Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

This game is incredibly polished, the characters are fully realized, the action is second to none, and the set pieces are like nothing you've ever seen before. It is the epitome of cinematic gameplay.

I went into Uncharted 3 with extremely high expectations and these expectations were met and succeeded. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of my favorite games of all time and while Uncharted 3 doesn't change as much as Uncharted 2 did from the original it definitely adds a huge amount of refinements and polish.

The animations of Nathan Drake as he merely walks through an area are insanely lifelike. He'll touch the walls as he gets close, look around, wipe sweat from his brow, and basically react to everything around him in a very realistic way. It is a sight to behold and these small touches are what Naughty Dog really excells at. It is the small things that usually go unnoticed that make this game a completely immersive and absorbing experience.

The story is really great too. It is set up like an old actioin adventure movie and follows great story structure. It borrows heavily from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in what may be my favorite moment in a videogame ever. There are constant plot twists and many of the set pieces are perfectly placed within the story.

I have come to love the characters in this series. Nathan Drake is a modern day wisecracking Indiana Jones and Elena is the perfect love interest. The chemistry these characters have is unmatched in videogames and that comes from the excellent acting produced by the motion capture team. The new additions to the cast are all great and the villians are perfectly sinister.

All in all I can't recommend this game enough. If the shear beauty of the game doesn't catch you it will be the amazing acting and perfect set pieces.