Saturday Morning Adventure Shows

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is the next iteration in the best selling PS3 only Uncharted franchise, and it is a rip-roaring adventure ride that smacks of all the best action movie cinematic moments and Indiana Jones white-knuckle edge of the seat elements that we can think of. Naughty Dog are no slouches when it comes to adding control, navigation and general improvements to their game, we saw the huge leap that Uncharted 2 was from Uncharted and whilst 3 isn’t a dramatic leap, it doesn’t need to be, since everything has been refined from 2 and given a shiny new lick of paint.

Story

This is one of the more interesting and engaging stories, though don’t expect every question you have to be answered. It has a very different ending too, quite a bold move in terms of storytelling. Apart from that, sit back and enjoy the ride as the game takes you through some amazing exotic locales and introduces an interesting set of characters, old and new.

Controls

There have been some refinements to the shooting, brawling and the traversal mechanics and they fit together seamlessly. Drake’s list of melee moves is still context sensitive and he now has a few more counters at his disposal, with frequent dodges and dirty tricks in the many fisticuffs that the player will get embroiled in. The controls have not changed much from Uncharted 2 and it is even easier to get around the levels, so you can take in the sights as you traverse the many hard to reach places.

Gameplay

Uncharted 3 is a highly cinematic game with a mix of battles, puzzle solving, traversal and chase sequences (pursuer and pursued) thrown into the pot. It all melts together seamlessly and provides a great tapestry of action and adventure that is literally breathtaking at times, with Nate seamlessly dodging gunfire to leap from one ledge to the next, hang there and shoot off a few rounds as he begins a long ascent upwards. The game also features some of the most epic set piece sections in a game to date, with a literally heart-stopping chase through the desert that had us humming the Indiana Jones theme as we leapt from truck to truck, battling the bad guys and leaping back on our horse to get further and further ahead of the convoy.

It seems a little shorter than Uncharted 2 but there’s a lot to see and do in that time, with some great battles on offer and a well balanced set of challenges. Nate’s acrobatic and brawling ability, as well as the weapons he can use are often required to get the best out of a combat situation and turn the tables on foes that often outnumber our hero. There are nice new moves in Nate’s traversal arsenal, where he can knock out bad guys if he lands on them and there are even some pretty sweet stealth sections where you can thin the herd before you kick things off into a mad confrontation.

There are also a few quick time event sequences that occur mostly when you’re fighting big bruiser type foes, they allow you to dodge and set up painful counters even on these brutal adversaries. It all comes together to make for one hell of an action ride. And with around 10-12 hours of single player on offer depending on your game play style, that’s more than enough for Nathan’s third outing we feel.

Graphics

Uncharted 3 is a gorgeous game to look at and there’s no doubt that it remains one of the best looking games on the PS3 to date. This iteration of the franchise takes the graphics one step further with some fantastically detailed character models, environments and some gorgeously done lighting and special effects. The desert is especially well done and that provides some of the most visually appealing play in the whole game.

Animations

Uncharted 3 takes the animations up a notch as well, there’s a whole range of combat moves now and everything moves better, feels smoother and fist-fights have that proper Pulp Adventure feel to them. You can feel the weight of a punch as it connects and see the effect in some cases, especially in the early stage of the game with one great lavatory based fist fight against a huge brute of a man. The lip synching and the character models are also highly detailed when it comes to the animation, with some great expressions and actions as the story progresses.

Physics

There’s nothing more satisfying than a well placed grenade, perhaps next to an explosive barrel or some other devastating flammable object. Uncharted 3 takes advantage of all of this with a solid physics system that also allows you to destroy certain fragile walls and the like in the level. It makes for strategic combat as the bigger weapons can chip away at walls and destructible scenery. The ragdoll physics are pretty good as well, especially when enemies are caught by an errant grenade that rolls from a comrades dead hand...sending them flying in all directions, pure quality.