Review ~ Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)

If I could write the review for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception using only a single word, I can only think of one.

It is a masterpiece.

Of course that is to be expected for one of Naughty Dog’s and SONY’s flagship titles and a sequel to 2009′s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. With extreme graphical prowess, satisfying gameplay, a mesmerizing musical score and an engrossing and captivating narrative that is both unpredictable and engaging, Uncharted 3 raises the bar set before it and takes a gigantic leap over it.

To call Uncharted 3 a video game does it a disservice. The Uncharted series has always been about the experience from beginning to end and Uncharted 3 is one heck of an experience. Opening with a barfight, then  going into a flashback of just how series staples Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan first met, to the secret caverns and jungle we all love from the series and then some, Uncharted 3 is a fantastic piece of art from start to finish. The rain soaked streets of London start off the game and soon you’ve flashbacked to Cartagena, then off to a French jungle and eventually a cruise ship, a giant airplane and finally the beautiful Arabian desert. Every area is given great detail right down to the windows and rocks and it is an amazing testament to the skill of Naughty Dog just how majestic Uncharted 3 looks. Every building is carefully pieced together in such a fashion it made me wonder just how powerful my PlayStation 3 actually is. I lost count of how many times my jaw dropped out of sheer wonder to the visual design of the game. If you have a 3D TV or screen, this is one of the few games that is truly enhanced with the 3D visuals.

Aside from the visual achievement, Uncharted and Naughty Dog itself have always aimed to tell a story. These are characters you are familiar with by now and we have grown to care about them and their fates. Not just through the dialogue in-game, but through how the characters animate. It always amazes me how Nathan Drake reacts to gunfights, how he shields his eyes when he walks too close to a fire or how he instinctively ducks his head when getting shot at. It makes every character believable and relateable. Far too often we as gamers get to portray the super human, and Uncharted is a series that does what it does best and that is to remind us how very human we are, even when playing a fictional video game. Uncharted 3 takes the convention of the mentor and student relationship and turns it on its head. A great deal of the story is spent on revealing just how Nathan and Sully work together and how close their relationship is (more pseudo-father and son than bromance) and Naughty Dog fleshes them out in every chapter by constructing and deconstructing their values and fears and character. This comes at a price though as fan favorites Chloe and Drake’s relationship with Elena feel like they take a slight back seat to the overall narrative. There is still some depth to Nathan and Elena and a relationship reveal partway through the adventure will make fans jump for joy, cry a tear and shout in extreme anger and eventually happiness as their relationship is put through another test during the main storyline and unfolds in that traditional Naughty Dog way. I’d swear they were almost real people.

Regarding that sense of realism, Naughty Dog has definitely outdone themselves. Sand clings to Drake’s hair, the water effects are incredible, the fire effects look so realistic you’ll probably feel warmer in your seat and the lines of dialogue are delivered with a flair worthy of an Oscar and the gunplay is thrilling and exhilarating. The exploration has been what we come to know and love and jumping and climbing the vast areas has never been more fun. Stealth plays a more prominent role in this entry but it’s optional and the enemy AI is as unpredictable as the plot.

And what an amazing story this one contains. This third entry takes us back to Sir Francis Drake and his mysterious quest through the Arabian desert for a lost city referred to as “The Atlantis of the Sands.” The ring around Nathan’s neck gets its backstory revealed and we see just how far back Nathan and Sully’s relationship goes, as well as the machinations of a centuries old sect that has been looking for this ancient city as well. It quickly becomes a race against time and apparently the very spirits of Arabia themselves and in true Uncharted fashion there is a rhyme and reason for everything. It’s become formulaic to be a mix of the Indiana Jones, National Treasure and James Bond films, but Uncharted 3 doesn’t care about those comparisons and aims to tell it’s own story in the way it sees fit. Sure it seems like you’re on a rollercoaster ride and the story may seem to be a by the numbers ordeal but that’s the point. Uncharted 3 is exactly the kind of title the PlayStation 3 is known for: a cinematic action masterpiece that we get to engage in with characters we have followed since the first entry.

Once that tale ends though, it’s far from over as the multiplayer makes a return in this entry as well. Boosters and Medals and in-match rewards all provide a rewarding multiplayer experience on their own right and feel satisfying as you level up your character and acquire new skins and weapons and bonuses. There is the standard Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes and there is even a co-op mode as well that plays through its own story that will definitely elicit a laugh and a smile from long-time fans.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is a masterpiece from start to finish, from its single player to its multiplayer, from its graphical and technical prowess to the amazing musical score. If I do have a complaint about Uncharted 3, it is that it contains ending credits. It is by no means a perfect experience, but it does so much right with the medium that it cannot but help be called one of the greatest games and experiences ever made not just this generation, but ever.

Rating: 11