Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception!!

[disarm]

I finally had a chance to get started on this tonight and wound up playing for almost three hours...long enough to reach the beginning of chapter 8, and I'm loving the game so far.  It has been a little of a slow start, but the action is so good when it kicks in that I really don't mind.  As others have mentioned, the shooting controls do seem to be a little off, but it's not been a major issue so far.  I think it has something to do with a low default sensitivity and too much of a deadspot in the aiming stick that makes fine movements tricky. Everything else about the game plays so well so far that I'm not going to get hung up on the flaws of the gunplay at this point.

As for the graphics, I've been playing in 3D and the game looks absolutely incredible.  The Uncharted series has always looked good, but some of the scenes that have already been pulled off in UC3 are just breathtaking, and that is due in no small part to the fantastic 3D effects.  There were some moments in the final sequence of chapter 7 (leaving the chateau) that are easily some of the best looking graphics I've seen in a console game.  The way they've used lighting, camera angles, and depth really is a sight to behold.  I tried the 3D in Arkham City, but found it to be a little distracting just because there's so much going on as you move through the city, but it works perfectly for the environments of Uncharted. I wondered when a game would come out that really does 3D right, and I think this is the one  

[leo8877]

All this talk about how good the 3D is makes me wish I had a tv to see it with!!

[Turtle]

I also noticed some of the aim assists that were in Uncharted 2 are gone for Uncharted 3, leading to some trouble for me, but I adjusted.

Uncharted is currently the only game I'd consider owning anything 3D for. In a few years time when the fad dies down (or becomes more the norm) I'll probably pickup a 3D tv to replay Uncharted 3 in 3D, probably just before Uncharted 4 comes out.

I also like how you can't just pull down enemies from ledges in the middle of combat now. Most of they time they kick you off the ledge, other times you get a little button prompt to hit triangle before they kick you, allowing you to pull them down.

Also, throwing grenades back is awesome, especially since sometimes there's really nowhere to go. The screen is black and white and one more hit will kill you, before you'd just have to run away and hope the AI couldn't hit you (they usually did). Now, it's a fun timing game.

[leo8877]

A couple things I noticed after finishing the game and then starting over with a new game

SPOILERS!!

Spoiler for Hiden:

The video game in the pub is called "Genie in a Bottle"

The fight in "Another Round" was different for me the second time.  I actually threw a guy out the window and into the street this time.

[Clay]

I'm 10 minutes from finishing the game...

Spoiler for Hiden:

Woozy shooting? Really? Ok, so the drugged part of the Yemen missions was clever, but the bit at the end is just plain irritating. Also, was I supposed to shoot Sully or not? I didn't... it didn't seem to make a difference. I got pissed with the woozy shooting and turned it off last night.

[Teggy]

I'm 10 minutes from finishing the game...

Spoiler for Hiden:

Woozy shooting? Really? Ok, so the drugged part of the Yemen missions was clever, but the bit at the end is just plain irritating. Also, was I supposed to shoot Sully or not? I didn't... it didn't seem to make a difference. I got pissed with the woozy shooting and turned it off last night.

Regarding your question:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I didn't realize you could refrain from shooting him. What happened when you didn't shoot him? I figured since he was dead, it had to be a bad guy pretending to be Sully, so I put a cap in him.

[Teggy]

By the way, there's a couple of very silly trophies. Roll to pick up ammo 20 times in a row? Kill 50 enemies without auto-reloading? Those are going to take some discipline. Although, if I am thinking of getting a platinum again, the fact that I will doubtfully be able to complete it on crushing is really the issue.

Oh, I wound up finding the strange relic. It wasn't really in a difficult place to find, which was a little "strange".

[leo8877]

Oh, I wound up finding the strange relic. It wasn't really in a difficult place to find, which was a little "strange".

 

[Clay]

I'm 10 minutes from finishing the game...

Spoiler for Hiden:

Woozy shooting? Really? Ok, so the drugged part of the Yemen missions was clever, but the bit at the end is just plain irritating. Also, was I supposed to shoot Sully or not? I didn't... it didn't seem to make a difference. I got pissed with the woozy shooting and turned it off last night.

Regarding your question:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I didn't realize you could refrain from shooting him. What happened when you didn't shoot him? I figured since he was dead, it had to be a bad guy pretending to be Sully, so I put a cap in him.

Well...

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm talking about the first time -- when I was woozy 8-yr old Drake on the roof. Sully shot me and it continued to the next scene without skipping a beat.

[Teggy]

I'm 10 minutes from finishing the game...

Spoiler for Hiden:

Woozy shooting? Really? Ok, so the drugged part of the Yemen missions was clever, but the bit at the end is just plain irritating. Also, was I supposed to shoot Sully or not? I didn't... it didn't seem to make a difference. I got pissed with the woozy shooting and turned it off last night.

Regarding your question:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I didn't realize you could refrain from shooting him. What happened when you didn't shoot him? I figured since he was dead, it had to be a bad guy pretending to be Sully, so I put a cap in him.

Well...

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm talking about the first time -- when I was woozy 8-yr old Drake on the roof. Sully shot me and it continued to the next scene without skipping a beat.

You had control at that point? I'm not remembering it. And I hope the part that I mentioned was actually more than 10 minutes from the end of the game. 

[Clay]

You're right, it's the next-to-last chapter, and yes, you do have control, but it's woozy control.

[skystride]

The UC formula is starting to feel a little old.  It's so predictable, cut-scene, puzzle, shooty, rinse and repeat.  I loved it in UC1, enjoyed it in UC2 and I like it ok in UC3 but I think if there is an UC4, they need to change it up a bit.

I'm really not hooked in the way "can't wait to get home so I can play more" like I was with UC1/2.

[Turtle]

I have the feeling the next Drake game will show up on the PS4, and probably be way more open in terms of its puzzles and environments.

I think there's a missed opportunity for more exploration aspects with less linear shooting, at least, when not in a big action set piece.

Stuff where you go an entire level exploring a decent sized location to try and uncover a secret. Just wandering around, finding stuff to jot down in Nate's notebook, instead of everything already being in there.

[leo8877]

I have the feeling the next Drake game will show up on the PS4, and probably be way more open in terms of its puzzles and environments.

I think there's a missed opportunity for more exploration aspects with less linear shooting, at least, when not in a big action set piece.

Stuff where you go an entire level exploring a decent sized location to try and uncover a secret. Just wandering around, finding stuff to jot down in Nate's notebook, instead of everything already being in there.

If the next one is on PS4 I will be a sad panda. I can't get enough Drake!!

[TiLT]

I have the feeling the next Drake game will show up on the PS4, and probably be way more open in terms of its puzzles and environments.

I think there's a missed opportunity for more exploration aspects with less linear shooting, at least, when not in a big action set piece.

Stuff where you go an entire level exploring a decent sized location to try and uncover a secret. Just wandering around, finding stuff to jot down in Nate's notebook, instead of everything already being in there.

If the next one is on PS4 I will be a sad panda. I can't get enough Drake!!

There's two years between each Uncharted game, which means the next one should hit in November 2013. That's around the same time as I tend to predict that the PS4 is going to be released, and I would expect Sony and Naughty Dog to time this so that Uncharted 4 becomes a launch title.

[leo8877]

I have the feeling the next Drake game will show up on the PS4, and probably be way more open in terms of its puzzles and environments.

I think there's a missed opportunity for more exploration aspects with less linear shooting, at least, when not in a big action set piece.

Stuff where you go an entire level exploring a decent sized location to try and uncover a secret. Just wandering around, finding stuff to jot down in Nate's notebook, instead of everything already being in there.

If the next one is on PS4 I will be a sad panda. I can't get enough Drake!!

There's two years between each Uncharted game, which means the next one should hit in November 2013. That's around the same time as I tend to predict that the PS4 is going to be released, and I would expect Sony and Naughty Dog to time this so that Uncharted 4 becomes a launch title.

You're right of course and it will be glorious!

[Teggy]

Don't forget the Vita game!

[leo8877]

Don't forget the Vita game!

Damn I know it.  I doubt I'll be able to resist.

[Kevin Grey]

I have the feeling the next Drake game will show up on the PS4, and probably be way more open in terms of its puzzles and environments.

I think there's a missed opportunity for more exploration aspects with less linear shooting, at least, when not in a big action set piece.

Stuff where you go an entire level exploring a decent sized location to try and uncover a secret. Just wandering around, finding stuff to jot down in Nate's notebook, instead of everything already being in there.

Personally I wouldn't  mind that at all but I have a feeling that won't go over too well.  A lot of people are complaining about the pacing in the first half of U3 which is actually a lot closer to the above concept than previous games.  In fact the least liked level in the game from discussions I've seen:

Spoiler for Chapter 8 and 9:

Syria

is probably the closest to that in that it involves fewer setpieces/story/character interaction and more exploration and puzzles, with a bit of combat thrown in. 

In all honestly I don't think they can change things up a whole lot and still keep the game feeling like "Uncharted"  but I'm up for whatever ND comes up with. 

[leo8877]

I just hope that all the tricks they learned on the PS3 hardware will transfer over to the PS4.  Seems like they can do pretty much anything they want with these games.  Would they be able to with new hardware (at first)?  Also, I hope they continue to enjoy making these.  Seems like most devs do a trilogy and then it's over.  They did say they'll do them as long as they remain interesting and people are interested.  I hope they get the sales to continue making that push!

[Clay]

I have the feeling the next Drake game will show up on the PS4, and probably be way more open in terms of its puzzles and environments.

I think there's a missed opportunity for more exploration aspects with less linear shooting, at least, when not in a big action set piece.

Stuff where you go an entire level exploring a decent sized location to try and uncover a secret. Just wandering around, finding stuff to jot down in Nate's notebook, instead of everything already being in there.

Personally I wouldn't  mind that at all but I have a feeling that won't go over too well.  A lot of people are complaining about the pacing in the first half of U3 which is actually a lot closer to the above concept than previous games.  In fact the least liked level in the game from discussions I've seen:

Spoiler for Chapter 8 and 9:

Syria

is probably the closest to that in that it involves fewer setpieces/story/character interaction and more exploration and puzzles, with a bit of combat thrown in. 

In all honestly I don't think they can change things up a whole lot and still keep the game feeling like "Uncharted"  but I'm up for whatever ND comes up with. 

I just finished the game and I agree about chapters 8 and 9 being the worst. I didn't feel there was exploration there at all. It just seemed bland, slightly confusing, and almost like it was thrown in as filler when they realized there wasn't enough content in the interesting levels. I knew that I would be going there to rescue those two goons when it was first mentioned, though.

This was my least favorite of the Uncharted games. I hope the next one is a little more inspired, has a more interesting and coherent story, and returns some of the exploration feel to the series. There's no chance that I'll either play through this one on SP again or take a look at the multiplayer or co-op modes.

For now, I'm looking forward to the Tomb Raider reboot.

[shon]

Finished the game tonight on Hard difficulty and in 3D.  9:48 with 57 trophies. I usually play the game on Normal then on my second play through go with hard, but for some reason I started with hard.

It wasn't too difficult but there were certain fights that I did die many times and most I would consider cheap deaths.  One problem was that I would try to roll away and I would be close to cover and I would go into cover and get killed, the roll and cover button needs to be different.  The cover system also felt a step backwards from UC2 I thought that I was sticking to the wrong side of things.  The enemies seemed to spawn behind me sometimes and other times they would seem to appear out of thin air which I didn't like.  The enemies have their own A.I. and that needs to be tweaked many times they would run in and out of cover and make for an easy kill or sometimes just pause while moving towards me.  Also it's very hard to get away from fist fights when you are being shot and the bullets are passing through the enemy and then kill you.

Overall I really enjoyed the game and there were some amazing set pieces that I'm not sure how they will be able to top UC4, but I think I like UC2 the best.

[Turtle]

One thing I did when people were shooting at me while others were trying to melee me was use the circle button to throw a guy between me and the shooting, while not always feasible, it worked well.

[Clay]

About the last level and end game...

Spoiler for Hiden:

Did anybody else feel like the final level in the underground desert city was given the creative shaft by the dev team? The flame headed uber baddies showed up for a level or two and then vanished. This all is explained away by the water being hallucinogenic. I though it was a more interesting narrative when Sully actually was dead (though, knowing how safe the series plays it, I knew he wasn't dead). Other than that, the final level is pretty lifeless. I thought it was disappointingly anti-climatic. I wanted to shoot the bad lady in the kneecaps, not try to save her from quicksand.

[Teggy]

I think it's funny that people are saying that

Spoiler for Hiden:

Syria

(and don't you mean chapter 10 and 11?) is their least favorite. I thought the moment

Spoiler for Hiden:

Elena

showed up the game really started to get its footing. As I mentioned, I especially liked the

Spoiler for Hiden:

chase

sequence.

[leo8877]

I think it's funny that people are saying that

Spoiler for Hiden:

Syria

(and don't you mean chapter 10 and 11?) is their least favorite. I thought the moment

Spoiler for Hiden:

Elena

showed up the game really started to get its footing. As I mentioned, I especially liked the

Spoiler for Hiden:

chase

sequence.

Spoilers

Spoiler for Hiden:

Syria is the castle at night.  Elena does not appear until you get to Yemen.

[Teggy]

Oh...I thought that was

Spoiler for Hiden:

Paris

although now I am remembering that

Spoiler for Hiden:

Chloe

wanted to go to

Spoiler for Hiden:

Paris

, but

Spoiler for Hiden:

Drake

instructed her

Spoiler for Hiden:

otherwise

[leo8877]

LOL!

Spoilers:

Spoiler for Hiden:

That wasn't Paris, it was just France.

[Chaz]

See, I thought

Spoiler for Hiden:

Syria

wasn't so bad, though the sequence with the

Spoiler for Hiden:

scope

was pretty bad.

Still, my favorite part was the

Spoiler for Hiden:

[Teggy]

 

[CeeKay]

dude, spoilers!

[Teggy]

I was reacting to Chaz's scary spoiler!

[CeeKay]

got this from Gamefly yesterday, but unfortunately it feels like it'll suffer from getting here too close to Skyrim, especially since I'm 6 chapters in and not feeling anything for the game.

[Zarkon]

Currently 10 chapters in, and man, I love me some Drake.

[disarm]

I finished tonight and loved it from beginning to end...took me 10:40 because I did stop to take in the fantastic scenery pretty often.  The game is exactly what I expected from the next Uncharted game, with incredible level/setpiece design, an interesting story, and great character acting.  The number of standout fantastic moments far outnumber any complaints I might have, which are surprisingly few.  A lot has been said about the feel of the shooting this time, and while I do think that it has a different feel that made combat a little challenging at first, it didn't take long to adapt and I was having no trouble at all with aiming after a couple hours.  The only other criticism I'll mention is that I did find the ending to be a little anticlimactic.  The story was good, but the final level didn't have the epic sense of scale and intense action that I was expecting based on the earlier parts of the game.  After seeing so many cool things earlier in the game, the final level, while very good, didn't blow me away like a few earlier scenes.  I do like that they didn't go crazy with some 'supernatural' enemy in the late-game this time, and the final boss fight was much better than UC2, but I felt like the ending as a whole just didn't push the envelope like earlier chapters.  Uncharted 3 is still an awesome game and a great addition to the series  

And now a few words about the graphics...

I played through the entirety of UC3 in 3D and it made for an incredible gaming experience.  The graphics and cinematic style of the UC series have always been impressive, but I think they've done something very special with their 3D implementation.  I've been waiting to see someone effectively implement 3D in a game, and I think that UC3 finally proves that it can be done in a way that really benefits the game and adds to the experience.  I think that's largely due to the cinematic approach taken by ND.  Their cutscene style and use of camera angles go a long way toward making 3D work.  They've also managed to make UC3 one of the best looking games I've played despite any sacrifices in level detail or resolution to make 3D run smoothly.  If the game looks even better in 2D, it must be absolutely spectacular.

[gellar]

I finished tonight and loved it from beginning to end...took me 10:40 because I did stop to take in the fantastic scenery pretty often.  The game is exactly what I expected from the next Uncharted game, with incredible level/setpiece design, an interesting story, and great character acting.  The number of standout fantastic moments far outnumber any complaints I might have, which are surprisingly few.  A lot has been said about the feel of the shooting this time, and while I do think that it has a different feel that made combat a little challenging at first, it didn't take long to adapt and I was having no trouble at all with aiming after a couple hours.  The only other criticism I'll mention is that I did find the ending to be a little anticlimactic.  The story was good, but the final level didn't have the epic sense of scale and intense action that I was expecting based on the earlier parts of the game.  After seeing so many cool things earlier in the game, the final level, while very good, didn't blow me away like a few earlier scenes.  I do like that they didn't go crazy with some 'supernatural' enemy in the late-game this time, and the final boss fight was much better than UC2, but I felt like the ending as a whole just didn't push the envelope like earlier chapters.  Uncharted 3 is still an awesome game and a great addition to the series 

Heh... just finished it myself and ditto everything you said.  I got what I expected and it was awesome.  Still my all-time favorite franchise.

[spigot]

Just finished it yesterday. Overall it was a polished, well-paced and beautifully crafted game - another feather in Naughty Dog's cap. However, I still enjoyed U2 better. I can't really explain it, but it felt like something was missing in this 3rd entry. In having you explore the history and evolution of the relationship between Nate and Scully and in delving into the psyche and what drives Nate in being who he is, I felt like some part of the story got lost in that attempt. I actually felt a bit more connected with the characters in the 2nd game - probably because they got more gameplay time with me (as opposed to just cut scene time). U2 was kind of like Raiders and Temple of Doom where you were sharing a buddy adventure with Indy, whereas U3 was like Last Crusade where you felt like the 3rd wheel in Indy and his father's adventure.

Some of the firefights got really tedious and a couple of the chapters just felt like filler, like they needed some story contrivance to shoe-in some new tech or level design they thought would be cool. I found the set pieces in U2 to be more memorable. One of the coolest parts in U2 was recycled here as well (albeit with the addition of some equine assistance). The game needed a couple more chapters. It felt like when you finally got to the end, it all just ended abruptly and anticlimactically.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Uncharted remains one of my favorite game series and I'm excited to see what new IP ND tackles.

[leo8877]

Patch for aiming is coming and it looks like it'll be a toggle for old and new settings:

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/how-smart-uncharted-fans-changed-naughty-dogs-game/3816/

[Bullwinkle]

I finished yesterday, and I think Spigot nailed it pretty well.

Bottom line is that U2 was better and, while this wasn't bad, certainly, it felt like a step back, especially combat-wise.

[spigot]

I was listening to IGN's Uncharted 3 spoilercast the other night and thought it was a pretty good discussion about the story elements, narrative, gameplay, etc.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1213088p1.html