Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

November 2016

Hover mouse over screenshots for commentary.

I just find it funny how video game characters have unlimited energy.

A random glitch towards the end of the game. I like how I respawned by dropping from the sky.

Uncharted 3 was made by Naughty Dog, but technically it was a different group of people that made Uncharted 2 (that group made The Last of Us). It's still a great Uncharted game, but there does seem to be a little less polish and attention to game design than was seen in Uncharted 2. For example, it seems like EVERY ledge that you jump onto breaks beneath your feet. It's okay if it happens now and again, but when it happens literally every time it just seems like the designers thought it was cool and went totally overboard. On the whole, though, the game is great.

Some memorable set pieces include hanging from some cargo netting attached to a flying plane, and being inside of a cruise ship as it begins to sink. In the set piece department, Uncharted 3 definitely doesn't disappoint.

The gameplay is as good as ever, and the story is fairly engaging. I did think the villains were a little vanilla, though. All in all, it's a well made game and if you liked the other Uncharted games then I'm confident you'll find a lot to like with this one.

Drake and Sully looking spiffy for their meeting with an associate.	Walking the London streets.
		Nothing like starting a game with a good old fashioned bar brawl. Actually, this segment acclimatizes you to some new melee moves, but it was a little distracting how many tutorial messages come up.

Drake gets smashed into a toilet, and it seems so gross. Naughty Dog sure know how to make environments.
The ol' toilet tank lid to the face technique.
The most evil villain ever. Just kidding, she's kind of lame.		That kid looks somehow familiar . . .
"It belongs in a museum!"
	Young Nate is trying to spy on Sully.
	The town feels vibrant and lived in, unlike in most games.
	Dem rope physics.



	Classic Sully.

	Ol' Drakey's ring is good for something!


This is a side of France I've never seen . . .		Of course there are bad guys in an abandoned Chateau in the middle of nowhere.
		They make your skin crawl.
Running from the evil bugs.		The baddies light the place on fire in one of the more impressive technical displays on the PS3.



It's really convenient that the mason offset those bricks hundreds of years ago.
This type of gameplay is pretty unique - shooting straight up a wall and hiding behind vertical cover.
		Elena!

	Quite the view.
Uncharted 3 features a few chase sequences. They are pretty good but there is probably one too many.		Take that, hired goon!
These statues are pretty cool. Their faces are carved on a curve such that they always appear to be looking at you/the camera. The next few screenshots have different perspectives but they always look like they're looking at the camera.
Some light puzzling.	This is a really cool puzzle. There are various limbs sticking up all over the place with hundreds of holes in the ground. You have to move a candlestick into one of the holes such that the shadow that's created shows a certain scene from your journal.
		More devil bugs!
	A message from Sir Francis Drake himself. Apparently he wrote in English.
	There is a sequence where Drake appears to be drugged.

You find yourself captured by pirates.	In Uncharted 3 most of the environment is interactive, meaning you can (sort of) pick up object and smash enemies into things.

I thought this was a great environment. The size of the ship graveyard just feels immense. You feel like you need a tetanus shot after playing through it.

	Now that's a wave!	You're on a speedboat and need to take out some enemies before jumping onto a cruise ship.
		Climbing a life raft.
Unlike most games at the time, the boat itself actually moved - most games use technical trickery to get you to think large things are moving. The rain water in this swimming pool sloshes around with the discarded soda bottles and other trash.
It would be horrible if there was an explosion down here an the bottom of the ship . . .	Trying to escape the water from the sinking ship.
Indeed Drake. Indeed.		Climbing down the chandelier in the main ballroom on the cruise ship.
I thought this part was so cool looking. There is a big ball room on the ship with a glass ceiling, and now that the ship is on it's side you get an interesting view out of the window.	Made it down safely! Now everything should be just fine . . .

	Sneaking into an airfield with Elena.
		The plane's gonna take off! Hurry!
It seems unlikely that Drake will catch up.		This whole segment is in real time and it's pretty crazy to play through.
	This guy catches you on the plane and tries to chuck you out the back. The only thing Drake can think of to do is pull that parachute cord behind the enemy.
	Oh man, this would be so scary in real life!
This one image is a pretty good summary of the Uncharted games.		Climbing the cargo net.
	And they still shoot at you!	A hole gets blown in the fuselage and it's clear the plane is going down.
	While falling to your death you try to grab on to some more cargo netting.
Another awesome set piece.	The main advertising shot for the game.
	This part is a bit tedious but it gets across how desperate drake's situation is.
		Dat sky box. . .
		You find an abandoned village but of course there are bad guys there.

	Chasing a convoy on horseback.
	There's the convoy!
		Blowing apart a motorcycle.
You need to jump onto some of the trucks, and apparently your horse is extremely well trained because you can jump off of the trucks and back onto the horse.
	Yikes.	A city perpetually hidden by a sand storm.

	Water water everywhere so let's all have a drink!	Huh?

Where . . . ?	?

Pretty cool cave system.
	Blind-fire will work in a pinch.	Quicksand.
And of course the whole city starts to collapse at one point.		Smacking this stupid jerk face.


	wipes tear