When I reviewed Uncharted 2  I had only praise to give it. It was a big step in the right direction for the series and for story telling in games in general. It redefined the term “cinematic game experience” and wowed gamers with stunning visuals, excellent writing and brilliant voice acting that brought the cast of characters to life. However, Uncharted 3 is here and we here at 8bitbot have played it and loved it, for the most part… Hit the jump to read our review.

After what seemed like an eternity avoiding almost all videos and previews for the game as much as I could, I finally had my chance to sit down and enjoy the third and possibly last chapter of the Uncharted series.

The story starts off in a pub in London where Drake and Sully get involved in a deal gone bad with a man, known only as Talbot. Things get out of hand quickly and the duo has to fight their way out of the pub only to meet Talbot’s boss and the game’s antagonist, Katherine Marlow outside. The two are outnumbered by their thugs and Marlow takes Drake’s precious ring and leaves the two lying in the gutter.

Drake, Sully and new comer Charlie Cutter meet up with Chloe as they set off to retrieve the ring and discover that the secret behind Marlow’s motivations. As it turns out they are part of a secret order dating back centuries and are looking for the ancient lost city of Ubar, also know as the Atlantis of the sands, where the story inevitably takes them.

There are some wonderful moments and one chapter in specific which you will really not expect. However, as a whole the story felt somewhat weaker than its predecessors, which is a shame. Another gripe I had was that apart from Sully, the supporting cast also played significantly less important roles than before. That, and the exclusion of some detail to the story which is just left up to the player to decide, made the conclusion feel somewhat lazy.

The writing on the other hand is as stellar as always and there are some genuinely funny moments here. The inclusion of Charlie Cutter to the cast, a character that wouldn’t seem entirely out of place in a Guy Richie movie, brings a welcome breath of fresh air to their usual banter.

Exotic locations have become a staple of the series and Uncharted 3 doesn’t disappoint. As Drake and his entourage chase and get chased by the Marlow and her goons they visit interesting locals, from the streets of Columbia to the jungles of France, a ship graveyard as well as the deserts of Arabia. The variety of the locations and excellent pacing succeeds in keeping the player entertained throughout the 8 to 10 hours of the campaign.

As you can expect from an Uncharted game there’s also a ton of gameplay variety. It throws in a good mix of melee and stealth sections, fierce gunfights with a dose of puzzle solving. It did seem as if there were a lot more chase scenes this time around, some better than other. It does bring a brief change of pace from time to time and in the end fits perfectly within the scope of the game. The combat sections are challenging enough to make consider your choice of weapons carefully, and positioning and moving yourself in and out of cover is as important as ever.

There was a big step up in the visual quality between the 1^st and 2^nd Uncharted game, and now Naughty Dog have pushed the limits of what they can do with their engine even further. Facial animation look more real, shadows and light reflections look amazing and the game has the most realistic representation of sand and water that I’ve seen in any game. Drake also reacts more realistically to his environment, touching the wall as he moves close by, fumbling over a piece of furniture on a deck of a swaying ship and looking around in a manner that makes him seem more life-like than before.

The sheer artistic talent in their team is apparent in each new area you explore.  Some scenes will absolutely blow you away and just trying to think about how Naughty Dog accomplished some of the things it has done in the game will make you feel dizzy.

The game is not without its faults of course. While I enjoyed the pacing of the story there’s definitely more disconnect feeling between the areas of the game. The geographical progression seems much less gradual as it was in the 2^nd game.

I also encountered a few bugs. The biggest one being during a scene close to the end where a group of horsemen ride up to save Drake from a particularly sticky situation, only to get stuck on their way. The cutscene doesn’t activate and it leaves the horses running in place. Only after I have restarted my PS3 did the issue resolve itself. These kinds of almost game-breaking bugs feel a little uncharacteristic of Naughty Dog, whose games are usually extremely polished, and completely broke the immersion they’ve built up to that point.

While I truly enjoyed my time with Uncharted 3, I was left a little disappointed. This could partly be my fault as I had very high expectations for it, but also because Naughty Dog raised the bar so high with its second game. While some moments left me in awe, inconsistencies and disconnect I had with the story left me feeling quite frustrated.

Uncharted 3 is definitely worth your money though. Don’t get me wrong, the game is great, even excellent and as a whole the series deserves its spot as the crown of the Playstation brand. As a complete package (there’s also a ton of the usual multiplayer content) it’s definitely worth every penny. A better cinematic experience you will not find easily and even if you don’t intend on playing online, there are tons of treasures to collect and difficulty levels to play through. Fans of the series won’t be left regretting their purchase.