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Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception!

The latest installment in the staple PS3 franchise has launched, but will Drake's Deception be able to continue to trend that was set by its predecessors?

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Atlantis Of The Sands: Drake's Deception sees the main protagonist Nathan Drake and his mentor Victor Sullivan around the world in an attempt to discover the lost city Iram of the Pillars (a real-life location). Not only that, but Drake also fights to keep a ring that belonged to Sir Francis Drake (a real life explorer!), a ring that Drake believes is a family heirloom that rightfully belongs to him.

The story isn't too over-the-top or extreme, but did a great job of entertaining me. The plotline throws some twists at you, even early in the game and as you progress you will undoubtedly find yourself wondering what the next part of the story will bring.

Drake's Deception is surprisingly accurate sometimes with its history of real life events as well, and I feel the plotline was very well done and is a key focus of Uncharted 3.

It doesn't hurt that Uncharted 3 looks very sharp visually and also features some movie-like cinematics that really engross you into the game.

The Ultimate Treasure Hunter: As far as the gameplay goes, Uncharted 3 has gameplay that is very similar to that of its predecessors, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.

The main focus of the gameplay is your ability to climb over almost anything and fight your way through multiple enemies and unlike most titles these days you will not always be using a gun.

As was the case in the previous Uncharted games, Nathan Drake can climb over a lot of objects in the environment and most often the way you get from Point A to Point B is by jumping over ledges and climbing up buildings.

Never mind that some of the jumps Drake makes are practically impossible due to things like gravity and physics, the building-scaling portions of Uncharted 3 are actually very enjoyable.

Despite pulling off death defying moves, the main character has a "weighted-ness" that makes him look and feel like he actual has some weight to him, unlike a game like LittleBigPlanet where everything is "floaty" when you move and jump.

The combat in Drake's Deception is also very well done even though it is similar to the combat displayed in Batman: Arkham City. In Uncharted 3 you will also fight through the occasional wave of enemies, but there are some subtle differences that I feel make Uncharted 3 superior in this area.

For one, the action is a bit slower and your attacks and counter attacks aren't so telegraphed and instant. When you fight other enemies, the combat is much more realistic, as in a bit slower and your attacks feel like they have more impact.

Not only that, but the combat system also allows you to grab and throw foes as well as use the environment as a weapon (using a bottle to smash over your enemy's head or pinning him up against the wall and beating him).

The gunplay in Uncharted 3 is the least spectacular aspect of the game, although it certainly isn't bad. Like previous installments Uncharted 3 uses a cover system during firefights that is available to both you and your enemies.

Considering the shooting aspect of Uncharted 3 isn't a focus of the game, I feel it was done pretty well overall. Most firefights don't last too long and lack the intensity of a real shooter like Gears of War or Killzone 3, but are decent and are not too common. Most of your time will be spent fist fighting or using Parkour.

Detective Drake: In addition to the more action packed sequences in the game, Drake's Deception will also task you with figuring out puzzles on occasion.

You will be required to scan the environment and look for any clues or out-of-place objects that you can interact with, and while sometimes you will find yourself completely stumped, fortunately the problem-solving aspect of Uncharted 3 is not terrible.

Drake's Deception doesn't force you to backtrack very often, and if you do find yourself wondering where to go next it doesn't take long to figure out what you need to do (if you can't find what you need, you usually need to start climbing).

Rent vs. Buy: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is a very well done game that does a ton of things right and is a very worthy successor to the first two Uncharted titles. The Uncharted series is a staple franchise for the PS3 and has been since 2007, since the first Uncharted title debuted.

The uncommon story (not a heroic journey or a save the world type of thing, just a treasure hunter who wants to get rich) and varied gameplay that has you vaulting, climbing, punching and shooting through the story really makes for a great video game.

The plotline progresses nicely and Uncharted 3 is a surprisingly lengthy game, and once you finish the story (I do see the value in replaying the campaign on harder difficulties), multiplayer will be waiting for you.

The multiplayer in Uncharted 3 is also a bit uncommon, as there are game modes that revolve around gathering treasure around the map and even the combat itself is a bit non-typical. You will use cover, but the ability to rapidly change your location by jumping all over the environment makes for some interesting firefights.

Uncharted 3 as a whole (campaign and multiplayer) is linear and there is minimal room for exploration (and anything you find will simply be hidden treasure), but Drake's Deception is one of the best PS3 games made.

There are not a lot of titles that will be able to top the superb voice acting, engrossing story, interesting gameplay, sharp visuals and surprisingly fun-filled multiplayer modes on the PS3.

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