Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception: Game of the Year (PS3)

The third in the series of Indiana Jones-esque adventures of Nathan Drake. This wise cracking, fortune hunter is about to embark upon his most dangerous endeavour yet.The StoryThe narrative here takes a more serious tone and really highlights the isolation of Nathan Drake on his adventure. This time around, the bad guys are searching for a lost city in the sands of immeasurable wealth. Nathan Drake and his team go in search of it to prevent it falling into the wrong hands. This time, as the dangers are increased and learning from the cost of the previous adventures, his friends ask him is he really doing this for the right reasons. I’m glad they touched on this because the crew barely escaped with their lives last time, so to embark on this journey without at least questioning if it is worth it would be unrealistic. Two thirds through the game, he is separated from his crew and dumped in the middle of the desert. This is a truly stunning part of the game as Nathan Drake is in a desperate situation here and is fighting for his life. Upon the conclusion, fans will be left satisfied by the adventure they have undergone in and a complete story arc that leaves no open endings.The GraphicsThe visuals have taken a step up from the last title, if that was even possible. Naughty Dog have consistently displayed their graphical prowess and ability to squeeze every ounce of power out of the aging console. This surely is the pinnacle of graphical excellence on the PS3, second only to PC games. As Nathan Drake staggers through the desert, sand dripping off his clothes and hair, the sand sparkles and the player is left dumb struck in awe at the level of minute detail on show here. I literally had to stop and stare a few times. My belief was suspended when I was exploring a dilapidated, decaying French chateau which nature has started to reclaim. Then for it to be set ablaze while you must escape, my jaw hit the floor at how visceral and real it all looked. As the flames licked up the wall and the whole world became an explosion of colour, I thought to myself, this is why I love gaming. The whole game is one indulgent visual feast for the eyes as even the fibres on his top are all very detailed. Another point I want to touch on is the lighting in this game. The lighting is incredible, the sun bleached streets of an Islamic town left me speechless. The environments in this game are many and varied and each time, the lighting is spot on.The GameplayThe Uncharted series is known for its set pieces and this game does not disappoint. There are many spectacles for the player to gawp at from escaping a burning chateau, to escaping a sinking hotel ship and even a gunfight on a plane where the engines have cut out. I don’t know what black magic the folks over at Naughty Dog have employed, but this is one of the most fluid and natural looking games I have ever seen. The way Nathan Drake stumbles across sand or even just walking; it all looks natural and realistic. The game strikes a perfect balance of gun fighting, to platforming and puzzle solving; they all flow very easily from each other. Some critics say that this game is incredibly linear and to have all these impressive backdrops that are not explorable is a failure of the game. I disagree and would counter that argument by saying, if it were any less linear, they wouldn’t have been able to put that much detail into the world and would have watered down the experience.ConclusionIn summary then this game is the third instalment in one of the most incredible gaming trilogies ever created. The game is beautifully written and realised and it is a joy to play through the 12 hour campaign. The only flaw is that, again, sometimes it was hard to get Nathan Drake to stick to the correct piece of cover and sometimes he would pop out of cover for no reason. This minor gripe pales in comparison to the masterpiece that is Uncharted 3. This title is the reason I play games, I can just sit down to a great story with great presentation and be completely absorbed and enthralled, this one is unmissable.9.9/10+ Perfectly designed environments+ Graphics, graphics, graphics+ Fluid gameplay+ Great cast of characters+ More personal story- Cover system clunky

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception see us taking on the adventurous fortune hunter Nathan Drake once again in one of his most daring and dangerous hunts to date as he and his colleagues go through a maddening race against a secret society and their cold-hearted leader Marlowe to uncover the Atlantas of the Sands. The story this time focuses a little more on Nate Drake's origins; in a brief early chapter, you will get the chance to play as a teenaged Nate as he comes face to face with Victor Sullivan for the first time. While the Uncharted stories don't usually play too heavily on emotion, Nate's demeanor here is slightly less glib and happy go lucky than his usual self as he is faced with some of the elements from his past.Like the previous Uncharted games, expect this to be gun heavy - from one handed revolvers and machine pistols to two handed machine guns and RPGs, you'll see Nate going through some pretty daring and long-winded gunfights. But unlike the previous two installments of the series, this time you have the option to engage in some extensive bare-fisted brawling which proves to be a nice break from blind-firing from behind walls and other cover. The brawling itself, is a great feature as at close range you can quickly disarm an enemy (or they can disarm you) proving quite a challenge if you're surrounded by ten or so opponents all taking a swing at you. Nate can counter, grapple, and even sometimes use nearby objects to add a blow to his enemy.The gameplay is pretty standard of Naughty Dog's previous fare. A blockbusteresque palpable journey with a solid story that captures you from start to finish. If you've played the first two, you're going to sail through this one in probably about six hours, as not only will you already know exactly what you're doing, but you'll be so sucked into Nate's next adventure that you won't be able to put the controller down. A few nice chase scenes lift the monotony from the general leaping from ledge to ledge or the strafe and shooting that you normally find yourself doing. As always, there are puzzles, puzzles that require some thought and patience to master (but are not exceptionally hard, so you don't need to worry about being a MENSA member to be able to cope). Although the campaign is pretty straight forward, there's always replaying in harder levels to take away the monotony, as well as tirelessly searching for ALL the hidden artifacts for that elusive trophy.This edition adds numerous skins and maps to the game for the multiplayer option, although, do be warned, alot of them you can't unlock unless you're willing to work for the ranks (just as with the previous game). I also noted (although this could differ from future releases) this game came with a coupon for a free download of Terminator Salvation which was a nice bonus considering the game was so quick to complete. There is a co-op mode available on this disc too which brings the play to a whole new level.Multiplayer mode is more or less as straightforward as playing the game in campaign mode. Personally I do find it very disheartening that the multiplayer mode doesn't seperate ranked players into groups of similar levels. Instead, imagine being a new player at level 1 and being thrown into a deathmatch against level 50 opponents who have all the best advantages in the game (best guns, more grenades, faster running abilities). The set up really only awards very skilled players and high ranked players and offers nothing to the "newbie" in ways of advantage to learn anything useful. Hope to see this change in the future. It is good to note that the multiplayer mode is still heavily played by many PS3 users online, so you'll always find someone to oppose.On to the visual style; it's as ever, truly stunning. Not particularly photo realistic, but the colours are vibrant and deep, and the shadows are very dynamic and play beautifully on the map. There's always something interesting to see to make you feel very immersed in the environment.All in all a great addition to the series, and although quick to play, it was still a very enjoyable experience. Can't wait to see what Naughty Dog have in store next.

A good game and I really enjoyed playing it, but it seems massively over-hyped to me.My main concerns are:1) It's just more of the same. If you enjoyed the first two outings, you'll enjoy this, but there is absolutely nothing new.2) I seemed to spend far too much groping around in the dark and falling off things. I tried adjusting my display in all ways possible, but to no avail. I haven't had this issue with other games.It's good, I'd buy it again, but I still felt a bit let down...:(