Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – Retrospective

In the final of the three PS3 Uncharted games, I’ll be reviewing the third instalment of the series, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. You most likely get the idea so far if you’ve read my look back at the previous two games in the Uncharted series, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, so nonetheless let’s just jump right into it.

Story –

In terms of story, Uncharted 3 is one of the poorer ones. Despite the game taking you to a variety of locations, it starts off slow and is hindered by the sluggish pace that this game insists on maintaining for large portions of the story. The story takes incredibly long to become satisfying, with nothing outside of the final three chapters being of note. However, that being said, it does end on a good note with the three main characters walking off together.

By the point the story had become worth taking an interest in however, I had already played through hours of tedious boredom and was just waiting for it to end.

Game-Play –

Along with the story, the game-play is arguably worse than previous entries too, with there being seemingly more climbing sections than ever, along with more shuffling along ledges and other time-wasting activities than the previous two games combined.

However, the movement and gun-play is arguably as tight as it has ever been on the flip-side, that still isn’t saying much, but it isn’t as clunky and loose feeling as the original game for example.

Visuals and Graphics –

The improvements in this department is clearer than ever. The characters have brilliant facial details for 2011 and the environments can be large, sprawling and at times can provide a real sense of adventure and awe, specifically the section where you are hanging out of the back of a plane, which brought me back to my favourite section of the second game, the train-section. This is where the third game shines generally, with the sense of adventure in the second-half of the game rising and the visuals really shining as a result.

Conclusion –

Although shorter than my previous two reviews, that is mainly down to my lack of ability to really form any sort of impression regarding Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. This game, despite being the most visually impressive, is the most empty experience of the first three Uncharted games in my opinion, and falls far from the experience I had with the sequel.

Final Rating – 6.5/10

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune – Retrospective

Personally, I never really *got* the hype or praise around the Uncharted series. My only experience with the franchise prior to 2020 was playing the beginning of the second Uncharted game back in 2009. It is safe to say I wasn’t all too clued up regarding where my opinions were based from. However, this is the first of several retrospective reviews of the Uncharted series, in which I’ll play through and give my thoughts on each game. Nonetheless, there is no more obvious place to start than with the first game of the series, so let’s begin.

Story –

One thing I always felt was in question regarding Uncharted was the premise and story? I never felt intrigued or gripped enough by the concept of the series to really warrant trying it.

Regardless, Uncharted 1 is based upon the introduction to characters such as Nathan Drake, Victor Sullivan and Elena Fisher. In this first game, the quest is to obtain the treasure of Francis Drake before the villain, Gabriel Roman and Navarro. However, by the end of the game, something more evil and sinister is discovered as mutated humans run rampant before Nathan Drake and co. take on Navarro on a shipping unit.

This story is decent, and is paced quite well, however, it really is nothing special. It does a good job at introducing characters that are likeable, however beyond that they are nothing stellar nor are they characters that create distinct moments and personality traits that stand out to the player.

Game-Play –

In terms of game-play, Uncharted is a rollercoaster. The movement of the general game is slow paced and sluggish, which is especially highlighted through tedious puzzles and incredibly monotonous and generic climbing sections that will become a consistent complaint by me through my reviews of these games.

Elsewhere, the gun-play is the most enjoyable aspect of these games. It feels good and enjoyable, however the aiming does feel lightweight and difficult to remain precise sometimes. Essentially, Uncharted thrives in its moments of action, and falters in every thing else, which in comparison to the moments of action, are left to feel like nothing but filler.

Visuals and Graphics –

Visually, for 2007, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is quite good. However, when playing in the modern day it is hard to avoid the fact that it has aged. This is even apparent when playing via the remaster Nathan Drake Collection on PS4, which is how I experienced these first three titles. The menus, hints and more all feel representative of their time, which is understandable but still noticeable nonetheless.

(Source: UNILAD)

Uncharted’s Legacy –

Obviously with this game being the beginning of one of Playstation’s most well-known characters and series, I feel that Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune does gain some brownie points in retrospect as a result of birthing one of the most popular game series ever. As well as this, it sort of birthed a style of gameplay that a lot of first-party Sony titles follow in the modern days, with The Last of Us and God of War. However, it’s legacy has aged with the game, and this first game is obviously not the ideal experience regardless.

(Source: GameTrailers)

Conclusion –

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a game that is captivating enough to have maintained my interest to the end, however there is so many boring elements and down-time that could have been better, even for their time. The story-telling and characters could have been a lot better too, with it not being something that left me on the edge of my seat desperate to find out more. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune thrives with its action sections, and that is what is mainly allowed me to maintain my interest until the very end despite all my annoyances with this game. Ultimately, my rating might seem low, but I am rating it upon what I experienced in the modern day, not what was experienced by players in 2007, with added bonus points for what it represents as the original title.

Final Rating: 6.5/10