Well I finally finished the game, unless the game play time is wrong or something but I cant believe it only took me 6hrs 30 mins with 49 mins just standing still...Very Easy seemed less challenging then it was in Uncharted 2, only difficult section was
mobs in the desert chapter of the ghost town
. I liked the games method for the ending that is
No Final Boss, just a final escape, which was mindblowing
Well I finally finished the game, unless the game play time is wrong or something but I cant believe it only took me 6hrs 30 mins with 49 mins just standing still...Very Easy seemed less challenging then it was in Uncharted 2, only difficult section was
mobs in the desert chapter of the ghost town
. I liked the games method for the ending that is
No Final Boss, just a final escape, which was mindblowing
Beat the game. Took about six hours (I feel like that is 2 hours shorter than Uncharted 2).
Things I love:
The game is beautiful.
The music is more melodic than the first, or I noticed it more.
Environments are substantially better than Assassin's Creed 2.
I liked the reasoning they gave for the enemy shift near the end of the game. I thought it was clever and nicely done.
I loved the "007" nod. I was thinking in my head "they can't ignore that, it looks just like 007!"
Things I didn't like:
The main antagonist (Helen Mirren) is very forgettable. I never understood her motives, she never stood out in a scene (except for being the direct inspiration of Helen Mirren), and was a substantial downgrade from the main antagonist in Uncharted 2.
The environments and set pieces felt like a downgrade as well. I didn't like the ending environments in the desert (even though the vistas were pretty). That, and the market areas seemed kind of odd with the people in them. Nothing matches the Nepal town/tank sequence in this game, nor the train (plane comes close).
While I liked the reason for the enemy change near the end, I did not like the
"psyche out" they pulled to a certain character
.
I don't like how certain characters disappear for the rest of the game.
I don't like the color palette for the game. It seemed much more muted than Uncharted 2.
I think
kid Drake
was wasted and lent nothing to the overall story, motivation, and character backgrounds. It felt completely shoehorned and irrelevant.
In fact, there's no emotional anchor in this game for me, especially compared to Uncharted 2.
Personally, it seems like a set back from Uncharted 2. Some of the set pieces felt like modified retreads of Uncharted 2's, but not as grandiose nor surprising. The writing didn't impress me as much, and, regarding gameplay, I felt lost in a lot of the free running segments. Most of my deaths (50-ish in total) came from an early section of the game when running away from people because I didn't know where to go and I felt there was no indication on what to do. Also, I I experienced some strange glitching in the game. Near the very end, you need to ride a wheel up to the top of a tower, and I clipped through the floor and had to jump in place, through the floor, for about 3 minutes until Nathan finally clipped fully though the floor.
To end on a happy note, I do think all of the character acting was much improved.
Almost completely agreed. I'm a little disappointed, even though Uncharted 3 is an amazing game. Simply because I expected this to be on par with Uncharted 2 in terms of story, but the story/plot/development was really kind of weak compared to before.... This made it easier to notice the other flaws in the game, instead of just being dazzled by setpieces. I felt the setpieces were better than Uncharted 2, and the combat system was better (besides aiming), but overall, Uncharted 2 executed its target experience better.
Still love the game though, and I find multiplayer to be a blast.
I hate to say this, but Eurogamer 8/10 possibly justified. I previously said something along the lines of "when a game comes this close to perfection you have to come up with silly reasons to criticize it". I suppose I spoke to soon, thinking Uncharted 3 would just be everything I loved about Uncharted 2, but in a new setting with new setpieces. But they took a misstep in a few things this time that I had originally expected them to have down. The characters and story were kind of underutilized (at least to its potential)....and not as urgent, loveable and exciting as before, the aiming feels a little weird, the pacing slips up in some places like
the wandering in the desert
, and the game is definitely more restricting linear-wise than I've ever felt before in the series, in some parts. These things make the experience slightly disappointing, because I expected it to be the next revolution in the series, like how Uncharted 2 was for Uncharted 1. Instead, it feels like it goes a few steps forward, and a few steps back, ultimately remaining stagnant in growth although doing somethings better and somethings worse.
Still an epic part of my gaming library, however, and don't let my impressions sour your experience. The Uncharted series holds a dear place in my gaming memories, and this a worthy cap to a trilogy, but had it just fixed a few key things, it would have been unstoppable greatness.
I think that Talbot could fit this mold if ND decides that he survived the shot and the fall into quicksand. He has a lot of potential as a character, with his nature to fuck with people's heads and his theatrical tastes. Plus, I like how Robin Atkin-Downes plays him.
Wow, so I decided to check out the multiplayer. I'm told to enter my Online Pass code, so I do, and after being recognized as a code for the UC3 Online Pass, it tells me it's either the wrong code or invalid. I made sure it's the right number and everything, and I tried entering it from the XMB, but the same results. So basically, I bought new yet I'm locked out of half the game. Fuck.
I'd actually hate if they did that. He was a one note character, a toady for Helen Mirren, and if he magically survived off screen, it'd be lame as hell, even with their great writing talent.
If anything, I think I'd complain if they suddenly introduced him in the fourth game. Where would such a character have been all this time? If anything, I hate the whole "trilogy" aspect of games. ND could do a cool 2 game arc with such a character where he pops up in the first, lives, and comes back full force in the sequel.
Well, this series isn't a trilogy, Henning has said it's more like an episodic thing than a straight out trilogy. So there will probably be more games, and like Indiana Jones, each will have a different villain.
I just liked the nature of these villains that rely on fear and
hallucinations/trip-outs to mess with their enemies. Their end-game is a bit simple, but I liked them more than Roman/Navarro/Lazarovich.
If you think about it a little, (spoilers!)
Marlowe and Talbot mirror the Sully/Nate relationship in a way. Near the end, all Talbot is concerned about is protecting Marlowe like Drake is obsessed with saving Sully, crossing the desert and fighting off a small army to do so.
Lightning said:
That would be lame as hell. It would be the Uncharted Albert Wesker... which would be retarded.
The marriage isn't failed. They were both wearing their wedding rings at the end of the game and show clear feelings for each other. Nate also shows signs of what matters most to him. He left all 3 games with the greatest treasure of all in Elena but yet he doesn't realize it until now with his (swapped it for something better) means hopefully he will put this silly Drake stuff behind him
The marriage isn't failed. They were both wearing their wedding rings at the end of the game and show clear feelings for each other. Nate also shows signs of what matters most to him. He left all 3 games with the greatest treasure of all in Elena but yet he doesn't realize it until now with his (swapped it for something better) means hopefully he will put this silly Drake stuff behind him
when in the hell did Elena and Drake get married? I feel like I'm oblivious to something. I've played all 3 games and never once did I notice a marriage.
Well, this series isn't a trilogy, Henning has said it's more like an episodic thing than a straight out trilogy. So there will probably be more games, and like Indiana Jones, each will have a different villain.
I just liked the nature of these villains that rely on fear and
hallucinations/trip-outs to mess with their enemies. Their end-game is a bit simple, but I liked them more than Roman/Navarro/Lazarovich.
If you think about it a little, (spoilers!)
Marlowe and Talbot mirror the Sully/Nate relationship in a way. Near the end, all Talbot is concerned about is protecting Marlowe like Drake is obsessed with saving Sully, crossing the desert and fighting off a small army to do so.
I certainly agree with you on the idea behind the Marlowe/Talbot relationship, but I feel it failed in their execution. Basically, they didn't exploit it enough. Just like the
failed marriage/engagement
of Drake would have been an interesting idea if they focused on it rather than having one heartfelt scene in the hotel and one shoehorned seen in the end. Also, wasn't it implied in the
kid Nathan
scenes that Scully and Marlowe were
more than friends
but that never developed as well.
Instead, the emotional weight of the story was between Scully and Nathan, but it was never challenged, or deepened (unless you count the brief and contrived flashback as "deep"), and as a result, it just festered like an open wound. There needed to be some conflict with the central characters, and I felt there wasn't really much of anything...
when in the hell did Elena and Drake get married? I feel like I'm oblivious to something. I've played all 3 games and never once did I notice a marriage.
when in the hell did Elena and Drake get married? I feel like I'm oblivious to something. I've played all 3 games and never once did I notice a marriage.
Must have happened between Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3. They were very close to each other at the end of Uncharted 2 with Nate clearly choosing he wanted to be with Elena and Chloe did urge Nate to tell Elena how he truly felt about her. Obviously at some point he did.
Beat the game. Took about six hours (I feel like that is 2 hours shorter than Uncharted 2).
Things I love:
The game is beautiful.
The music is more melodic than the first, or I noticed it more.
Environments are substantially better than Assassin's Creed 2.
I liked the reasoning they gave for the enemy shift near the end of the game. I thought it was clever and nicely done.
I loved the "007" nod. I was thinking in my head "they can't ignore that, it looks just like 007!"
Things I didn't like:
The main antagonist (Helen Mirren) is very forgettable. I never understood her motives, she never stood out in a scene (except for being the direct inspiration of Helen Mirren), and was a substantial downgrade from the main antagonist in Uncharted 2.
The environments and set pieces felt like a downgrade as well. I didn't like the ending environments in the desert (even though the vistas were pretty). That, and the market areas seemed kind of odd with the people in them. Nothing matches the Nepal town/tank sequence in this game, nor the train (plane comes close).
While I liked the reason for the enemy change near the end, I did not like the
"psyche out" they pulled to a certain character
.
I don't like how certain characters disappear for the rest of the game.
I don't like the color palette for the game. It seemed much more muted than Uncharted 2.
I think
kid Drake
was wasted and lent nothing to the overall story, motivation, and character backgrounds. It felt completely shoehorned and irrelevant.
In fact, there's no emotional anchor in this game for me, especially compared to Uncharted 2.
Personally, it seems like a set back from Uncharted 2. Some of the set pieces felt like modified retreads of Uncharted 2's, but not as grandiose nor surprising. The writing didn't impress me as much, and, regarding gameplay, I felt lost in a lot of the free running segments. Most of my deaths (50-ish in total) came from an early section of the game when running away from people because I didn't know where to go and I felt there was no indication on what to do. Also, I I experienced some strange glitching in the game. Near the very end, you need to ride a wheel up to the top of a tower, and I clipped through the floor and had to jump in place, through the floor, for about 3 minutes until Nathan finally clipped fully though the floor.
To end on a happy note, I do think all of the character acting was much improved.
have to say that i pretty much agree with you - i beat it today and felt the same way. weird because in the last parts of the game, it was glitching up (my guns kept becoming shiny/unshiny like a treasure does, etc), and i did experience the aiming issue. glad to see its getting fixed.
i also agree with the lamp and how eurogamers 8/10 review is justified. i was basically about to write out what he said, but he worded it a lot better. its a pretty fun game dont get me wrong, and its one of the best on the ps3 and in this generation, but i personally set the standards too high and boarded the hype train way too much for this one.
Uncharted 4 (which will hopefully happen on PS4 after a new ip) needs to take place in China and/or Japan. Those places have some mind-blowingly beautiful scenery and architecture that I would love to see Naughty Dog's artists portray in the game.
Also, just played some multiplayer and co-op. I got up to level 11. Multiplayer is much better than I was expecting after the impressions here, but I would still like the mobility while sprinting reduced like it was in the summer beta. That's the biggest change that needs to happen, I think. Still really fun though, and I'm doing pretty good so far (went 12 kills 4 deaths in my last match).
Co-op adventure is awesome and intense too. Failed at the Monestary level because the people I was playing with were dumbasses and kept trying to run up and melee armored guys. I beat the Borneo level on normal though, despite one guy who kept dying, lol.
I'm definitely going to be playing both co-op and multi a lot more (at least until Skyrim hits next week).
I honestly cannot disagree with you more. I thought there was a lot of nuance and subtlety in their conversations that made their bond seem quite strong. At the airport he basically begs her not to follow him cause he wants her to stay safe, how is that being an asshole who doesn't give a shit? The scene where he comes into the hotel to find Elena was also powerful to me, showing a deep connection between them that doesn't need to be expressed in dialogue. Why the fuck do they need some reward? Do you need to be rewarded for loving the people in your life or do you just love them in spite of who they are?
Sully questions Drake's motives, Drake blows him off. Chloe tells him to stop, he blows her off. Elena tells him to stop, yet Drake blows her off - she gives a whole speech about it in that one tomb. She even asks him to stop for Sully, because Sully will follow Drake to the end - yet he brushes that off and Sully gets captured. What is his driving force for most of the game? The hunt, nothing more and he doesn't stop to consider anyone else until Sully gets captured.
Then he suddenly 'cares' about Elena and tells her to stop following at the airport. Wait a minute, didn't she get blown up by a goddamn grenade in the last game and nearly die? You'd think that would have been enough to not involve her at all in this right? Yet he uses her to sneak illegally into the country, fight hordes of soldiers, and break into a secured airport. Deep connection? From my understanding, he walked away from her to go treasure hunting in the first place. Oh and you completely misinterpreted my point about the reward, that's not what I meant at all.
My ultimate point is that Drake does not change, and that's why I'm disappointed. If the next "great treasure hunt" comes along (i.e. UC4), he'll walk away from Elena again and drag Sully along. That final scene/speech from Sully was unconvincing to me because of Drake's aforementioned behavior.
Ugh, just shut the game off in chapter 20. I think the game has been significantly worse since 16 on, I have no idea what happened to the combat design but it's not fun, and it has been non stop. I think the last puzzle was in...chapter 11 or 12?
The main antagonist (Helen Mirren) is very forgettable. I never understood her motives, she never stood out in a scene (except for being the direct inspiration of Helen Mirren), and was a substantial downgrade from the main antagonist in Uncharted 2.
Completely agree with all your points, especially story.
Marlowe felt really underutilized. She and Talbot were absent for so long (Chapters 11-21) that I just didn't really care anymore. We didn't learn much backstory about Cutter, and he disappears with Chloe in Chapter 9 never to return. Chloe was in just three chapters and unimportant to the plot, felt like she was just a tag-along for fan service. Elena was only in the game for three chapters as well.
Uncharted 2 did a better job at keeping the characters involved in the story.
Most of all, I miss all the fun and witty banter between characters, that's what made the series stand apart for me and sadly it's lacking here. In Uncharted 2, Chloe and Drake would constantly joke and flirt with each other (complementing her ass when she climbed a ladder for example). Now it's all serious and just dry dialogue for the most part - barking orders to each other and discussing how to solve puzzles. All the charm is gone. It doesn't help that for the vast majority of the second half
Drake is entirely on his own with no one to converse with
which is so odd/frustrating because it seemed like the four of them would be in the game together for a long time, or that chole/cutter would return in the game to get their 'revenge' or something
Another compliment: With Cutter, I'm glad they didn't
make him some double agent. I was dreading they'd do some cross/double cross stuff that they did with Chole in U2. I just wish we saw more of him, considering that there was a little smarts to the man that we found out at the Pillars section
which is so odd/frustrating because it seemed like the four of them would be in the game together for a long time, or that chole/cutter would return in the game to get their 'revenge' or something
And kinda sad, since I enjoyed the Nate/Charlie/Chloe/Sully parts in Syria. Charlie/Cutter was an awesome character. If only Salim was a bit more involved in the desert parts. He was a pretty cool character also, just a bit underused.
Marlowe is the modern day Queen Elizabeth. Talbot is John Dee.
There might not have been explicit motive given for the characters. But I mean, its kinda obvious by their demeanor, they wanted to rule society, just like Elizabeth wanted to. Marlowe felt like she had a divine right to rule. She looked down upon 'street urchins' like N. Drake.
And N. Drake was F. Drake, ruining her evil plans. I really liked the parallelism in the story.
But yeah, I certainly agree they were left out of the story for too long. Would have been awesome if the game at least had a cut scene of them interrogating Sully or something.
The cutscene with you showing up at Elanas door, the conversation that goes on was one of the most real I've ever seen take place in a game. You can just feel this bond between them that any other game would have to make obvious through cheezy dialogue. But this game, with how well done the writing is and the character animations and interactions with eachother; you just feel it like you should.
Im just speechless as this game. Pure F'in Perfection.
There are some specific camera shots that ND used in those chapters that made me say "Holy Shit" out loud. I don't normally ever do that. (Referring to chapters 12-15)
Pacing is perfect. Encounters and arenas are better built and require more moving. Wonky aiming aside (which will be fixed soon thanks to GAF) I like this better than UC2 which was amazing too.
There's nothing revolutionary about UC3. The presentation (graphics/sound/acting) might be off the charts (lol), but mechanically, there's nothing really standout here. It's good but not "omg new industry standard good".
Yes, the combat design is absolute amateur hour. The fact that the pacing in the entire second half has been ALL combat isn't helping things. I couldn't put UC2 down until I nearly finished it in a single play session, in 3 I have to take breaks because of the repetition kicking in. And me wanting to kill someone because these enemies are so annoying to fight.
Yes, the combat design is absolute amateur hour. The fact that the pacing in the entire second half has been ALL combat isn't helping things. I couldn't put UC2 down until I nearly finished it in a single play session, in 3 I have to take breaks because of the repetition kicking in. And me wanting to kill someone because these enemies are so annoying to fight.
i absolutely love what they've done with the coop in this. Full of in-jokes, heavily relying on teammates, and hard as nails (even on Hard). That ending of the Syria level is ridiculous. The treasure drops are terrible though, as I'm constanty getting duplicates.
I can't really enjoy co-op because there are no headshots. I really want an explanation from Arne on why they were removed.
It's like they did it as a lazy way of making Hard/Crushing more difficult.
Overall, Co-op is not as good as in U2 because of: no headshots; no stacking kickbacks; bad encounter design; enemies spawning behind you; and too many armored guys with 1 or 2 Brutes behind them.
Adventure is slightly better than Arena though, because you don't have the terrible Siege placements where you have to stay in a 20x20 area and take out an army of armored guys...
Surprised people are getting frustrated. Played on Hard and there was nothing stupidly difficult. Died quite a few times at certain points but nothing controller throwing like.
Surprised people are getting frustrated. Played on Hard and there was nothing stupidly difficult. Died quite a few times at certain points but nothing controller throwing like.
I think that Talbot could fit this mold if ND decides that he survived the shot and the fall into quicksand. He has a lot of potential as a character, with his nature to fuck with people's heads and his theatrical tastes. Plus, I like how Robin Atkin-Downes plays him.
No no no no, please no more Talbot, he ran his course,
I was actually hoping Marlowe had survived and stay as a potential main villain in the series sorta like Drake's Joker there was so much potential in her character and i felt that she didn't get enough screen time, enough backstory..
It would have been great for that secret brotherhood to be back again.
The Xtortionist said:
There's nothing revolutionary about UC3. The presentation (graphics/sound/acting) might be off the charts (lol), but mechanically, there's nothing really standout here. It's good but not "omg new industry standard good".
I don't know man, nobody in the industry comes close to this series when it comes to set pieces. So yea I'd say chapter 14-16 is new industry standard set piece wise.
Had a great MP session with some Gaffers, gibration, NeoUltima and princeakuma etc. played for an hour and zero losses, lol. From lvl 1-9 just like that. Thanks dudes.
Finally finished the game today-about 7 1/2 hours(kept dying over and over in the desert)
good-
-Stunning Graphics
-Great score
-Best voice acting in any game
-Plane level is the most awesome level in video game history
-Pacing is perfect
-Best use of 3D so far. Small loss of image quality and resolution. Everything has tons of depth. Very little crosstalk
poor-
-Lame ending for such an amazing adventure
-Childhood drake doesn't add much
Over all its GOTY for me. Not as good as Uncharted 2, but still a masterpiece on so many levels.
hate to say this, but Eurogamer 8/10 possibly justified. I previously said something along the lines of "when a game comes this close to perfection you have to come up with silly reasons to criticize it". I suppose I spoke to soon, thinking Uncharted 3 would just be everything I loved about Uncharted 2, but in a new setting with new setpieces.
Well it is always best to actually play the game through first rather than throwing blind faith at a reviewers criticism - if you do that you'll look a Wally at some point.
Finished the game today - enjoyed it but didn't have the same effect as Uncharted 2. Glorious in 3D
Finally finished the game today-about 7 1/2 hours(kept dying over and over...)
Over all its GOTY for me. Not as good as Uncharted 2, but still a masterpiece on so many levels.
