real plot. Drake just says "How convenient" to try make you laugh off how sloppy the plot got.
In retrospect, I'm not sure if Naughty Dog were ready to work on 2 different games at once. 3 clearly had production issues that 1 and 2 didn't have, and Hennig's version of 4 didn't work out. They had to crunch so hard to get the rebooted version done on time that Bruce Straley gave up making video-games.
I'll give you some props for the extra analysis. I remember Druckmann climbing his way to a writer spot in UC2, but wasn't aware of Josh Scherr. I didn't know that was the reason for Straley's departure either. That's pretty damn rough.
They had to make some weird choices as far as story went because the actor for Cutter had to bail which left a few holes in the story.
Uncharted is one of my favourite series and while the leap from 2 to 3 was not nearly as big as the leap from 1 to 2, I think it was an amazing experience none the less.
Graham McTavish's departure wasn't easy, but I don't think that would fix many holes tbh. Because the main issue to consider is the precarious mindset Naughty Dog was operating on: an increased emphasis in set pieces that HAD to go in and worrying about the context later.
I really liked part 3 ( Among Thieves is still the best in my opinion) My only complaint was the interactions with the villains and how they were a missed opportunity, Linda MacMahon (Marlowe) was an interesting antagonist due to the history with Sully and Nate but it fails basically flat especially with her ending. And I couldn't care about Navaro 2.0.
What I did love and made me care was Cutter, in the short time he was in the game you could feel that the guy was a good treasure hunter for example when he pulled his own notebook with the clues he founds so the team can escape a room.
It was a small touch that add a lot to the character.
I have mixed feelings on the series. I still own all of them on the PS3, and the collection for PS4, but I didn't truly "love" any of the games until 4.
They're good games, but they always stumble on some element.
The first is good, but the climbing mechanics weren't exactly fine tuned with the first showing. Not to mention the spongey enemies if you played on anything past normal; but you're then faced with a fairly unchallenging game experience.
The second mostly fixed the climbing, but added in a pretty clumsy stealth mechanic.
Three was just two with a new story.
Four got it right though.
I don't remember once getting annoyed by any mechanic had in the game.
I know that everyone has a soft spot for 2, and 3 is sort of the black sheep of the series; but they did, overall, get progressively better. Which doesn't always happen.
KeenGamer: "Which Uncharted game is the best? Uncharted is widely recognized as one of the most groundbreaking and consistently great franchises in gaming. For both long-time fans and newcomers to this action-adventure classic, here’s a ranking of the franchise’s four main games."
No Golden Abyss -_-, otherwise I agree with the order.
UC2: Best overall
UC4: Best graphics, best gameplay, best locations, best environements
UC3: Best set pieces IMO (the boat and desert fights will always be amazing)
UC1: A rough Draft of what was to come
UCGA: Basically UC1 on Vita
Great list and great article nicely writen and explained. Although for me personaly i would put Drakes Fortune above Drake’s Deception and Uncharted 4 is absolutely my favourite of the franchise and number 1 for me.
U2 is the only game playable on crushing without causing a great amount of frustration. Not to mention just how much influence it had that they redid some of U2s set pieces like the caravan twice, and armored truck chase in U4.
I'd rate it as the following.
1.) Uncharted 2
(Close to perfection of any game I've played in years. Single Player/Multiplayer/Co Op all amazing.)
2.) Uncharted 3
(On par with UC2 multiplayer/co op wise minus the kickbacks [aka killstreaks]. I really liked the Lawrence of Arabia story.)
3.) Uncharted 4
(Single player is amazing. Multiplayer was meh. Co Op had potential. Absolutely hated the health revive system it slowed down the game way too much. Always preferred the fast pace action of UC2/UC3. Made it way more fun that way. Recoil was too ridiculous that most people in lobbies would only do hip firing, using power weapons and using that OP grappling hook to melee people after dropping them. Nobody wanted to revive anyone.)
4.) Uncharted
(It's the first in the series so it's hard to judge. Though I loved the story.)
I agree here but it’s also a series you can play from front to back and truly enjoy. Story-wise, they are all great and flow so well. I wish they threw both Golden Abyss and Lost Legacy on this list. Lost Legacy is the best mechanically in my opinion. You can see it’s stepping stone framework for TLOUS2.
uncharted 2 is one of the few games that actually surpassed its pre-release hype.
I am a single player gamer...I barely ever touch a multiplayer component. The only exceptions over the years have been the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, TLOU factions, and the Uncharted 2 multiplayer. The Uncharted 2 multiplayer saw me spend more time playing it than all my other multiplayer experiences over the years combined. That game really was a masterpiece all around.
I agree completely, those are all stellar MP experiences, coming from another SP gamer who only occasionally gives MP some time.
Come to think of it, the step between Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2 is huge. It goes from the weakest in the series to one of the best games ever made.
I think I'm going to play all of them again soon.
is multiplayer still up for the remastered trilogy? or did it never have UC2 mp?
Did you rush this review? It has a lot of mistakes in every paragraph. I agree with your points though.
As for the MP, I think its FAR inferior to U2. KAL-7 with blind fire accuracy at close range beats me every time when I actually aim at the person's chest dumping the whole clip at them.
I can't count how many times some hip firer was running at me at me spraying everywhere then meleeing me to my death in one hit ALL WHILE I'M AIMING RIGHT AT HIS CHEST NOT MISSING.
I LOVE the SP, especially the 2nd half, but the MP was so much better in U2. I'll take bunny hoppers and pistol exploiters over hip firing matches any day.
BTW, bunny hopping has been replaced with sprinting away and rolling for your life.
While I respect your opinion, I must say I disagree with some points.
Uncharted 2 is not a better game of uncharted 3. There are a plenty of reason, but I understand everybody may have a different perception.
The pace is U3 is incredible and I never found a single, boring moment. It's a matter of level design and U3 is very incredible.
The graphics. You say U3 is above 99% of games, I think it's a straight 100%. The details, the textures, the frame rate, the water and sands, the scale of the game, the shaders, the incredible animation etc etc. There is NO other games in this gen can match U3. For sure.
Online : I start to like more. I think U2 have a better online, but now I'm admit I have a lot more fun !
does anyone find it weird that alot of new reviews are about uncharted 3? wheres the MW3, Skyrim, etc reviews?