Review: Uncharted 3

The Uncharted series is probably most known for being absolutely gorgeous, as well as modernizing the Indiana Jones style exploration genre.  Uncharted 3 is no exception.  Come on in and let me tell you a tale of a game that could have been an absolute masterpiece.

The story:

The story gives us a peek at Drake's history with Sully, showing us their relationship at its genesis in Columbia.  This is integral to the game's overall story, as it also introduces you to the game's main villain in the process.  The filling in of the back story with Nate and Sully is awesome.  As a fan of the series, it was really neat to see how they met and the tie between them.

Equally riveting is the story between Nate and Elena.  You open the game in a mission with Sully, Chloe, and a new character, Cutter.  Elena is nowhere to be found at the beginning of the game, and you're given a somewhat vague story of why throughout the game.

The main story this time around revolves around the cause of Sir Francis Drake spending way more time than he should have in one spot for one of his expeditions.  You open trying to sell Nate's ring that he's had since the first game, sending us on this whole adventure to start with.  The buyer tries to use use counterfeit money to get the ring, and in typical Drake and Sully fashion, it ends up in a brawl.

The game:


Nothing much has changed since the first two games here.  Hand to hand combat is still mostly mashing square with a dash of triangle thrown in.  Stealth kills haven't changed either, just get near the enemy undetected and tap square and finish them.  The only thing really new is that we now have the ability to chuck grenades back at the enemy by timing a press of the triangle button just right.  This isn't anything to knock the game for, as the system is certainly fun.  What's frustrating to no end that also hasn't changed since the first game, is the clunky controls for controlling Nate during the platforming and climbing sections of the game.  Many a time I jumped to my death while seemingly pointed exactly where I wanted to go.  Also needing to go away are the all too frequent instant fail sections.  Several times you're asked to pursue someone or run away from something and if you're not quick enough or go the wrong way, it's time to restart.  This is compounded worse by the fact that on more than one occasion you're running toward the camera and cannot see ahead of you.  Note to all developers:  This is just cheap.  It's annoying and completely luck based, and there's no need for it in the 21st century of gaming.  Pile that on top of the sections of the game where you're not really gaming, and it just gets a bit old.  I do realize they're using this for effect in the story, but in practice, it's just a cut scene that requires you to hold in a direction to advance it.  They'd have been better off simply making it a true cut scene and being done with it, as there's no reason for the player to have control in these instances.

The verdict:

All that said, it's still a great game.  It's beautiful, and tells an awesome story.  Unfortunately, Uncharted 3 is a frustrating mix of this great story, beautiful scenery, and botched game mechanics.  In the end, a game is just that, a game.  If the game part is weak, you can't ignore this.  It's very much worth playing, but in deciding the final score of this game, the weaknesses in the actual game prevent it from being a must own.

Pros:

• Probably the most beautiful game you'll see on a console
• Smart story, constantly keeps you guessing

Cons:

• Way too many instant fail sequences
• Controls just aren't that strong

Score: 4 out of 5 stars - Worth Owning

Review System - PS3

Time Played - 16 hours, all single player

Completion: Finished the single player game.  Obtained 31 of 55 trophies

Want My SWTOR Beta Key? Just Ask!

I couldn't come up with anything creative to give away my Star Wars: The Old Republic beta key.  So instead, the first of my Twitter followers to simply ASK will get it!  I put this out yesterday and have yet to get a response...

SWTOR Beta Key to Give Away

So, I've got this shiny SWTOR beta key here in my hands.  The problem for me, is that I don't own a PC to play this thing on.  So how exactly should I give this thing away to you, my wonderful readers?

Want Some Free Battlefield 3 Custom Dogtags?

If so, easy task for you.  A new movie scheduled for release in February next year called "Act of Valor" has partnered with EA to hook you up with some dogtags for watching their pretty BA trailer.  Click here to see the preview of what looks to be a pretty awesome movie and score your loot.

Early Play - What's the Big Deal?

It appears that a few retailers have jumped the gun and began selling Modern Warfare 3 just a *tad* early.  Those that have been able to take advantage of this, of course, started playing.  Yesterday, Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse tweeted the following:

Stepto: clarification: dblchk'd with Activision. Mw3 pre-release play not authorized. So pls be patient. Playing early may impact your account! (link to tweet)

Two things are at question here.  First, it has been Microsoft's policy in the past that if you've legitimately obtained a game prior to its official release, go nuts.  This even came from Toulouse himself earlier in the day tweeting:

Stepto: For those asking about MW3 pre-release play: If your copy is legit and obtained legitly, have fun. It's a great game. (link to tweet)

So why the reversal?  Is Activision now dictating to Microsoft what its policy should be?  Moreover, if they're really that concerned about people playing it before release, here's a novel thought.  Turn off the multiplayer servers until release.  That'll teach those bastards to pay you money before they're supposed to!

And that brings me to point number two.  Why does it really matter?  These people are not pirates.  They're paying customers.  I could totally understand if these were leaked copies of the game being spread far and wide across the Internet.  This is not the case.  Here, you're punishing your most rabid fans for legitimately obtaining the game early.  You want to take it out on someone?  Find the retailer that sold it early and tell them they don't get the game next time.  Or if it was really that severe in your eyes, blacklist them from getting other games published from your company.  Don't punish the consumer, they're innocent in this scenario.  Who of us *wouldn't* take that opportunity?

The conspiracy theorist in me isn't entirely sure this hasn't been orchestrated since Battlefield 3 is enjoying some pretty ridiculous sales numbers with no opposition and Activision can't have it.  This could be the *wink wink, nudge nudge* "Now you're not supposed to be doing this yet guys!" in order to get some free publicity and to undercut the competition.

It's moderate level d-baggery at its worst, and crappy publicity stunt at its best.  Either way, the consumer that did no wrong ends up standing to lose the most.

Update - Toulouse later went on to say that nobody would see retribution for early play but to "wait til Tuesday to play with everybody", whatever that meant.