Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception [Essentials] - Boxed - PS3

Drake's Deception is the third main instalment in the Uncharted series. For Nathan Drake, an adventurer in the style of Indiana Jones who keeps getting into trouble, a few years have passed. As always, he has his loyal friend and companion Sully in tow. The story takes the player back to Nathan's youth and how he met Sully, when the two were searching for a ring, before returning to the present day. The game immediately introduces a brand-new gameplay element focused on melee combat, consisting of kicks and dodging enemy hits, as well as a combination of the two that can lead to certain special moves, in which Nate can also interact with objects in the environment to finish enemies off. Quick-time events are also used in melee combat to break free or dodge incoming attacks.

The story eventually builds around the search for the legendary lost city of Iram, taking the player through various locations and environments, from the dark streets of England, through a hidden castle in France and a monastery in Syria, to the Rub' al Khali, one of the largest deserts in the world. The gameplay is very similar to the two previous instalments, with plenty of context-sensitive moves and the newly added melee art of unarmed combat. A large part of the game still consists of climbing, acrobatic moves and shooting enemies with two weapon types, which can be swapped for those dropped by dead enemies. The cutscenes now blend much more seamlessly into the actual gameplay. There is now also a slight emphasis on stealth, encouraging the player to use cover and stealth abilities to avoid large fights. As is customary for the series, there are many optional artefacts to collect throughout the adventure, which unlock trophies. At certain points, larger puzzles must be solved by manipulating objects in the environment and consulting clues in Drake's notebook. If the player gets stuck for too long, hints are gradually displayed automatically.

Aside from the story campaign, which is divided into 22 chapters, the game offers a co-operative and a competitive multiplayer mode.

Unlike the original PS3 release, the PS4 version only features the single-player mode, not the multiplayer mode. However, the PS4 version offers a photo mode, allowing you to pause the game and make the current screen look like a photo. More