I am torn when it comes to reviewing this game, because like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the game is simply incredible. It does so much right, especially in the single player campaign. Epic set-pieces and fast paced combat, mixed with clever puzzles and a compelling story make this a game better than most modern action films. Yet, as great as the game is, it falls short on a few aspects.
The production value of the game is incredibly high. The voice acting is spot on and the music always fits the occasion perfectly. A lot of people had problems with the story, but I thought it was fantastic. It is true that a lot of characters enter the story only to exit it again at a certain point, but the reasons behind it make sense. The villains remain mysterious but have enough personality that you have reason to oppose them. There are a lot of plot elements that are left cryptic, but enough information is given so the player can figure out what really happened without the writers beating you over the head with the information. I appreciate this style of storytelling.
And since this is an Uncharted game you can expect INCREDIBLE locations, set-pieces, and action sequences. The combat in this game is identical to that in previous games, and the scripted action sequences are just as great as they were in Uncharted 2. If you've seen any commercial of the game you will be familiar with the scene where Drake is on a chain of cargo dangling outside of a moving plane and he must climb back into the plane or else plummet into the desert below him. It is these types of interactive cinematics that make these games so amazing.
Yet as awesome and impressive as these moments are, it is a real shame that almost all of the jaw dropping "wow" moments have already been shown to us in commercials and trailers. I purposely avoided as much information as possible before buying and playing through this game (I pretty much only saw everything up until E3 2011, then stopped). Yet the heavily publicized Burning Chateau, Cruise Ship, and Airplane sequences are easily the best, most intense parts of the game. There are plenty of other cool moments for sure, but it's just unfortunate that there were very few big surprises left in the game.
The Uncharted games receive a lot of criticism for their puzzles being so basic, but I truly appreciated the integration of the puzzles in this game. The puzzles offer a great respite from the frantic action, and a few had me thinking for a while about what I need to do to solve it. Even the puzzles that do not take much time to solve are well designed, so regardless of how difficult you find them to be, all of them are memorable.
I have also heard a lot of people saying this game is too easy, and I respectfully disagree. While I am not a true hardcore gamer, I have played hundreds of titles over the past fifteen years, and this game gave me a lot of challenge. There are plenty of sequences that require you to experiment with different ways of fighting the enemies around you, and I find it hard to believe that so many people claimed to fly through this game even on the normal setting. I honestly think the average person playing this would find the difficulty to be perfect.
As for the multiplayer, it is improved over the second game, but not by much. Yes, there is much more customization, but the core gameplay remains the same. If you weren't very fond of Uncharted 2's multiplayer, it's doubtful this will win you over. I find myself playing it mostly because it's there, not really because I feel compelled to advance through the ranks and become an expert in the online community.
Overall Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an incredible game and a five-star experience. It is exhilarating to play, always entertains, and will paste a huge smile on your face the entire time. However, like I said, it is unfortunate that almost all of the truly incredible moments have already been shown off to the public in great detail.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is bound to be remembered as the greatest trilogy in the history of gaming.
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