Another year, another flock of November games. Wanting to get in the big sales and not be left behind at the starting block by franchises such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 and Elder Scrolls Skyrim, (reviews up soon for both aforementioned games) Naughty Dog released Uncharted 3 on the 1st of November making it the an attractive prospect to spend all that hard earned cash on. If you are reading because you want the game this and still have some November money left you will in no way be disappointed by this evolution of the third person wall climbing smash hit.

Nothing screams exciting and classy like a good old east end bar fight, am I right? Of course I am, Uncharted puts you punching a load of “geezers” within 2 seconds of starting and it only goes uphill, can you believe. With not only a fantastic premise and plot but also the constant action, interrupted only by cutscenes of such quality that we haven’t seen since Metal Gear Solid 4 and a bucketful of showing off the mechanic which almost defines Uncharted: climbing. If you placed the previous 2 Uncharted games in front of me and asked me to find 1 thing different in climbing I honestly couldn’t because they nailed it first time round.

That’s not the only thing they got right and decided to include again, a lot of the missions are concepts from the previous games revisited with some extra jazz and story added. You won’t really care though because it’s perfect. From the stunning views to being able to see every last grain of sand like its there in front of you it is so sublime.

The old cast of Nate, Sully, Chloe and Elena are right in there all the way for the singleplayer which may have only taken 7 hours to complete, though some characters are more prominent and get more camera time than others. As per norm there is another new sidekick arrival to the franchise in the shape of cockney hard nut Cutter (played by Graham McTavish who has appeared in hits such as Lost, NCIS and Prison Break as well as voicing Uncharted 2‘s antagonist Lazarevic). Cutter deserves instant thumbs up for really bringing out some amusing and witty dialogue, even better than in previous games.

Twists and turns in the story manages to keep it varied and not predictable like the last 2 but some things could get rather tedious very quickly but it manages to not dwell on those points which could and really switching it up differently in the enemy terms towards the end, unlike Uncharted 1 & 2 which did exactly the same thing making you have to go through an ordeal of shooting clips into them before they would finally topple, so much that they felt like mini-bosses.

A perfect inclusion at the start was some flashback chapters about our protagonist when he was younger, as well as how he came into league with Sully and introducing a new power crazed antagonist, Catherine Marlowe. Flashbacks in a video game? How original I hear you sigh ever so sarcastically. An origins story? That hasn’t been done before in entertainment. Well although it’s focuses are old hat tricks used by pretty much every form of storytelling entertainment it really does work, giving you an insight on why and when Nathan Drake ended up on such a stray path as he is and also a shocking revelation that may be used in the Uncharteds to come.

The flawlessness may not continue into the multiplayer section (excluding the co-op) because Uncharted isn’t a shooter prepared for that league but it certainly gives some more longevity to the game. Obviously balanced and well though out you can’t complain that it’s not been planned but the maps feel like somebody will always be ready to shoot me square in the back, though that does significantly reduce any “campers” thinking this is still Call of Duty because you shoot a gun. If I die it feels fair and it doesn’t take 2 shots with an assault rifle to kill me. The gargantuan amount of health you get separates this from any other multiplayer and leaves a surprisingly unique experience which only it’s grittier, Xbox 360-ier competitor Gears of War 3 can match.

The returning co-op mode from Uncharted 2 is much in the same style, with an arena mode for the 3 people who want to take on the world of AI, mindlessly killing them all on your multiplayer maps or a story mode for those that want to relive those singleplayer moments with a couple of mates. Though there are only a few co-op story missions they are all insane amounts of fun and I highly recommend you check them out.

I just can’t find a word to sum up this game. Fun is an understatement. Spectacular and emotional rollercoaster describe parts but fails to see the bigger picture. Maybe legendary would do. Years from now we will be old people, talking to our grandkids and telling them “In my day we didn’t have games where you felt exactly like you were really in them. But there was this one. Back in the days of 360 and PS3. It was damn close to feeling I was right there, next to a plethora of my best friends. Sometimes I was. It was the best game I ever played. It was Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception.

10/10

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