Naughty Dog’s latest work on the much loved Uncharted franchise was one of the most critically successful games of 2011, not to mention the immense for a console exclusive. While Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception blew us away with its characters, story telling, graphics, sound and pretty much every technical aspect, it did let a lot of fans, myself included, down in a few major ways.
Be warned, this article contains spoilers.
1. Unforgivable Plot Holes
When it comes to games, you really must suspend your disbelief to enjoy them. If you want a treasure simulator, you’re not going to be playing Uncharted. While I love explosions and crazy stuff as much as the next guy, Uncharted 3 really pushed it too far. For example, after Drake gets washed out to sea, the screen fades to black and Nate wakes up on a beach and literally says “How convenient.” Damn right. No explanation necessary, apparently. Drake would be dead if that really happened, but Naughty Dog clearly couldn’t be bothered thinking of an excuse here, so they just left it out.
Another massive plot hole was in chapter 10, “Historical Research.” Nate, Elena and Sully need to flee a market after causing a marker brawl. They just so happen to walk into the exact room, randomly, to escape, turn around and go “Oh, we have arrived.” This makes no sense and is just there to make the game move forward. While I understand not devoting hours to looking for one door, they need to at least explain how that could happen.
If you don’t remember that scene, check it out;
And don’t even get me started on Talbot surviving getting shot in the chest.
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30 Comments
I agree with the points you made – U3 had so much potential but is no match for Among thieves particularly in story and character development. I kept thinking what was the history between Marlowe and Sully? It seemed like there was more to there past relationship but nothing ever came of it, Chloe was pointless to the plot, and that throwaway line of Nate growing up in an Orphanage and basically adopting the Drake name? That seems to be a pretty important detail to just mention in passing and move on like it never happened.
Yeah, the detail about Nate’s heritage was like a half done idea. I hope U4 picks it up, if there is a U4.
Take cover, mate.
From the bullets or the trolls?
Well, Uncharted fanboys. I wouldn’t rule out bullets though. All it takes is one nutter.
May i start by saying that Uncharted 3 was my favourite game and have alot of respect for Naughty Dog. My first issues with your so called complaints is the “Plotholes” since when did these plotholes affact the game or even the story, perhaps Naughty Dog wanted to leave these areas blank for future games. “Poor Marketing”…really? this is the most obscured comment I’ve ever seen, my you do over exaggerate, every game trailer reveals spoiler or major parts within their games sso your point is invalid ( Sony put there highest marketing budget into this game, please do your research). All I’ve seen in you shamble of a poor article is nit-pick, you obviously loose sleep at night over these so called issues. Justify your comment next time with solid evidence and not aload of rubbish that makes no sence, but then again thats expected from Aus.
May i start by saying that Uncharted 3 was my favourite game and have alot of respect for Naughty Dog. My first issues with your so called complaints is the “Plotholes” since when did these plotholes affact the game or even the story, perhaps Naughty Dog wanted to leave these areas blank for future games. “Poor Marketing”…really? this is the most obscured comment I’ve ever seen, my you do over exaggerate, every game trailer reveals spoiler or major parts within their games sso your point is invalid ( Sony put there highest marketing budget into this game, please do your research). All I’ve seen in you shamble of a poor article is nit-pick, you obviously loose sleep at night over these so called issues. Justify your comment next time with solid evidence and not aload of rubbish that makes no sence, but then again thats expected from Aus
You’re very articulate, aren’t you?
Obviously, all trailers have spoilers. You can’t tell, however, if they’re out of context. Having Nate hang from the plane like at the end of the E3 trailer is a good idea. It TEASES the section. However, a 7 minute demo is a full blown spoiler. We knew Nate would get lost, then we see him hanging over the desert. “Sso” any person could put two and two together and figure out what happened months before the game comes out.
Talbot’s dead mate, there’s a plot hole they won’t be putting in future games. If this doesn’t make “sence” to you, I’m sorry.
I did my research, I played the game. I’m not the only one with these opinions, Google any of these issues and heaps of boards posts about it.
But I guess unjustified opinions are “expected from Aus”…
sorry the game looks perfect to me, besides one thing removing infinity ammo and other thing like one shot kill.
Looks perfect? Have you played it or not?
Also, I should have mentioned the removal of the bonuses, that sucked royally.
Your site is always quick to scream plot holes, just like about 15 prometheus articles ive read here, but i’m not sure you all understand what the term really means…a plot hole is an area of story that makes the viewer take a huge leap….youve made it sound here like there are numerous plot holes, but have only named 2 instances that aren’t actually plot holes….what else do we need to know to understand how they came upon the area they needed to be in? They stumbled upon it, regardless of whether or not you feel it’s cheap, thats called a plot device, not a plot hole…Same with the beach scene, the liner was heading towards that very beach, not like it just happened to end up there, and how much pf a stretch is it to believe that they were close enough to their destination for nate to end up there of the oceans own volition? Last i checked waves head towards the beach, not away from it, sp its not like his unconcious body swam upstream….also, having a story centered around drake is not a mistake, imo its a good decision for a series that hadnt really explored its main character at length….i loved the game, not as much as 2, and one of my main reasons which i felt shouldve been listed here, is the lack of more diverse environments….this installment focused more on the action than the adventure, exploring the tombs & environments was my favorite aspect of this series, and this had less of that….more constructive criticism like that imo would’ve made this article better, definitely more than the old trusty “plot holes” you guys seem to mention for everything….Everyone has a right to their opinions, your writing is fine, but to me this seems like an extraneous article just posted for hits…..in fact this site has many of those, it seems like every time I read some controversial tag line on n4g, 9 times out of 10, it’s from what culture…….so in my 3 things I hate about your website, that would be number one…..that said, I’ve also seen some good & thought provoking articles such as the recent top 20 list on breaking bad….you guys should stick more towards that, if you all are gonna only produce top 10 lists (I know, that’s what typically gets the most hits), at least make them somewhat constructive
How is a valid criticism not constructive?
And don’t tell me Talbot surviving Cutter’s chest shot is a plot “device.”
i guess it’s ‘constructive’ in the most basic terms, because you have constructed something, it’s just kind’ve regurgitated at this point, the whole ‘plot hole’ thing, and factors like bad marketing are comments you could point towards any number of games, if you were doing a piece on why most modern games let you down, it would be very constructive, but it just doesn’t explain much beyond your own bad personal experience, if you didn’t want to be spoiled, don’t watch the demos & walkthroughs released prior to the game, problem solved. To me a more constructive complaint would be leveled towards things specific to this game, i.e. the plot, mechanics, and gameplay….i’m not trying to single you out or anything, it’s a problem with most journalism pertaining to media in general today when you are paid based on page hits, first crafting a headline and then writing an article to go along with it, instead of the other way around…too many journalists in this day & age are content to just level the same broad conflicts with any type of media, instead of getting to the brass tacks of the actual game itself, i don’t know if it’s out of laziness or general malaise towards these types of articles….Also, Plot devices are used in just about everything, save the most intelligent products being made, i.e. a show like breaking bad, where everything is built towards an outcome & nothing is extraneous…but those devices don’t ruin a game or a story like a true plot hole would…i’m personally just tired of people not having the ability to reserve what you talked about at the beginning of your article, a suspension of disbelief, to understand that these are the events of the story, and as long as everyone is able to follow the story, they shouldn’t even be mentioned, and probably wouldn’t be if people had the ability to read between the lines & understand the subtext of some of these things. If you generally think the story is poorly imagined or has bad dialogue, those are relevant complaints, but reaching for some fallacies that aren’t there is banal and pointless…..If you understand the context of Cutter shooting Talbot, you will also know that Cutter is drugged at this point, and just like we saw Sully being shot center mass, the actual hit was more than likely a hallucination. Even if it wasn’t, all chest shots aren’t fatal, and it’s really down to the caliber of the bullet, and whether or not Talbot was wearing a bulletproof vest….in fact only a center shot would be instantly fatal, and one thing i’m sure of is that Talbot & crew never played solo, it’s not that much of a stretch to think that someone could survive a chest wound with the proper medical care…..your second argument about underused characters is pretty sound, especially if you are writing an article based solely on your own experience with the game & what you gleaned from it, but the title of the game is Drake’s Deception, so it’s pretty safe to say going in that Drake will be the main heart of the story, people come & go in these games & in real life, and while it is still a valid argument on your part, i enjoyed that the story was mainly centered on Drake personally. I’m not trying to single you out or anything, and like i said you’re a fine writer, but the tropes of a lot of these articles are tired and we need more original and thought provoking content if we want these things to be taken seriously.
“Nate wakes up on a beach and literally says “How convenient.” Damn right. No explanation necessary, apparently.”
not really…what about the movie Cast Away…when people are washed in sea doesn’t meant they won’t survive
But he seemingly just appeared on the beach, unconscious. If he was knocked out, his hands would have loosened their grip on the plank he was holding and he would have sunk.
I really had no problems with any of these. UC3 story was about the relentionship between Nate and Sully and it was presented well, everything else was secondary. The ship-graveyard and the boat were some of the most unique and impressive level design I have seen this gen and everything was built around physics, quite the showcase of the processing capabilities of the PS3. When was the last time a game has done something like this?
The gunplay, the weapon’s feel, the graphics, the set-pieces, the locations were much better than UC2. UC2 just had a slightly more entertaining story because of the love triangle and maybe the pace which was a bit more active from the beginning but nothing else.
Oh, the grave yards….
I hated that bit so much. I hate ugly art, so naturally I was turned off. But aside from that, it just went on forever and then you got nothing out of it. The physics were impressive, no doubt.
I just resent the whole section of the game. Uncharted keeps using OP enemies to increase difficulty. These days, there are so many better ways of doing this. Uneven advantages in terms of positioning, varied enemy behaviour and low ammo all work better than over powered AI.
I felt bringing the shooting mechanics back down to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune’s level was also disappointing.
I agree totally with the story not making any sense at all, but you only scratched the surface with plot holes.
The last two comments are the same exact reasons I was let down by Batman! Bane was hardly seen in the second half of the film. The plane scene, the football scene, the police getting trapped underground, Gotham being isolated (bridges exploding), the stock exchange being under attack, Bane “killing” batman and the flying bat thingy were all shown in the trailer which is about half of the good bits of the film! Sorry for ranting about Batman on an Uncharted post but the let downs for two similar blockbusters are quite amusing. Regardless of what I said, it was still an awesome movie, the same way Uncharted 3 is still an awesome game
I think putting Bane and Catwoman in was too much, neither got enough screen time.
Charlie Cutter and Chloe were meant to be in the whole game, however when Graham Mctavish procured his role in the Hobbit as Dwalin the Dwarf, Amy Hennig had to cut his stuff out and rush to film as many scenes they could. Nolan North explained all this in his book, which obviously the author of this article hasn’t read.
I agree. I’ll even go as far as saying it is the worst game in the trilogy. Overhype and underdeliver by Sony and many people fell for it as U2 was very good.
That seems to be the general consensus on the internet.
Love the way Ryan just attacks anyone who disagrees with him. Yes! You are right, you are amazing! Is that what you want to hear? In UC1 did you complain that Nate and Sully talked about situations that were never elaborated on? Like talking about Panama? Or is that acceptable but for some reason not acceptable in UC3?
Personally I think you need to chill and just play games to enjoy them, the game was enjoyable and points like, “OMG he washed up a beach when he should’ve died, WTF?!” are retarded, it’d be a great game if UC3 ended there with Nate dying wouldn’t it… /s. After reading this maybe you should read a book or something, maybe games just aren’t for you.
Firstly, I never played the first one.
Secondly, for a game so reliant on story, the story needs to be mostly flawless. Little things here and there are fine, but major holes can break a game. You wouldn’t play MW3 for the masterful story, so the story is not an important developer priority.
I also noticed many of the glaring plot-holes in Uncharted 3, and it definitely does not top Uncharted 2.
The Chapter 10 thing? I get the feeling they knew where they needed to be, as Elena specifically states “through here”. Maybe to hide, but didn’t Sully and Nate go to meet Elena at that country? It’s possible that she knew of the area, having scouted it before-hand, but was asking “What specifically are we looking for”, as in a door within the specified area.
Talbot getting shot in the chest. The writer of the game came out and explained that. She said that the organisation Talbot and Marlowe are part of use deception and parlor tricks to get others to think they are immortal (Think Batman Begins’ League of Shadows). She then suggested that Talbot could have used a bullet-proof vest and escape wire; ultimately he wants to be shot so that people think “How do we beat this guy, he’s magic”. She said this was suggested by Talbot using drugs to convince others he had mind control abilities, and using cards to somehow fortell a persons fate (which he himself instigates).
The underused characters was a concious thing, apparently. They wanted to show that Nate’s passion was driving away all the people that supported him (Cutter, Chloe), and if he continued with his crusade he would die alone like so many of the explorers did. This is thematically show with Drake’s ring, which he doesn’t save at the end. This is replaced by a new ring, a blank wedding ring, that he gives to Elena. Together they will make their own history. The boat section was a part decided before the games story was written, and therefore Ramses and that entire section do not fit in the overall plot, and are therefore rid off as soon as possible.
And marketing always contains spoilers, it is the hope of a developer that they can suprise you despite that. In an ideal world a developer would control all the marketing, but sales come first. Therefore the marketing department have some tough choices; do they spoil most of the first half of the game, or do they show parts from the second half that could spoil some of the trailer’s cliffhangers. Uncharted 2 done it much better. The spiralling train segment had me chuckle when I saw how they dealt with it, after spending much time throughout the segment thinking about how it could be resolved.
Anyway, this article was a pleasure to read.
There are tons of interesting points, but it is very difficult to top a game like Uncharted 2.
Story, characters and marketing? Looks like somebody is playing video games for all the wrong reasons.
I have to totally disagree with you. The game is so much fun to play and the levels are so well thought out with an awesome story and breathtaking set pieces, non of the issues you point out matter.
This is one expertly crafted video game and to knock it simply because they didn’t explain how he washed up on shore, does it a great disservice. I play so many games and very few make me go WOW and this is one of them. The whole series is fantastic and apart from MGS4, the only reason I own a PlayStation.
There are so many genuine games to knock, having a go at Uncharted and Skyrim as you did in your other article is really missing the point. These games really push gaming to the current limits and the amount of work that has gone into making them, I salute the developers.
Believe me, if there were genuine issues with either Skyrim or Uncharted, I would be first on the case but even with the minor problems you point out, they are both outstanding pieces of work.
The issues you raised here are IMO fairly irrelevant. The marketing campaigns can easily be avoided, the plot holes didn’t detract from the gameplay & let’s be honest this is a videogame not Tolstoy. If you wanted to pick fault with the game you should have mentioned the poor signposting within some levels and the slightly reduced wow factor after the benchmark set by the previous game. Bottom line did you enjoy the gameplay, if not why if so what’s the point of this article