Among Thieves elevated the scale of an action game to a level that was previously unheard of in the gaming industry. It kept an unrelenting pace in it's story and even added a satisfying multiplayer. It embodies what a sequel should be in the sense that it was not only better than the previous entry, but the sheer anticipation actually made gamers go back and play Drake's Fortune, a game that I'll admit, I looked over and didn't play at first glance. So, to say that Drake's Deception had quite the shoes to fill would be like saying that Duke Nukem Forever was a mild disappointment.
While not perfect, Uncharted 3 is an amazing experience. And 'experience' is the key word there. Once again, Naughty Dog has upped the scale, almost to a ridiculous level. Some of these set pieces really make you want to pause the game and stare at how incredible it looks. Everything on screen is in constant flowing movement. The water, the flames, the sand, the gunfire. It all seamlessly blends to create an unmatched atmosphere. And that's just scratching the surface.
At it's heart, Uncharted has always been about the story, and in this case it's where it really goes all out. For the first time it's not just what happens to Drake, it's not just another madman running around threatening to conquer/destroy the world. Well yeah, that does happen, but it kinda takes a backseat to Drake's personal backstory and relationships with the rest of the cast.
It seems that Nate's conscience is finally catching up to him, he has killed hundreds of people all over the world and should actually be pretty high on the most wanted list. For the first time we dive into Drake and Sully's past, exploring not only how they met, but analyzing what made their bond so strong. We also finally discover the origins of that ring that Drake has worn around his neck since the first game. I'm not going to spoil anything here. But I will say that it finally helps cement your bond with these characters.
The only area where I feel the story might be lacking is in the villain department. While Marlowe and Talbot serve their purpose, the sure as hell fall short of Lazarević. They just aren't nearly as threatening. And while they do seem to rile up Drake's emotions, the fact that they're more interested in personal gain instead of world domination feels like a step down. Of course, this is all just me being a little bitch about it. The fact of the matter is that Lazarević is just a really hard villain to follow. This is just my way of giving Naughty Dog the nod on creating such an amazing villain for their previous entry that it was hard to one up themselves this time around.
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| He's bad ass and he knows it. |
Unfortunately, just like in Among Thieves, the shooting was slightly reworked and initially feels a bit strange. After playing the second game for so long, even the slightest tweak to the mechanics feel like the game you loved has been drastically changed. But do not fret, it won't take long 'till you're set in your movements and are landing headshots left and right.
I'll be honest, I've barely touched the multiplayer this time around. I blame Skyrim. But what I have seen seems very promising. The developers seem to have acknowledged that they will never be able to compete with the juggernaut FPS games out there so they decided to focus on the aspects those games seem to ignore, in this case the environments. The areas you fight in have become just as important as who you're fighting. For example, you have the desert village area which offers a very dynamic feature during battles. A sandstorm will randomly start up, almost disabling the use of sniper rifles and long range weapons for short periods of time. You also get the cool idea of two part maps that seem to take the fluid nature of the single player game and implement it into the multiplayer. The fight will start at one point, and then the an event will occur, changing your surroundings completely, an idea that I really think will change the way other shooters will use environments.
Of course, we all keep coming back to these games to see what incredibly ridiculous and visually stunning situations Drake's actions will put us in, and Naughty Dog didn't disappoint. The French Chateau sequence immediately comes to mind as one of the most amazing game experiences I've ever played through. They've managed to create a sense of incredible urgency on several occasions, yet somehow they seem to encourage environment exploration; two things that seldom work together. Other sequences play with the environments in incredible ways, and they prove how far the system's capabilities have come. The barge sequence implements environment movement in a way I've never seen before. It's so frustrating to line up a headshot while standing on a platform floating on choppy water, just to miss by an inch because of the damn tide... Yet a second later you find yourself admiring the technical preciseness and the beauty of how huge the area is and how amazing the ocean looks. I literally caught myself just staring at the way water and sand move in the game, just amazing. The boat sequence is also something you need to pause and admire. While not the most original idea in the world, the scale of it alone is staggering. The things Naughty Dog have achieved with this game will hopefully inspire other to try and one up them, or at least try and come close.
Drake's Deception proves how amazing games can be. Developers that put out crappy games should look at games like this and feel ashamed of themselves. I'm not sure whether there will be an Uncharted 4, and if there isn't, I'll just sit and wait for Naughty Dog to release The Last Of Us which I have huge hopes for. But for now, I have a Platinum to get.
8.5/10
As always, Uncharted is fantastic! After playing this with a co-worker of mine from DISH, the first thing I noticed when he started the game the graphics were amazingly detailed, and the sound effects were top notch too. They’ve managed to improve on the other two games with this one. While the game still looks the same overall it is the details that Nathan Drake continues to add that makes each game an improvement over the previous one. This entry specifically seems to push the already present cinematic feel. When I got home that night I did have to add it to my Blockbuster@Home queue. Mostly I use Blockbuster to rent video games, but sometimes for movies too. Can’t wait to play myself!
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