I remember beating Uncharted 2 like it was yesterday. Never in my life had I played a game with so much quality. The characters the locales, the visuals, the gameplay... it was all incredible.
So isn't it natural that one would stop and say... "Man how can they top this?"
Without warning, Naughty Dog announced Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception and I was just so excited. It had become my most anticipated game without question and I could not wait to play it. On November 1st, I had purchased the collectors edition from my local Eb Games, sat down and played it. When I put it down... I immediately thought... "My god they topped it". Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception not only beat out Uncharted 2, but is probably one of my favorite games of all time.
Lets start with the story. While Uncharted games tend to have very powerful openings whether it was the boat fight in Uncharted 1, or the train wreck in Uncharted 2... Uncharted 3 started with Nate and Sully walking to a bar. The reason I think I love Uncharted 3 so much is the fact on how personal the story is. I loved these characters because of their personalities, but now I have a better understanding of who they are, and why they do the things they do. In this review I'm going to address people whom in their opinion think Uncharted 2 is the pinnacle of the series, I think Uncharted 3 is of the norm and that is why I love it. When we look at the plot line of Uncharted 2, it was really straight forward, with the only twist occuring in the second chapter. However with Uncharted 3, the story twisted and turned constantly. The second chapter of Uncharted 3 blew me away as I can honestly say I never expected it. Uncharted 2 was in which we knew the set up, so I was not surprised when we returned to the train, but rather that moment of revelation when I realized the game was leading to this point. However Uncharted 3 just made me wow everytime during the story. The subtle humor (Charlie Cutter 4 life), the contrast of Drakes ambition and his friends reaction, to the animosity and uniqueness Katerine Marlowe delivered that Lazarevic could not. All of these contributed to this great story. People are free to opinion of which game had the best story, but in my mind... no doubt Uncharted 3 takes that prize.
However, the story is not the only thing Naughty Dog did right with this game. The sheer technical and artistic sense of this game is incredible. Another thing I wondered with Uncharted 3 was "how could they beat Uncharted 2 graphically?" Somehow with the use of black magic Naughty Dog pulled it off. The elements are the star of the show and contribute to the wow factor. Where as Uncharted 2 focused on man made disasters with the use of vehicles like the helicopter and tank destroying everything, the elements in Uncharted 3 just contribute to the spectacle provided. Nate swaying with the wind while hanging behind the plane. The sand that clings to his face and hair as he stumbles in the sand. The realization and "holy sh*t" moment when you realize that the ship is no longer up right all just blow me away compared to when the tank in Uncharted 2 simply destroyed the village. Also the musical score is riveting and is with out a doubt the best Uncharted score, if not one of the best scores this year when compared to games like Batman: Arkham city and Deus ex. There are moment when I suddenly start humming along to "Museum Bust" and "Oh no, Chateau". These themes just added to an already great experience.
And I have not even gotten to the multiplayer. The multiplayer in Uncharted 3 is addicting. I have 2 games on hold ( Saints row the third and Assassin's Creed Revelations), but I can not pull myself away from this games multiplayer component. Even with the Starhawk beta coming out tomorrow, I can't get away from this multiplayer as new maps are being added tomorrow. The game just rewards the player, and makes every match feel like an accomplishment. Those long drawn out plunder matches, where the treasure is moved all across the map have become an addiction, and the co op adventures are replayed by both me and my friends as we try to increase our levels, and even attempt the crushing playthroughs and get our butts kicked. The Uncharted 3 multiplayer is awesome.
There are negative to the game, like the extreme difficulty spike near the end of the game, as well as the City of Brass multiplayer map (I HATE THAT MAP). But those are the only faults I could find.
And Naughty Dogs added support for the fans is incredible. Patch 1.02 is a stand out as the game added much requested features like the option to toggle Uncharted 2 aim on for those struggling with the gunplay,and a cutscene viewer which I had wanted quite badly in Uncharted 3. This sign of developer support is great,and is a sure sign of patches that make this the game that the fans really want.
In conclusion, Uncharted 3 is the definitive Uncharted game, the pinnacle of the series. If you own a PS3 I employ you buy it.... the 10/10 I give this game does not mean it is a perfect game, but rather a great experience that must be played by all. If you own a PS3... it is your duty to get this game now.
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?
Before I read, is it spoiler free? Still playing through the single player :P
Good read. The boat level was like nothing I ever experienced in a game. Everything is almost perfect in this game. You can buy soundtrack from the PSN store. The music is so amazing it could be used in a movie.
It certainly is not perfect, and it is not nearly as surprising and important as Uncharted 2, but it is a fantastic game. While I felt it really followed an almost identical formula to Uncharted 2, there is still no other game series that is so cinematic, so beautiful, and has such wonderfully written characters. I do agree that the difficulty was a little hit and miss in the latter half of the game, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment too much.
In the end I think Uncharted 2 is the better and more important game, but Uncharted 3 is one hell of an accomplishment and hot damn if it isn't the best looking console game out there.
Good review.
My biggest problem with the game was the story, bare with me.
I just recently finished playing number 1 and it was interesting to see at one point in the game Drake calls it quits because he values his life over some treasure that might or might not exist. Fast forward to number 3 and Drake is constantly being asked if it's all worth it? (Especially when his enemies are clearly not to be messed with). He never gives a proper response. Drake ends up coming across as very short sighted. Maybe he's got his fingers crossed that it's a 3rd time lucky and the treasure is haunted this time.
*Spoilers* The other problem I found with the story was the set pieces are just getting ridiculous. Getting thrown off a second floor building and winning the fight in the bar, fine. Surviving for days in the desert and then kill loads of highly trained mercenaries, ahhh. Surviving being shipwrecked and washing up on shore where he needs to be, ok guys that's too much etc.
As someone who values his story those moments took me right out but I would agree that if you have a PS3 you should buy it and this is pretty much the best reason to buy a PS3 if you don't.
p.s Also being English I would also point out that we do not all look like that, only most of us.