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
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