That’s the thing that Naughty Dog’s creative director, Amy Hennig, seems to understand where many of her peers do not – characters feel real when they fit the world they inhabit, they needn’t feel as though they’ve just been plucked from the real world. She’s undeniably comic book-like but, and here’s the genius, like Drake she works because she fits the world. For example, Uncharted 3’s primary antagonist Katherine Marlowe is something of a bizarre cross between Helen Mirren and Anne Robinson in appearance and a she-bitch from hell in terms of personality. Other characters are developed enough to make them seem real, but not so much as to allow them to overshadow the series’ star. Yep, I’ve got myself a bit of a man-crush. He’s strong but gentle, headstrong but intelligent, confident but charming. This helps to define him as one of gaming’s latest (and greatest) videogame heroes and, as we all know, you can’t sell a blockbuster without a strong lead character. More than the previous two games in the series, this is a story about relationships – Nate and his long-time treasure hunting partner Sully, Nate and love-interest Elena, Nate and his ego, Nate and his famous ancestor, and (obviously) between Nate and historical artefacts.Īs you may have guessed, everything revolves around Nate. Like a movie, the core pillars of Nathan ‘Nate’ Drake’s latest adventure are setting, character and plot. Forget Gears 3, forget Call of Duty, even forget Uncharted 2, if you’re looking for something that makes you feel as though you’re playing as the lead character from a summer blockbuster then look no further than Uncharted 3.
Uncharted 3 is the videogame cinematic experience. There hasn’t, however, been a game that nails the cinematic experience so brilliantly that you’d seriously contemplate indulging in it rather than watching an actual movie. There are games that just about manage to resemble a cinematic experience. There are games that try and fail to provide a cinematic experience. Personal justification for what’s about to come over. Much of what you’re about to read comes from a film lover’s perspective, as much as it comes from someone who adores videogames. From trips to the cinema with my parents as a kid, to studying film at university, movies are up there with games as a primary passion. Before I start this review proper, there’s something you should know about me.