The third entry in a series is always the hardest to construct. In most cases by the threequel the audience already knows what to expect. Many want new changes whilst most want the formula to stay relatively the same. With Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception, Naughty Dog has created a more refined version of 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. This is by no means a bad thing. Yes there will be a set piece on a vehicle that will blow you away. Yes you will discover lost treasure in a forgotten city. And yes witty humour will make you chuckle. It's nothing new but Naughty Dog's franchise does all of these key parts so beautifully it's hard not to stand up while the credits are rolling and give the game a deserved applause.
So let's start where you should, the campaign. After being beaten to a bloody pulp in a London pub, Our favourite hero and his trusty sidekick Victor "God Damn" Sullivan are met by the wickedly evil Catherine Marlow. Within moments we're given a fantastic flashback involving the three branching back to Nate's childhood. Uncharted 3 is set to expand our understanding of Nathan and Sully's relationship. And by god does it succeed. When all is said and done you'll have more respect for the two characters than ever before. My only gripe with the plot is by foregrounding the friendship between Drake and his mentor, other key characters to the series are held back into more cameo roles. And a new companion isn't given a whole lot of screen time to truly shine and become one of our franchise favourites. When everything is said and done though there will be no sense of dissatisfaction. The story sums itself up in true Naughty Dog fashion whilst leaving us a little plot point to hold onto for our next big adventure. Special mention should go to the characterisation of Marlow. She is quite easily the series best antagonist. Mostly because her motives are explored to some degree and the interaction between her and the gang is nothing short of riveting.
If you played the previous entries then the gameplay in Uncharted 3 should be pretty well understood. You're going to climb, take cover, solve puzzles and shoot stuff. No big surprise there. What Naughty Dog has done is perfect it's well balanced system to create what is simply the best third-person action game on any system to date. Added to Drakes arsenal of tricks is the ability to throw back grenades, take down multiple unarmed enemies at once with his bare hands and to interact with the environment more than ever. I should note that the new hand to hand combat does seem to play with the brains of the AI. Sometimes you'll notice a rouge soldier running out of cover from a good 50 meters away just to punch you in the spleen. It brakes the immersion and is my only real complaint with the entire game. This problem can be easily solved with a quick blast of bullets from your AK-47 at their little heads but it doesn't stop the issue being any less irritating.
In a quick note the visuals in Naughty Dog's latest is nothing short of spectacular, Water and sand looks incredible and moves like it should, shadows bend like nothing you have ever seen and the 3D effect is surprisingly stellar. The production value on the franchise has always been unmatched but it has been taken to brand new heights with Uncharted 3. If you ignore the existence of Battlefield 3 on PC then Uncharted 3 will be the prettiest thing you'll see all year.
Once you have finished with the 10 hour or so campaign there is a robust online feature in the form of both Uncharted's competitive and cooperative offerings. Grabbing two other friends will allow you to experience its wave based survival mode. The difference is with every completed round a new task is assigned to the team varying from capture the treasure to securing a zone. It's a whole lot of fun even if the games tend to outstay their welcome. On top of this there is a mini 5 chapter campaign for you and your friends to complete. The story isn't anywhere near the standard of the single player but that shouldn't detract from your enjoyment. On the competitive side all the standard match types return from Uncharted 2 with a special new addition. Three team deathmatch. Taking advantage of the new buddy system you and a friend take on two other teams of two in all out mayhem. Also added to the multiplayer experience are kickbacks (Uncharted's form of killstreaks), a fully fledged customisation feature and dynamic maps that have you experiencing the beginning of a match on the go. Shooting the enemy in jeeps while they attack from a cargo jet hurtling down a runway is something unmatched in any other multiplayer game.
Uncharted 3 is brilliant. If you enjoyed the other entries in the Uncharted franchise than you'll have a blast with Naughty Dog's latest. Just be ready to shoot a few suicidal enemies in the face on your journey to the Iram of the Pillars.