There
are numerous examples throughout media (regardless book, film, game,
etc.) where the sequel is better than the original, and in the case
of the Uncharted series the idea rang true, again.
Naughty Dog addressing the gaps apparent in the first game and taking
advantage of the opportunity to make the second better, Among Thieves was a noticeable improvement over Drake’s Fortune.
Both were pulp action titles in line with Indiana Jones,
Lethal Weapon, Tomb Raider, and any number of other
world-circling, numinous-object-finding, buddy-buddy-joke-telling,
gun fighting adventures. But the latter took major steps to tighten
gameplay mechanics, expand storytelling, and create less simple
puzzles. What then, are the ways Uncharted 3: Drake’s
Deception, sequel to Among Thieves, expands on the
franchise?
Having
now played the game, I would answer: not many—which is not by
default a bad thing. Drake’s Deception is an extremely
similar experience to Among Thieves. The storyline is
completely different, but in broad terms does not move far from the
Uncharted formula, i.e. there is a quest to find a magical place, bad
guy wants to get to magical place before Drake, friendly banter,
light romance, yada yada. But at the detail level, player
participation is enhanced (what might have been cut scenes in Among
Thieves become one-time events in Drake’s Deception),
not to mention that the story experience is driven by different
locations and objects. Instead of a quest for Tibetan Shangri-la,
Drake seeks an Arabic Shangri-la called Ubar. Getting there takes
him through Columbia, London, France, and Syria, and (natch) a
variety of gunfights and shootouts, which are, after all, the
Uncharted series’ bread and butter.
Another
thing Uncharted 3 attempts to do through storytelling is add
depth to Drake’s character. His backstory, even some playable
moments with Drake as a 12-year old boy, and added scenes with Elena
try to make something more of the man who has thus far been little
more than a wisecracking, mass-murderer fitting a saccharine
action/comedy formula. The success of Drake’s character
development depends on perspective, and for money he remains
something from a comic book, his character not enhanced enough by the
chances to render him empathetic. In short, cinematics and bombastic
gameplay continue to be the engine driving the game.
When
comparing Drake’s Deception to the other two Uncharted
titles, there is little comparison to be made with Drake’s
Fortune save the similarities at the most basic level: gameplay,
plotting, etc. Otherwise, Uncharted 3 is the superior
product. Comparing to Uncharted 2, however, things get
interesting. From a mechanics, graphics, and gameplay perspective, I
think it’s fair to say Naughty Dog improved, slightly. But in
terms of story and pacing, improvement is more subjective. Where
Uncharted 2 escalated steadily through puzzles and shootouts,
Uncharted 3 takes a few more side trips, all of which are
intended to be interesting—to embed the player deeper in the game,
character, or to act as a wild, unpredicted side trip. But not
everyone may perceive it that way. There are a few non-puzzle,
non-shootout scenes that make gameplay more dynamic, but at the
expense of pacing, potentially. It’s possible that for some
players the switch in gameplay may actually slow down, or worse,
derail the experience. Walking through the desert and being drugged
in the bazaar come to mind as lengthy scenes that don’t really add
anything to the story, and only to some limited degree give the
player the feeling they are thirsting desperately or hallucinating.
These scenes and a few others may have been better as cut scenes than
interactive scenes.
From
a puzzle perspective, I think Uncharted 3 is on par with
Uncharted 2, if not a hair better. From a combat perspective,
the same approach returns to duck-and-cover gunfights, rendering the
two the almost exactly the same. The only difference is that
Uncharted 3 forces the player to get involved in more fist
fights, including the classic opening scene. Some of these fist
fights feel organic to story, while others are a bit more drawn out
and perhaps spurious.
In
the end, Uncharted 3 delivers an extremely similar product to
Uncharted 2, meaning those who liked the sequel will like the
sequel to the sequel. The storyline naturally different, the player
nevertheless takes part in the same action/adventure full of
treasures and gunfights that is everything a Hollywood blockbuster
starring Tom Cruise or Jean Claude Van Damn is (or was). Overall I
would say Among Thieves is slightly better for having a more
cohesive story and in general being the more streamlined product, but
I’m certain there are gamers who would prefer Drake’s
Deception for their own nuanced reasons. The open question
remains, however: what can Naughty Dog do to take the next step—to
improve the series in significant fashion with Uncharted 4: A
Thief’s End as they did between the first two Uncharted titles?
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