Uncharted 3 - Drake's Deception

Lara Croft is so passé. The undisputed queen of raiding has been replaced by Nathan Drake, an everyday man with a penchant for danger and an amicable shoot first or rather jump first, ask questions later mentality. Two games in and the Uncharted series has already established itself as the definitive blockbuster experience on the PlayStation 3.  In our mind, Uncharted 2 was the perfect game fusing action and platforming with some of the most gripping set-pieces ever witnessed in a video game into one highly attractive package. Naturally, our expectations were sky high from its sequel, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. With such lofty expectations riding on its shoulders, Uncharted 3 still manages to deliver a thoroughly entertaining blockbuster experience. Only it’s not as perfect as we’d hoped.

Long road out of hell

This time around, Drake and his mentor, Sully are in search of something called the Atlantis of the Sands, a mythical place in the Rub’ Al Khali desert that houses a powerful secret. Naturally, they aren’t the only ones after this. A shady organization that dabbles in the occult has their eye on the prize as well for obvious nefarious reasons. The plot while predictable is extremely enjoyable thanks to some witty writing and the banter shared between Drake and his companions. It’s the video game equivalent of a buddy cop movie from the nineties and we love it.

Those who’ve played the last two games know exactly what to expect from this one as well. Your time in Uncharted 3 will be spent climbing around derelict, crumbling structures, shooting bad dudes and indulging in some big budget sequences I’d rather not spoil for you. This being a sequel carries with it the unfortunate side-effect of being predictable. Every time you enter a level your mind will immediately begin to pick up clues as to how the set-pieces will play out. Of course, predictable or not, when they do occur, they’ll still blow your brains out. No doubt about that.

Breathless

While I’m fine with the “more of the same” mentality most sequels bring to the table, I was pretty disappointed with the game’s combat that actually felt like a step back from Uncharted 2. Naughty Dog have tried to make Drake’s animations feel as life like as possible and they’ve succeeded with their vision to a certain extent but an unfortunate side effect of this is that I never quite felt in control of Drake. Gunplay also felt a bit off as the game’s aiming mechanics are not as tight and responsive as they used to be. This makes combat feel like somewhat of a chore.