Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3 feels like a step forward and a step back, so to speak. The net effect is that it's in the same neighborhood as Uncharted 2 -- which is a pretty good place to be in. For my money, though, it falls slightly short of its predecessor, for not playing quite as well to the franchise's strengths.
The controls and mechanics are slightly more polished this time around, although still not enough for the later-game encounters to feel like anything other than unfair. Encounter balance remains elusive -- I don't care how much armor someone is wearing, a shotgun blast from six feet should ruin him. And when I have to work my way through three waves of enemies before the next checkpoint, when each wave consists of two snipers, two heavies, and a grenade launcher, that's just cruel. At any rate, it's, eh, slightly better than in the previous game.
The step backward, though, is that there aren't as many standout "Uncharted" moments. The sinking ocean liner sequence is pretty great, but it's not really as memorable as The Train Scene from the second game. And none of the puzzles in Drake's Deception can measure up to the elaborate mechanisms in Tibet. It's still an exhilirating, thrill-a-minute ride, but even though I just finished it this evening, my memories of Among Thieves are more vivid.
While the differences between Uncharted 2 and 3 aren't necessarily drastic, they're most illustrated in the games' endings. Uncharted 3 doesn't have a ridiculous, over-extended boss fight like its forebears did; but it also doesn't have as much narrative resolution, as the main villains and conflict just sort of fade away.
Uncharted 3 makes iterative improvements in the series' gameplay mechanics (and in graphics, naturally), and still has all the great characterization and banter that makes the franchise a joy to play through. And the gameplay improvements do bode well for Naughty Dog's next project. But if I had to choose my favorite travel destination, I gotta go with Shambhala.
Better than: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Not as good as: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
The new villains are a little disappointing: but new partner-in-crime Charlie Cutter is just a delight
Progress: Finished on Normal