And the Oscar goes to... Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

It's always nice when a highly anticipated game delivers as expected, and 2011 had that in spades. Uncharted 3 might as well been the most anticipated of them all: sequel to 2009's game of the year, third major installment in what has become Sony's most popular exclusive franchise, and the next step in Naughty Dog's plan to prove they completely dominate the cinematic action shooter genre.

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.

He's bad ass and he knows it.

On the gameplay front, Naughty Dog gives us more of what works. The Uncharted Engine runs as smoothly as ever. The lines are once again blurred between an over the shoulder shooter, and an on the rails story experience. Those little bits of dialogue thrown in the middle of an action sequence make it a perfect real time story experience that never lets up.

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

Top 10 video games of 2011

You know, this was originally going to be a top five, but when I sat down to think about it there were just too many great games to just include five. Keep in mind, these are only the games I've played, and I tend to swing in the Sony direction. So no, I haven't played Skyward Sword; I haven't played Gears Of War 3, and I'm never going to play the Halo remake (because I've never liked Halo), so there. Also, and this might turn some heads, I will point out once again, that I don't like first person shooters. So no, no Modern Warfare 3, and no Battlefield 3 on here either. Sorry fanboys.


2011 was an amazing year for games. As the industry grows developers seem to be smartening up to what works and what doesn't. Games have been refined to a point where It's no surprise that I'm ashamed to say that all the games on my list are sequels or remakes. It just seems like the only great new game that came out in 2011 is LA Noir, and I just haven't gotten around to playing it. But enough lollygagging, let's get to it:

10- Assassin's Creed: Revelations

I'll be the first to say, this game almost didn't make this list (I just couldn't think of anything else to put on here). AC: Revelations is a good game, had Ubisoft dedicated a bit more to making it different from it's predecessor, it might have been a great game. Unfortunately, their 'one game a year' schedule for this franchise didn't seem to give them enough time to develop new ideas for such an interesting IP.



9- Pokémon Black/White Version

I can almost see the look of shock on your face, but the truth is, these games work. Pokémon has been around for a good while now, and it's going strong with it's formula gameplay and just enough innovation to keep fans coming back for more. And I'm guilty of it, and I'm not at all ashamed of it.

While a seeming lack of support after release hindered it's impact this year, B&W is a solid installment. If only we got as many 'events' as we did for the previous games it would have been much bigger. This probably meas we're getting the inevitable Gray version, probably for the 3DS  pretty soon.



8- Mortal Kombat

That's right, it's back. And to say it's back with a vengeance would be quite the understatement. Without a doubt the best fighting game in 2011, and maybe the best ever. MK has gone back to it's roots, the over the top gore will keep you koming back for more.

It also helps that it's been getting konstant support via downloadable kontent, even pleasing fans by letting us mutilate foes as Freddy Krueger.

On top of the regular Arkade version, you get tons and tons of gameplay modes that will keep you playing for months and months, and you also add the most komprehensive story mode in fighting game history. You actually get to play through the stories from the original MK all the way to MK3. They might have not intended to, but they also made the best Mortal Kombat movie that they could make.



7- inFamous 2

This is the prime example of how a sequel can vastly improve on the original. Like I said in my review, the only real thing that hinders this sequel is that whole morality system that keeps the main character kinda bland. But besides that, both sides of the story have good moments, and the side missions are enjoyable at best. It's difficult to make a sandbox game like this and keep it fresh throughout, and Sucker Punch improved everything that they needed to. Here's to hoping the eventual third installment keeps it rolling in the right direction.



6- Mass Effect 2

Yeah, this is borderline cheating, but fuck you. ME2 came out in 2010, but the definitive (PS3) version came out in June, so I win.

This game seamlessly blends a bunch of gameplay styles perfectly. I mean, there's a reason why it's one of the most acclaimed games two years straight. And the sequel might just be the most anticipated game of 2012.

From shooting segments, to RPG elements and even social interactions are dissected in a vibrant, interesting world which you get to explore at will.



5- Dead Space 2

Scary games are becoming more and more of a rarity these days. Dead Space is one of the few ones that can accomplish fear without limiting the player in certain ways. The things Isaac goes through are visceral and terrifying, yet beautiful in their gruesomeness.

In an industry where if it ain't broke don't fix it just doesn't cut it anymore, DS2 did very little to their formula; this is proof that a tweak of the mechanics, and a little spice to the story goes a hell of a long way. It also doesn't hurt that they abandoned the silent protagonist thing that so many people seem to love doing these days.


- I would like to point out that this is where this list got difficult. Out of the top four games, any one of them could have taken up the top spot.



4- Portal 2

The geniuses at Valve keep proving that games don't need to be overly complicated in order to be successful. Portal 2 is nothing short of brilliant. But it's brilliance comes from how simple it is. At it's core it's nothing more than an amazing puzzle game.

And then you add such a simple yet amazing story. On top of that it's told by nothing more than three speaking characters, one of them speaking from the grave. Yes, they do use the whole silent protagonist thing, but in this case the game is so full of banter that it doesn't really matter. Before the original Portal the concept of a puzzle game with a storyline was just about unheard of. Much less  one that makes you laugh out of fear this much.

On top of adding a second part to the story, Portal 2 adds a couple of things, but it makes them count. The simple addition of liquids to the gameplay changed everything. When something as simple as liquids have this big an impact on a game, you know someone is doing something right.

The other big addition was co-op. But this isn't a couple of co-op levels, that just wouldn't do; this is co-op done right. Getting it's own storyline, it consists of half of the game, if not more. It might not be the longest game in the world, but it's enjoyable no matter how many times you play it.


3- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Being a sequel to 2009's game of the year is quite a lot of pressure, but Uncharted 3 took it in stride and actually surpassed it in several aspects. Naughty Dog have developed quite the knack for delivering brilliantly cinematic sequences at every turn that keep you hooked into a truly tantalizing story. They're also known for outmatching every game out there in sheer production value.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of key areas where I find Among Thieves was more polished. The shooting in this third installment doesn't seem as precise or crisp this time around. This could be due to some changes in the mechanics of the game, and it's not much of an issue, it just takes some getting used to. On top of that, U2 had Zoran Lazarević, a well developed antagonist, and U3 didn't seem to have the same caliber bad guys for Drake to contend with.

Again, Drake's Deception is a spectacular game. Had it not been for my nitpicking and some stiff competition, this game could very well be game of the year as well. But I do believe that Uncharted 2 is the better game of the franchise, and that cost it.


2- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I can almost hear the dozens of you yelling at your monitors. That's right, Skyrim isn't number one. But if there ever was a close decision, this was it.

Around five hours into my Skyrim experience I openly stated that Bethesda had successfully created the quintessential RPG experience of our generation. I never thought I'd say that about a game, but there's no doubt in my mind.

I've always loved it when games bring a map along with the booklet, almost gloating that you 'might get lost' in their world. Well Skyrim does that because you will get lost multiple times. I've been playing it since launch, and there is no area inaccessible in this world, and there's so much to explore. It really can't be explained, you need to play it for yourself.

The other aspects of the game are also great. Everything is as polished as it's going to get with a game this big. Sure it has it's bugs, but that's to be expected; minor issues that should be fixed with patches before you know it.

Skyrim game is a landmark for the industry, I'm having a blast playing it and I don't plan on being done with it for a long time. But as much as I love it, as a fanboy nothing this year gave me more joy than...


1- Duke Nukem Forever
    Batman: Arkam City

I can't pick against Batman. I mean... He's Batman... The Goddamn Batman. Any person who didn't pick this as game of the year isn't a big enough Batman fan.

Like I said in my review, Arkham City has changed what a superhero based game needs to be. It set the bar as high as Nolan did for superhero movies, and it might as well might have set it higher.

The story couldn't be more perfect either. From the banter you pick off of common street thugs, to the twist and surprise appearance of well known and the most obscure of villains. Without spoiling anything, any villain could and probably is in this game. The surprises are endless. And the tiny references will keep even the most hardcore of fans marking out.

Being The Dark Knight is fun. Hovering over Gotham is fun. And you get to do it all, and feel like a total badass doing it. It's a thing of beauty. They have upped the standard for all other games, and I look forward to other companies trying to meet this new standard. If they do try, it should be a great year for games.