I have been thinking of writing about Uncharted 3 since it came out in November. I was never very impressed with Uncharted 1 and knew nothing about Uncharted 2 when it came out. I played Uncharted 2 with no expectation but it is now one of my favourite games of all time. When Uncharted 3 came out I was wary that my expectations were very high and I wanted to wait until I felt I could separate what I thought of the game from those expectations. It is an extremely rich game and while every aspect of it could be analysed in depth, there is one sequence which encapsulates most of my feelings about Uncharted 3.
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Cruisin’ for a Bruisin
Chapter 14 is perfectly executed. Its beautiful, atmospheric, has incredible action set pieces, and has the most dynamic and exciting game environment ever. Even with my very basic understanding of how video games are made it is an absolute marvel. The technical skill required is awesome. The cruise ship sails on a living ocean with massive swells and dark stormy weather. All the environments move with a perfect pitch and yaw down to the smallest detail. The water sloshes in the swimming pool and the chandeliers throw dancing shadows in the ballroom. Naughty Dog create this perfectly immersive environment and, as the action escalates, they destroy it perfectly also. From the moment the ship starts to sink the environment seamlessly changes around you. Water rushes in and the ship rolls onto its side but you fight on regardless. Your movement is never restricted and your interaction is never altered. Naughty Dog have left them selves no room to hide, no loading screens, no cut scenes. As a result you are never taken out of the game, the suspension of disbelief if complete and the action is as it should be, relentless. The cruise ship is a worthy successor to the train in Uncharted 2. It takes an environment and explores it in every way possible. It explores it to destruction.
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A Train to Catch
The difference in Uncharted 2 is how the sequence sits in the plot. The train journey is used as a narrative device extremely effectively and provides a backbone for the story, taking the characters a significant distance to their intended destination. The story sees the protagonists ascending from the foothills up into the mountains and as they get higher, the action, peril and emotions are also heightened. Boarding the train increases the pace of the narrative but also sets them on a course that, once decided, cannot be altered. As the train speeds towards its destination, Drake travels to its front, everything in constant forward motion. The plot is advancing towards its ultimate resolution in Shambhala and Drake is advancing to his immediate goal of regaining the key to Shambhala and rescuing Chloe. It’s a classic pulp adventure location and all this combined gives the plot considerable pace.
After fighting tooth and nail to the front of the train Drake retains the key but when he finds Chloe she is uncooperative if not disloyal. Flynn then adds to his initial betrayal by shooting Drake, who is forced to destroy the train to avoid being killed by advancing soldiers. When the train is derailed so is Drake’s journey, the pace which had been built up is dissipated and the sense of adventure is replaced with feelings of despair. This rest in the action proves a turning point, Drake decides to give up and only through his friendship with Elena, he is convinced he should carry on. This train journey and its derailment is a really important part in the plot both literally and figuratively.
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It’s this synergy between game and story elements which make Uncharted 2 a seminal game. The cruise ship hits all the right buttons in terms of action and environment but doesn’t serve the story. The pirates who capture drake seem to exist solely as an excuse to get Drake on the ship. The cruise ship works as a sequence but you could take it out of the game, and it wouldn’t affect the story. The sense of desperation in searching for Sully is shown equally as well in the plane crash and desert sequence. In Uncharted 2 the train wreck provided a key high point in the story. Having two such events in Uncharted 3 diminishes their importance.
The episodic nature of the story also causes other problems. Characters appear only for sections of the game and don’t have time to expand their own plot strands. Interaction between characters is confined to a few key scenes. Amy Hennig squeezes so much into these moments that they have real gravity and emotion but I cant help think that the story hasn’t been given enough room to breathe. Uncharted 3 is still far and away the best game I have played this year. The individual sequences the game is made up of are breathtaking and the multiplayer is extremely accomplished.
Naughty Dog have said they produce the action set pieces first, and then Amy Hennig fits them into a story, I wonder if this method may need a little tweaking. If the balance isn’t right you lose the ability to make the player care about what is happening and no amount action can make up for that. Climbing the wreckage in Uncharted 2 will stay with me forever because it got that balance just right. The story and gameplay elements working in perfect unison. Uncharted 3 is a fantastic game but its flaws show why Uncharted 2 is one of the best games of all time.
