Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

[D12"Magic"]

Just finished the game before the release of MW3 and I have to say I wish the Story in Unc 3 lasted longer. Really disappointed in that department.

Has anybody here touched multiplayer?

[Thorpesaurous]

Just beat it last night. The closing stages were much easier than they were in the first two games. I found Lazaravich to be a huge pain in the ass at the end of the last game. I kept waiting for that closing battle in this, but it never came.

Overall it was a very enjoyable experience. I'd give it a score somewhere in the mid to high 80s. It's not as good a game as it's predecessor in my eyes. I also just completed Batman before this, and I'd say it's a nudge below that as well.

I'm at about 40% complete. A lot of the trophy's seem very attainable from here. Mostly using other weapons. I have 72 of the treasures. My intention is to go back and do some trophy hunting for the next few nights.

I did play a game of the multiplayer in both coop and competitive. I'm not really a fan of competitive in general, but this was really well done, as was the last game. The Coop I liked, although I won't do it much. It's just not my thing.

Overall it was a little short. And it took a bit to get going. There are some huge highpoints in the later stages in terms of action set pieces. The boat yard, and the ship itself really kicks off a couple of great sequences. The plane as well is something that just hasn't been done before.

As for gameplay innovation, the vertical climbing shootout stuff was really cool.

On the con side. The hand to hand just wasn't very good. It was clunky, and it tended to get you stuck in it. In addition to that, the animations quickly cycled through. The animations in general didn't seem to have the same attention to detail put into them. I can't be the only one who found it odd that every single fight with one of the big guys looked exactly the same. And even moving in general didn't feel quite as smooth.

[glidedrxlr22]

I'll be starting on this game tonight if I get it in the mail.

[rhythmic]

Just beat it last night. The closing stages were much easier than they were in the first two games. I found Lazaravich to be a huge pain in the ass at the end of the last game. I kept waiting for that closing battle in this, but it never came.

Overall it was a very enjoyable experience. I'd give it a score somewhere in the mid to high 80s. It's not as good a game as it's predecessor in my eyes. I also just completed Batman before this, and I'd say it's a nudge below that as well.

I'm at about 40% complete. A lot of the trophy's seem very attainable from here. Mostly using other weapons. I have 72 of the treasures. My intention is to go back and do some trophy hunting for the next few nights.

I did play a game of the multiplayer in both coop and competitive. I'm not really a fan of competitive in general, but this was really well done, as was the last game. The Coop I liked, although I won't do it much. It's just not my thing.

Overall it was a little short. And it took a bit to get going. There are some huge highpoints in the later stages in terms of action set pieces. The boat yard, and the ship itself really kicks off a couple of great sequences. The plane as well is something that just hasn't been done before.

As for gameplay innovation, the vertical climbing shootout stuff was really cool.

On the con side. The hand to hand just wasn't very good. It was clunky, and it tended to get you stuck in it. In addition to that, the animations quickly cycled through. The animations in general didn't seem to have the same attention to detail put into them. I can't be the only one who found it odd that every single fight with one of the big guys looked exactly the same. And even moving in general didn't feel quite as smooth.

SPOILERS

The final stages were both climatic and anti-climatic at the same time. It was intense, but way too short. The final boss fight seemed very short, and quite disappointing. Talbot had this mystery about him and used drugs as a source of fear. That prowess was totally underutilized at the end, and Marlowe was a very interesting character but in the end seemed like a weak-link. This game underutilized so many aspects that could have made this game so much better, and most certainly better then its latest predecessor. The highs were higher then U2, but the lows were much lower then U2. The game-play and length are my biggest issues. All of the side characters besides Sully were completely under-utilized. The game seemed really rushed after Chapter 10. Although it picked up the adrenaline tremendously, it was all too premature. They could have (and should have) added an extra 8-10 Chapters, in between when Drake finally meets Elena again and the ending credits. There was so much left unsaid and it really bothered me. But the intent of the story was to explain the relationship between Drake & Sully, perhaps they shouldn't have introduced any other character to the game then and I wouldn't have been as disappointed. If those 22 chapters were dedicated to just Drake & Sully and their distinct adventure; it would have been a much greater success, IMO. It wouldn't have left such a sour taste in my mouth. Uncharted 2 paced the story nearly perfect from start to finish, it was always on point and had me intrigued throughout. In Uncharted 3, I was amazed by the graphics and set-pieces but it just felt too disjointed.

By the way, there are some patches coming out from Naughty Dog. They are always great at listening to their customers, and for that I solute them. 1) Fix the aiming, 2) Fix the motion blur and 3) Fix the 3D graphics.

I really want them to fix the camera as well; if you are going to make enemies flank me at all times, then make me able to see the environment that is not just within 10 yards of my character. It's a huge problem, because as I'm concentrating on enemies I can see on the screen; some random armored enemy would pop up from behind and kill me. It just kills the fun completely for me. I have A LOT of problems with the game-play, certain levels aren't as problematic but the areas where enemies just flank you from all sides, it would help if the camera shows you more of the area from a 3rd-person perspective. Argh, frustrated me so much. Stealth is completely useless in this game, hit detection is garbage & the enemy detail is trash. Literally all the suit guys are identical, it's ridiculous. This game had potential of being the greatest game ever on any console, but they failed to utilize on rather minor issues. I do not know how Naughty Dog didn't see these problems before the release. They also left content from this game, which both of its predecessors had. The entire reward system for the campaign mode. What happened to unlocking skins, weapons etc? That totally kills the games re-playability. The AI and melee combat is atrocious. Enemies just flank you no matter what, you can throw grenades at them and shoot them thirty times and they will still run at you no matter what. There are just too many issues I had with the game-play that U2 basically perfected, why not just keep the same mechanics and add the melee system?? Just don't adjust the AI, aiming etc. and simply add the melee combat. The way AI worked in U2, it promoted stealth. Therefore, this new melee would have complimented that approach much nicer then in Uncharted 3.

Other then those major issues, Uncharted 3 outperformed U2 in every other areas. I do not agree that U2 had more details. The only reason you didn't notice them is because of the poorly designed camera view, character motion, poor AI etc. The game-play ruins every other area of the game to me, but there is no way U2 had better graphics, sound, set-pieces, puzzles or villains. The game-play and its length were the main area of weakness that is highly inferior to U2. That alone makes U2 a better game, and by at least five percentile points. The game-play should always be the backbone of any game, and everything else is secondary. After my first play-through, I'd give the game a 92% and Uncharted 2 a perfect 100%. Uncharted 2 was inferior in certain areas, but compared to any other game out-there they were at the top anyways, so it's not like they had any glaring weaknesses to begin with. U3 had a legit chance to out-do U2 but it failed. Outside of U2's anti-climatic final boss fight, it was a perfect video game. U3 unfortunately has glaring weaknesses, that U2 does not. And those weaknesses aren't minor. Giving U3 a 92% is probably pretty generous too, 85-90% range like Thorpesaurous said is probably a more accurate description. I liked both U1 and U2 more after my subsequent play-through, so I am sure U3 will get better for me as well (especially once they patch certain issues). Not to mention, I didn't notice that hand-switch option was disabled until Chapter 21. That was another issue I had with the game, I have no idea why the hell ND disabled that feature.

If you asked me to reminisce about the series and tell you what were my favorite ten moments; Uncharted 3 would probably have at least six of those moments. In terms of a cinematic experience, it's the greatest game out there. In terms of a video game, it's really really good. In comparison to Uncharted 2, it's inferior by a clear margin and is actually just slightly better then Drake's Fortune. But I am sure if ND actually fixes the hit detection, AI and aiming; and adds the rewards back to the game's content database; this game could not only gain substantially more praise from me, it could actually compete with U2 for best Uncharted to date; despite its lack of emphasis on characterization, dialogue, generally short campaign and main villains.

By the way my top five moments from Uncharted 3 are in order:

1) Chasing Talbot
2) The Horse Chase
3) The Graveyard/Cruise Ship
4) Young Drake
5) Drake's Hallucination at Atlantis

I personally felt like the Desert and Plane missions were way too brief, I didn't even get a chance to appreciation ND's artistic design in those areas. The Chateau was great but it was like a giant set-piece level, completely left me off in the dark from playing the actual level. They were terrific nonetheless but those other moments took the cake for me. I know I am forgetting a few other moments that I absolutely loved.

I would totally recommend this game as a stand-alone game. It is easily one of the greatest games this generation has to offer; but if you expect it to compete with U2, it might disappoint you. I know a lot of friends and online gamers who actually prefer U3 more and would question your sanity if you thought otherwise, so to each its own.

[glidedrxlr22]

Just started this last night. About to start the French jungle mission. So far the game has been very good. Nice to see some insight into Drake's past. The aiming seems to be a bit off compared to Uncharted 2 though.

[IlliniFan]

Should have this arriving tomorrow. Really pumped to get started. The first two were hands down the most enjoyable games I've played on PS3 and I own Arkham Asylum, Red Dead and a few other really good games. Weekend plans are set. (I might go out one night just to keep up appearances)

[glidedrxlr22]

Should have this arriving tomorrow. Really pumped to get started. The first two were hands down the most enjoyable games I've played on PS3 and I own Arkham Asylum, Red Dead and a few other really good games. Weekend plans are set. (I might go out one night just to keep up appearances)

If you liked the first two, you'll like part 3. I thought I wasn't gonna enjoy it as much as part 2 cause I heard they were similar, but I'm having a good time playing it. The environment graphics look great. Some of the gameplay sequences have you on the edge of your seat.....great escape and chase portions.

[Thorpesaurous]

I just 100%ed it. It's only the third game I've ever done that with, the others being Uncharted 2, and Red Dead.

It definitely gets better the more you play it. It's got legitimate replay value on Crushing. And once you do that, you'll be close enough to all the trophies, it just makes sense to go back and get them.

I had to cheat on about a dozen treasures. And I looked up a handfull of trophies just to find the good spots to get them.

I'm thinking I'll go back to Batman and try to 100% that. That I still have a lot fresh content for. A ton of Riddler trophies and the like.

[kentatm]

Well I just finished the single player and I have to say I was slightly disappointed overall.

Don't get me wrong, it was still a good game but overall it just didn't wow me the was Uncharted 2 did. Perhaps that was b/c 2 was such a jump up from the original but it just felt like the pacing was off and the levels weren't as well put together.

I think my biggest gripe is the way you get stuck in hand to hand combat in this one. It felt almost more like you were in a quick time event. Punch, punch, triangle dodge, punch. Fighting the same big ape of a dude was kind of lame. The final boss had to be the easiest of the three games by far.

I'm also kind of annoyed by the way co-op online is in this one. I much preferred the self contained missions in 2 over the 5 part story in 3. Bringing back dead enemies from 1 & 2 was just dumb.

For some reason it seems like the gun play is not as smooth in this one. I feel like shooting off armored helmets is way harder and lining up simple head shots is much too difficult.


Also, I have been having some issues getting the game to load. I have a PS3 slim that is only a year old so I don't know why my system doesn't seem to recognize the game. I put the disk in, it makes some noise like its trying to load the game in the bluray tray, makes a sound like its ejecting without coming out and then nothing. I have to put in another game and THEN put in Uncharted 3 to get it to load. Has anyone else had this issue?

[rhythmic]

Well I just finished the single player and I have to say I was slightly disappointed overall.

Don't get me wrong, it was still a good game but overall it just didn't wow me the was Uncharted 2 did. Perhaps that was b/c 2 was such a jump up from the original but it just felt like the pacing was off and the levels weren't as well put together.

I think my biggest gripe is the way you get stuck in hand to hand combat in this one. It felt almost more like you were in a quick time event. Punch, punch, triangle dodge, punch. Fighting the same big ape of a dude was kind of lame. The final boss had to be the easiest of the three games by far.

I'm also kind of annoyed by the way co-op online is in this one. I much preferred the self contained missions in 2 over the 5 part story in 3. Bringing back dead enemies from 1 & 2 was just dumb.

For some reason it seems like the gun play is not as smooth in this one. I feel like shooting off armored helmets is way harder and lining up simple head shots is much too difficult.


Also, I have been having some issues getting the game to load. I have a PS3 slim that is only a year old so I don't know why my system doesn't seem to recognize the game. I put the disk in, it makes some noise like its trying to load the game in the bluray tray, makes a sound like its ejecting without coming out and then nothing. I have to put in another game and THEN put in Uncharted 3 to get it to load. Has anyone else had this issue?

There is a patch out that allows you to use the aiming mechanics from Uncharted 2. I suggest you download it and use that option. This game becomes more enjoyable as you play it more; the story was too contrived for me the first time I beat it. But as you play it more & more, you'll start appreciating its dialogue. It's actually as good as Uncharted 2 once you download the patch (the patch also fixes graphical blurs) because of its set-pieces.

The story itself is not on U2's level though; way too short and after Chapter 14, it's just rushed. They could have added 5-6 more chapters and explain the story better. The ending was way too anti-climatic for me. It was too easy, brief and I didn't feel like I was struggling for my life like I did in Uncharted 2.

U2 is still the best overall experience, in my opinion.
Hopefully U4 will be the best one yet.

By the way if you are a huge fan of Uncharted, you should definitely purchase Max Payne 3. I'm so psyched for this game to come out (and it's by Rockstar, so you know it'll be epic).

Regarding the loading; try cleaning out your system. It not only enhances your console's speed by cleaning your database but can also remove certain "corrupt" game data that can actually prevent the console from reading certain games.

http://www.ps3blog.net/2011/01/28/ti...recovery-menu/

Hopefully it resolves your issue.

[D12"Magic"]

Has anyone here played multi player? I have been enjoying it and have been hooked. I even brought the Fortune Hunter's Club which give's you all the Skins and all the Map Packs. Just pay $21 and you save 45% on all DLC. The Flash Back map pack came out with Redesigned maps from Uncharted 2.
The Ice Cave has now turned into a spring dazzled looking cave. and other maps have been changed , there is now snow in Lost City and the Fort now has rain raining upon.

[nightprowler10]

Definitely agree that there is too much hand to hand. And how retarded were the fights against the big dudes. Every single one of them were exactly the same.

Not fretting it though, bought it on black Friday for $30 and sold it on eBay for $40.