Written by: Alex

 

 

 

The Uncharted series has taken an interesting route through the gaming landscape. The original Uncharted was a gorgeous but the underlying gameplay was lacking. What did standout about that first game however were few moments of brilliance in the acting, and it was this that the superb Uncharted 2 built on, layering in a globe trotting adventure and significantly refined play mechanics.

 

Coming to the third instalment developer Naughty Dog have had to raise their game even further just to meet expectations. They seem fully aware of this as "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" hits the ground running with plot twist, combat and flashbacks from the very beginning, and rarely easing off as they sweep you through the game.

 

 

Uncharted’s greatest strength lies in its story and characters. Its faux Indiana Jones stories, complete with out of place mysticism, are entertaining back drops for globe travelling adventure but really it is the character interaction that make it all work so well. Mistrust, double-dealings and the natural tension within relationships strained by extreme situations are themes revisited but they remain fresh thanks to the quality of motion capture and voice work.

 

With the high bar set by its predecessor the real success of Uncharted 3 will lie in it surpassing those that went before which it manages, but only occasionally. Certainly the same pace is set, with the hero Nathan Drake being thrown straight in to a bar brawl. Twists and action then rapidly unfold against the backdrop of fantastic characters and locales giving a film like quality to proceedings.

 

The real difference is the focus on Nathan for this third game. While always the star this third game is far more Nathan’s life and past than any previous instalment. Visiting his youth and exploring the depth of his friendship with another of the key cast, Sully, a lot is learned about the charismatic explorer. The upshot of this is that the majority of other characters feel throw away compared to previous games, especially the villains who motivations are ill fleshed out (as it their seeming desire to burn Drake to death rather than just shooting him). Even substantial companions of Drake through the first half of the story disappear with little ceremony despite time being spent investing heavily in them.

 

 

This lack of attachment to many of the incidental characters, and a need to invest solely in Drake and Sully may weaken the web of social interactions within the plot but it does not detract from the high marks of Uncharted 3. Developer Naughty Dog have an incredible confidence in their story telling abilities allowing them to have slow moments that add real weight to the more intense scenes, most notably the desert sequence that marks the peak of the third game. Paced and beautiful it shows willingness to pause and give time to reflect that most big titles lack the confidence to implement.

 

There is however a negative side to all the down moments and story twists of Uncharted 3, Drake's uncanny ability to always appear in the right (or the wrong) place to move the story along. It is a narrative ploy that keeps the story clipping along at a fine pace, but the frequency of these happenstances make them rapidly feel a little too transparent.

 

Notably the one key improvement to the fiction is how the fantastical mystical elements of the story, a mainstay of the series, have been integrated. Previous Uncharted games saw these plot twists implemented jarringly late in the game, but Drake's Deception manages to implement a far more satisfying use of its mysticism with a far earlier introduction with a better pay off and explanation than past instalments.

 

 

Indiana Jones is just as apt comparison for Uncharted’s gameplay as it is its story. Out matched fist fights feel more luck than skill, gunplay is accompanied by tongue in cheek mutterings and death defying world navigation and puzzles that are amusingly high tech for their supposed origin at the birth of antiquity all cry back to the classic adventure movies.

 

 

Each individual mechanic works well, though frequently I felt my real drive to continue came from the story and not the gameplay. Gunplay often proved the most troubled element despite its serviceable feel, with every enemy absorbing enough bullets to demolish the average army. Enemy resistance to lead is made still more infuriating by a very intelligent AI. One enemy would draw attention while others flank any cover I was ducked behind, all of which was accompanied by grenades try and flush me out. It is an interplay no doubt constructed to keep players moving, but with such over whelming odds ducking from one defensible area to the next too frequently ends with death.

 

Moving through the world I found to be far more satisfying than combat. Like the previous games there is a back and forth communication between Nathan and I as I press in a direction and he reaches toward ledges he knows he can reach. It doesn’t end with the vertical traversals of the world, as scenes that see Nathan sprinting towards the camera also manage to signpost the correct route with subtle cues and camera angles, helping to really build a cinematic tension as Nathan careers his way through the world. This is all aided by the games fantastic motion capture and animation that sees characters react naturally to the environment around them as they brush against walls (or have their heads smashed in to toilets) making the world feel… permanent. Often these navigation sections blend with a range of (simple) puzzles, designed to give another twist to moving through the world and focus your attention on the beautiful detail of the environment.