Console: PS3
Date Released: Nov, 1 2011
Date Reviewed: Jan, 9 2012
Reviewer: Reid
Pros
* It is the best looking game on the PS3. Period.
* Great voice acting from some of the best in the business
* Advances in animation and hand to hand combat
Cons
* The story seems to ask more questions than it answers
* The shooting mechanics seem to be uneven
* Pacing issues due to overpowered combat
Presentation : A
Graphics / Animation / Sound
It is almost endless on what can be said about the graphical performance and animation in this game. Naughty Dog pushes the limits every time an Uncharted game is released, and Uncharted 3 is second to none in the presentation category. Sand, water, fire, all of these things look like the real deal. Whether it’s sand falling out of Drake’s hair when he is in the desert, water drying off his clothes, or bounding over blazing staircases it’s an incredible experience that bolsters an impressive awards list.
The title menu is sleek, and lets you highlight what game mode you want to play, then adjust the game settings for that mode through the title menu before you enter. The motion-capture is done particularly well, and they really made an effort to bring cut-scenes and game-play together seamlessly.
The sound effects, scoring, and voice over work are all top-notch and match almost perfectly with the facial expressions. The dialog is entertaining and the random thoughts spoken out loud by Drake make a return with no apology.
Single Player : B
Game mechanics / Length / difficulty
The Uncharted series focuses on using cover while shooting, but Uncharted 3 also gives a lot more control in the hand-to-hand combat area. The fighting mechanic works well and can be as effective as using a gun, if not more when you are close range.
This game can be quite difficult during combat, as I died multiple times on my first play through. Dont get me wrong, I love a challenge, but it almost makes you dread the combat situations and beg for more of the exploration side of the Uncharted series. The difficulty is a combination of dead shot enemies armed to the teeth, enemies charging at you while your shooting at other enemies, and the shooting mechanics of the game, which for some reason were changed from Uncharted 2. In fact, so many people complained that Naughty Dog actually added the shooting mechanics from Uncharted 2 and now gives you the option to choose between them. I went back and played with the new (Uncharted 2) mechanics and while it did make a difference, the combat still requires a lot of patience and perhaps a different strategy if you find yourself stuck at a spot dying over and over.
Level design is truly impressive bringing about situations I’ve never played before. There are times in the game when you finish a level then later it sinks in just how massive that experience was. Then you go back and replay it again because, well…you just have to.
The story, for me causes a lot of frustration. The whole plot of the game doesn’t really make sense. I won’t go into details to prevent spoilers, but there were times where I thought I had missed or forgot something in the previous plots. After doing some research I found some plot elements are to be either assumed, or perhaps tweaked for future sequels. To me the end goal of the mission was not justified.
When you add in finding all of the well placed “hidden treasure” items, the game is slightly longer than the average main campaign, somewhere around 10 to 11 hours.
Multiplayer : B
Game mechanics / features / Online features
The multiplayer side of the game functions well, but was not very fun. Though it does contain a lot of modes, character customization, and load-out options, it feels stiff, boring, and takes quite a bit of ammo to actually kill an opponent.
Among the multiple game modes that can be chosen and customized, you can play a variety of co-op modes online with other players. A great mode to try out is the co-op adventure mode, which puts you in story based missions.
Replay Value : B
Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC / (If retro does it stand the test of time?)
Like the other games in the series, once you’ve beaten Uncharted 3 its fun to go back through and find all of the “hidden treasures” and use the DLC costumes or skins. Other DLC to choose from include themes for your PS3 XMB, and multiplayer levels from Uncharted 2.
