jamielove
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It’s fair to say that the 2007 release of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune benefited from a shortened list of titles to see release during the initial launch of the PlayStation 3, having occurred a year earlier in 2006. Subsequent hardware bundling made it likely that a majority of PS3 owners were familiar with the IP, creating plenty of reason for a sequel.
It isn’t my intention to take away from Drake’s Fortune with that opinion, rather to slip toward the idea that Naughty Dog wasn’t content to simply repeat the performance, instead challenged to offer more with the 2009 sequel, Among Thieves - a game that won over critics and gamers alike with its narrative nuances and expanded online game modes.
The relevance here is that Uncharted 3 is a game less eager to push the envelope in that same way. Instead, the interest is to avoid straying far from previous accomplishments and praise. There’s a want to say that this latest entry is “more of the same”, and why not? More of that brand of same certainly serves as more than enough to satisfy those invested in the franchise to date. But that isn’t entirely the case, and Uncharted 3 does seek to refine the formula, to make smoother and slicker transitions between cinematic narrative and the more bullet concerned gameplay at the core.
Nathan Drake’s latest adventure continues in the tradition of cliffhanger cinema, presenting an ever rising series of action sequences that finds players leaping across exploding boats on stormy seas, chasing convoys through canyons on horseback, and finding lost ruins to inspire poets and collapse during crucial moments in the most spectacular fashion possible. Uncharted 3 continues to create moments meant to make players feel awe-struck, but also personally invested in guiding the hero toward overcoming the continually impossible odds presented.
Uncharted 3 also strives to overcome the idea that the player is simply a passenger more often than an active participant in that pursuit. The criticism most often thrown at the series is that the player is largely removed from the equation in order to maintain a linear narrative direction – the idea that the player risks getting in the way of Naughty Dog’s finely timed film. Confined direction isn’t my particular cup of tea, but it's hard to fault the game when that is its shtick, and when Naughty Dog uses that tightened playing field to craft the action sequences they do. Besides, the team has made noticeable effort to give control back to the player, even if it is sometimes simple actions the player performs before triggering another cinematic sequence.
But there are frustrating times where Naughty Dog has intense expectations on the player with a very single-minded direction. The team often directs me without my immediate realization, with moments where I’m nearly certain I’ve made a mistake only to find myself rewarded with a sudden turn of events and yet more cinematic trickery.
And then there are also times I watched Nathan die a thousand times over as I struggled to find the right path, particularly through an early flashback sequence where an escape run has a very direct route, and straying from it breaks the pace of the action with death, replay, and more death. There's nothing more upsetting then when the flow of Uncharted is disrupted. The game suddenly becomes the Dragon’s Lair of its day, and in my weaker moments I want to pull my hair out trying to deduce what Naughty Dog expects of me.
There is no real solution, no signal flare that can blend into the environment and naturally direct every player equally every time, at least not one here, where an answer to that fundamental problem still eludes the developer. And yet this is something fans of the series have accepted in exchange for narrative depth, and will continue to forgive with this latest release.
Uncharted has long garnered praise for the overall aim of its narrative, and particularly for characters that separate the series from other games, largely owing to their ability to emote - to say as much with words not spoken as those lines delivered between characters during cinematic sequences and within the game proper. The aim is in convincing a certain level of humanity through writing that does more than simply react to the action driven gameplay.
This continues in Uncharted 3, though the overall direction of the story is troubled for trying to bring some resolution to characters obligated by genre to continually set off for more adventures. The end result is mixed, offering nostalgic warmth with the story of how Nathan and Sully became partners, counter-balanced by a typically light tale of English villains chasing an abstract power at the center of Sir Francis Drake’s most guarded secret – the entire affair concluding with a swirling vortex that can swallow events to force an ending, but does little to offer any real sense of resolution or justification beyond adventure for adventure’s sake.
The puzzle-solving elements suffer a familiar simplicity, with ancient mysteries requiring players to either check a notebook offering the bulk of the solution, or use a codex that essentially shaves the challenge down to pressing X to solve a puzzle. This isn’t exclusive to Uncharted, with other recent releases such as Arkham City as guilty of simplifying puzzle solving elements in order to ensure the player is never intolerably stuck. But it’s curious that Naughty Dog is so concerned that the game quickly offers to solve puzzles, and yet the developer risks so many other bottleneck situations with chase sequences and key gunfights that can quickly dissolve into frustration.
Playing with guns in Uncharted 3 remains a loose affair that focuses more on mobility and speed rather than grace and finesse. The variety of weapons and environments offer plenty of choice, presenting battlegrounds that never play out quite the same way for the amount of options and terrain available – though some tight rooms and frustrating deaths are unavoidable. Memorable battles owe plenty to the outright aggression of enemies, who utilize cover and the full arsenal of weapons on hand, but will also run up and eagerly slap Drake in the face before unloading bullets into his chest at point blank range. But it is possible to continually switch between strategies, using cover to carefully pick off enemies, and/or running and gunning opponents with heavy short range weapons.
Of course Drake can engage enemies in fisticuffs, which relies on button prompts, again not entirely unlike Arkham City, but certainly lacking the same smooth combo style and efficiency that makes those particular battles a dance. Drake’s fighting style is as loose and dirty as the gunplay, and best reserved for moments where picking a fight doesn’t leave one vulnerable to bullets from other adversaries not polite enough to wait their turn.
Stealth is an ideal alternative and opportunity to offer players even more choice, but is entirely undermined and undervalued within the game. If one enemy spots you, all enemies spot you, and suddenly possess the ability to know where you are forever after. It's also the case that your supporting cast members will continually blow your cover by waltzing out into the line of sight while you work to stay concealed.
But I do love the situations that arise at times, even when I’m hesitant to enter a room that has grenade launchers on the floor, a clear signal that the fight ahead will be merciless. Enemy aggression encourages speed, reflex, and fast thinking – and every so often shooting an enemy at just the right time causes them to drop a live grenade, and the moment is a joyous one. That reminds me, this is the most grenade happy game in existence, and while players can often throw them back in time, this is yet another reason Nathan is encouraged to move from cover and frequently adapt strategy.
Guns and grenades lay the foundation for an increasingly robust suite of online multiplayer features, that range from team and all out death matches, to more objective based options like treasure hunting. Additional co-op based story missions can be played online or locally, providing yet another insurance policy for longevity, and a natural fit for the episodic nature of Nathan’s lifestyle and profession.
Naughty Dog could do more with the series, and the formula is showing some age. But if my expectations are high for the series, it’s only to Naughty Dog’s credit for having raised the stakes with their previous effort. For all the nagging and nitpicking, Uncharted 3 delivers the same level of incredibly detailed set pieces the developer is known for, along with multiplayer options that help justify the purchase for those eager to chart the globe all over again.
For more information on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, check out the product page on futureshop.ca.
