This game has received many positive reviews, and to me it is the best in the entire trilogy, and it has even surpassed Tomb Raider in my list of favorite games. This game features new hand-to-hand combat gameplay that reminds me almost in the style of Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain, and also awesome new moves and stealth attacks on enemies, including the return of a multiplayer experience that came in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
Plot. Nathan "Nate" Drake and Victor Sullivan enter a pub to meet with a man named Talbot, who is interested in purchasing Drake's ring. But they are fooled with false money from their customer and a brawl ensues, which ends up in an alleyway encountering Charlie Cutter, Talbot's cohort and Katherine Marlowe, who steals Drake's ring after shooting both Sully and Drake. But this was a set up by all three as Cutter is a friend of theirs, and a new adventure begins, traveling throughout places such as Rub al Khali desert, in search of the lost city the Iram of the Pillars which is described in the Quran. Chloe Frazier and even Nate's estranged wife, Elena Fisher also become part of this adventure.
Multiplayer. Uncharted 3 includes a separate multiplayer component with network play, featuring competitive and cooperative modes of play. The beta features several customization options, such as different character skins, clown masks, ability boosters, skill medals to attain, and a progressive ranking system. Uncharted 3 will introduce free-for-all modes such as standard deathmatch, character model and weapon modification, and dynamic environmental 'events' within multiplayer maps, similar to the set pieces from the game's campaign - such as a hostile plane flying above shooting all players it catches in its crossfire.
Concept. Players are controlling Nathan Drake once again, and the main character continues his adventures learning about the clues of his "ancestor" Sir Francis Drake. They fight against thugs, mercenaries, and even against Syrian pirates as well. The story takes them from London, to Syria, and the Rub al Khali desert in search for the lost city known as the Iram of the Pillars. Players can play in Multiplayer mode in order to take a break from campaign, and fight against friends, family, and even gamers from around the globe.
Design. According to Arne Meyer, Drake's Deception is created like a Hollywood action film with the voice acting, motion capture, music, and more. The graphics are very much improved since Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, using an evolved version of the same engine they have used in the previous games, making this one a great game. Graphics were very superior to Among Thieves, and it was like watching an awesome movie.
Sound and Music. Voice actors from the previous games reprise their roles as their respective characters once again. Rosalind Ayres provides the voice and motion capture of the main antagonist, Katherine Marlowe. Ayres is known for her role in the 1997 James Cameron film, Titanic. Robin Atkin Downes who provided the voice of Lazarevic and Tenzin returns once again, and this time voicing Talbot. The music continues to be as great as it was in the previous games, this time adding a more Middle Eastern feel to it. American Teen star, Billy Unger provides the voice and likeness of a Young Drake.
Rantings. Even the greatest games have things to rant about in many aspects. I had much of an anger towards fighting the heavily armored thugs as it was no picnic to take them down, and it was worse when outnumbered and outgunned. Also, this one was shorter than the previous title, and it should have been longer. Plus, some characters deserved bigger roles as they did in the previous games.
Good Aspects. Gameplay, graphics, music, and storyline truly define the greatness of the Uncharted series. The game's replay value is very high and it is a must have. Frankly I'm not into Tomb Raider as I was anymore, because now I am more into the Uncharted saga. Amy Hennig is a genius for creating such a masterpiece. This game was also featured in the Sony PlayStation Network reality series, The Tester, on it's third season.
Overall. Uncharted 3 is the best of the series, this game gets a 10 out of 10.
God Bless and Play Hard Gamers!