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Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #23/Blog a Day #8

Hello everyone, how are you?

First-party console exclusive games are some of the biggest and best games out there. These games tend to represent said company and also showing you what the console is all about. Nintendo has Mario and Zelda. Microsoft has Halo and Forza. Playstation likes to mix it up with each console generation. PS1 had Crash while PS2 had numerous like Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, and others I may be forgetting. If there is one series that has come to represent the PS3 in my opinion, its the Uncharted series. And today we will be looking at the last Uncharted game that released on the PS3 with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

                                           This series has really good music

I remember it was 2011 and I had a new PS3 that was a few months old. I got recommended games to try and I remember getting Uncharted recommended. I was told to skip 1 and try 2, but I stuck to a rule that I'll mention in a later post. I eventually played those 2 games and right on time since Uncharted 3 was set to release later that year.

A multiplayer beta for Uncharted 3 was released and I remember a number of friends got into it. It was so damn fun, that was definitely a summer to remember. Eventually the game released but I couldn't get my copy at launch since I stupidly pre-ordered the collector's edition and the Gamestop I was getting from from had their shipment delayed. I had to wait an extra day and had to play catch-up since everyone had a head start. But how was the game?

Everyone's favorite wisecracking fortune hunter Nathan Drake is back, along with his mentor and friend, Victor Sullivan. This time they're both searching for something, which is more like unfinished business from from many years ago. But along the way they find more than what they bargained for...

 

                   There are areas where you can just stop and admire the scenery

If you have played any Uncharted game in the past, then you know what to expect. The gameplay here is really good. It feels a bit more polished, like the fighting and the stealth. The animations look a bit better as well. But I think the combat pacing took a step back here. It feels kinda like back in Uncharted 1 when they just threw in waves and waves of enemies and here they introduce new enemy types that are pure bullet sponges.

The dialogue between Drake and the characters that tag along with him is really great and well written. A lot of it had me laughing. What I really loved was the dynamic between both Nate and Sully, I really loved seeing those two together on this adventure. One thing I liked is how they first met, that was pretty cool and I liked how the game dived more deeper into their relationship. Sully has always been a father figure to Drake in a way and I really liked how they explored that more.

The environtments are really well detailed and really beautiful and the set pieces are really amazing. There are some that are great during the first time but not so much on your second or third playthough and whatnot. The desert, and the sand in general however, is still some of the best I have ever seen in any game and it still holds up well. It even looks great on PS4 as well. Props to Naughty Dog on that.

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" Well your options are PS3 and PS4. On PS3 you'd get the original release. But the best way to play it is on PS4 as part of the Nathan Drake Collection. Not only do you get UC3, but also Uncharted 1 and 2 and all 3 games have been remastered. With the collection you get the games running at 1080p and at 60fps. These remasters make these games look great especially Uncharted 3. The only thing you won't be getting is the online multiplayer that was in both Uncharted 2 and 3, but it really doesn't matter since the servers have been shut down for the original PS3 release of those games.

                              The sand here is still the best I've see in a game

Final Thoughts: Uncharted 3 is a really great game. Do I like it as much as Uncharted 2? No. Is that a bad thing? Of course not. The game has issues though. There are many characters who, while great had wasted potential. We got no real backstory on some of them and some characters, both new and old were pretty much just there. There is also some filler in there and the game had some pacing issues, especially at the start. That and plot inconsistencies that make no sense. Overall, it does feel like a rethread of Uncharted 2, but not as good.

Uncharted 2 was met with universal acclaim, everyone loved it. I did as well. It was such a huge leap from the very first game. Thing is with games, especially in Uncharted's case, it's hard to make a follow-up that is as good if not better that its predecessor. When it comes to movies or games, it's hard tell whether a sequel will be better than the previous film or game. There are many factors in play though, like is the story any better? What about the pacing? Did the gameplay improve? Those are just some of the many factors that you have to take into consideration. Thing is Uncharted 3 really didn't add anything new to the series.

It sounds like the game might be bad, but that's far from it. The game great, but not as great as Uncharted 2. So try the game out and see for yourself. I will say the multiplayer was fun and one thing I remember is when a few of my friends and I played online one night and we got into a match with Lady Gaga. Whether it was the real Lady Gaga or not I have no idea but I like to think it was. Nothing but shouting her name into a mic and it was hilarious. It's stuff like that that I will always remember and make this worth it for me in the end. And to me those memories and the fun I had make it all worth it. The game even allowed a second player on the same system to sign in, so it was probably the only PS3 game that I know that allows you to play the online features with someone in the same room. I remember my brothers would co-op with me during some online missions. That was really fun too. More games should do that.

 "Hi Drake here. When I'm not fortune hunting, I'm eating my favorite food" *not a sponsor*

Sometimes there are days that we aren't at our best like we were in the past, be it a few days, or weeks or whatever ago. But that's okay, it isn't the end of the world. This just serves as an experience so we can bounce back the next day or next time and try our best. Our best days are ahead of us.

Well that's all for this one, the next one is coming to us from a briefing from the International Contract Agency and we need our chicken costume to blend in to take out our target. Thanks for reading and remember...

 

 

*All images except the last one were taken by my PS4 and my copy of the game*