Opening up the parcel from the courier company and peeling back the box to reveal Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, I was transported back to my childhood mornings around the Christmas tree opening presents. The air suddenly felt alive with expectation and there was a familiarity seeing Nathan’s face looking out at me from the box art. It felt like he was coming home for the holiday like a cousin visiting. With this being the third instalment in the Uncharted series, I certainly feel like I am just getting reacquainted with my close friends of Nathan, Sully, Chloe and Elena.

Welcome home gang!

There is a magical quality to these epic games, but if you try and pin down what makes them so appealing you can destroy them in the process. Is it the signature adventure hunter music thrumming in the background, the richly detailed environments that drop your jaw to the floor or the witty dialogue the carries us along the story so effortlessly?

Probably all of these things and more, but most importantly the passion and care put into the series by the team at Naughty Dog. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is everything we could have hoped for and more. Thank you Naughty Dog for raising the bar yet again whilst retaining the magic of the series. You are truly masters of your art.

Nathan returns with his charming looks, keen sense of humour and half-tuck of course. In Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception we are transported some twenty years into the past to when it all began. Playing as a teenage Nathan you begin to unravel how it all started. Down every ally, through every courtyard and along every rooftop you uncover the meaning behind many of your adventures with Sully. You will come to learn the saying ‘Greatness from small beginnings,’ which is so fitting within the game and for the outstanding success the series has enjoyed.

The story bobs and weaves to create a tapestry that is surprisingly believable, yet I was very nervous about how Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception would end. After being blind sided by the endings in Uncharted and Uncharted 2, I was thrilled with the end to Uncharted 3.

The pace in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is unrelenting, with very few quiet moments to let you sit back and absorb all that has transpired. When these quieter cut-scenes come along, they will sweep you off your feet and do an excellent job of offsetting the constant action. The cinematic feel of Uncharted 3 is incredible and I loved it. It may feel too scripted for those looking for an open-world experience, but to me makes perfect sense in order to keep the pace of the action going and drive the story.

You get the feeling that you are always on the back-foot scrambling to catch-up, with the next goal just in sight. You are never left with the desperate feeling of ’what am I supposed to do now?’ or even worse, wondering what you will miss out on if you go left instead of going right. In other words the designers got the balance just right, keeping you off-balance, with just enough control in your hands whilst you scream forward helter-skelter style.

It is said that variety is the spice of life, and in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception there is no lack of variety. During your epic journey you will travel to bustling cities, hack your way through humid jungles and traverse blistering deserts to mention but a few. Each environment is so loving crafted, down to the most minute of detail, it is a shame few will ‘stop to smell the roses’ with all the running and gunning going on.

Apart from the engrossing atmosphere that is brought to life through the visuals, it would be remiss of me not to mention the music. The music compliments the environments and story sublimely, reaching heart racing crescendos and dipping into soft tones at all the right moments. Truly all the tools used in the most epic of blockbuster movies have been brought to bear upon us lowly gamers and with dramatic effect. To fully experience Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception I suggest you start early one day so you can play it though in one sitting.

You obviously get to do lots of shooting, ducking, rolling and punching as we have come to expect from our intrepid adventurer Drake. There is a suitable mix of pistols, machine guns, shotguns and sniper rifles to cater to everyone’s tastes. You will also have to engage your wits and work out some puzzles along the way to gain access to the next area. I don’t want to spoil the experience for you, so suffice to say you won’t be doing all of this on foot. You’re in for a treat so just enjoy every minute.

Multiplayer became a strong component of the Uncharted series in the second outing, and so continues the legacy in Uncharted 3. You have access to the full range of modes you would expect like Deathmatch and team-based versions through to co-operative campaigns. All take place in the stunning environments from the campaign and have undergone some very rigorous design. You’ll learn quickly how to use the many ledges and shortcuts to your advantage. In particular I was impressed with the way many levels cater for snipers as well as run-and-gun players.

One map in particular even features a sandstorm that arrives during play and drastically reduces visibility resulting in some hair-raising knife fights. The multiplayer aspect is a polished feature that is going to delight players for years to come.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception delivers the whole package: An engaging, deep and enriching singleplayer campaign experience that pulls together the series like no other game I have every played, as well as a killer multiplayer component that is as rich as the singleplayer campaign, offering a mode for everyone’s tastes, including my favourite, the co-operative campaign mode.

Warning: You will be transported into the Uncharted world and should feed all kids and pets before playing, as you may not return for awhile. Please practice responsible gaming with this title.

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