Uncharted 3 Hands-on Preview - E3 2011
E3 11: Playing through a co-op level, it's easy to see why fans have such high expectations
There’s no question that expectations are high for Uncharted 3, as the series has become what most regard as potential Game of the Year material, particularly after Uncharted 2. So it comes as no surprise then, when we got a chance to play through a co-op session with two other journalists, that the gameplay has been further fleshed out and improved in meaningful ways. Playing in a 3-man co-op mission, the task at hand was to collect the idols scattered around the level, in order to open the path forward. Drake, Elena, and Sully set out to take down the bad guys.
Upon arriving on a fairly open courtyard area, we were greeted by thugs popping up across the map who didn’t hesitate to open fire. Taking cover with a partner, we provided covering fire while our third teammate made a run for the first idol. After getting it and throwing it down to us, we placed the idol on its pedestal, and set out to grab the other two. All idols were visible on the map from the start, so it was up to us to choose which ones to grab first. Likewise, there seemed to be a random pattern for the enemy spawns, and we often found ourselves surrounded and forced to take cover often.
To fetch the remaining idols, we actually had to leave just one person to provide cover, because it required two players to acquire the idol – first to lift the rock container above ground, the second to take the idol from its resting place. Having done so, we once again returned to the center of the area, placing the second idol on its proper spot. In the meantime, enemy continued to spawn relentlessly, increasingly becoming more troublesome. Snipers have begun appearing on the rooftops, and it took steady aim and patience to get rid of them.
It wasn’t easy taking down the snipers thanks to Uncharted 3’s refined gun handling. Weapons now have significant force feedback as well as recoil, making them a little less accurate, but at the same time extremely satisfying to use. The audio is fantastic as well, with each weapon sounding significantly different from the next. The combat area was fairly limited in selection, but all the classic are back, from the M4 to the Pistole. However, even with such an arsenal, we got overwhelmed a few times – the game then allows you to pick up fallen comrades, much like in UC2, but death isn’t a deal breaker either. Those who fall in battle and aren’t revived must wait around 20 seconds, before being able to rejoin – this time, spawning on your allies is possible, making it possible to return to the action very quickly.
We aren’t sure what the difficulty was set to, but it had seemed that enemies took significant damage before falling, though it never became frustrating. If anything, it made for a more fun and challenging co-op experience, where voice chat communication was actually important. New this time around will be the perk system – getting a certain number of kills without dying will unlock the perks (which will vary depending on the perk). In the demo we played, only a single perk was available – after killing 10 enemies, a friendly female voice reminded us that a perk was ready to be deployed. When faced with a tough situation, we activated the perk, which was a team-wide boost that allowed for less damage taken and more dealt. Even though this was a demo, it was nice to see a team perk in co-op play that encourages teamwork, rather than one-man shows.
To get the third idol needed, our heroes ran into a bit of a problem. The idol was taken by a boss-like enemy that players may recall from Uncharted 2. He dealt massive damage with a machine gun, and took a lengthy team effort to finally put down. After clearing the rest of the area, we were lucky to find a few grenade launchers in the area and, having activated our perks as well, battled for a long 5 minutes before finally defeating the boss. Having set the final idol on its place, a secret passage has opened up, allowing us to pass to the nearby tower. However, having ran inside, we found that the only path forward was to climb the outside of the tower, so we did. The climbing in Uncharted 3 feels just right, much like the previous games in the series. The twist this time around is that during our climb, enemies began peering over the edge of the tower’s roof, and taking shots at us. Not to worry – players are also able to return fire while hanging on to the ledges, introducing horizontal shootouts to the game. It’s a clever little addition that fits the series, and should make for extra excitement during platforming sections.
Having reached the top, we were faced with not one but two helicopters hovering menacingly above us, but alas that’s where the co-op level ended. Tallying the score, our multiplayer level increased and new perks became available – thus it’s a safe bet that progression in Uncharted 3 multiplayer will be tracked similarly to its predecessor. From the classic cover-based shooting mechanics, clever enemies, and even some jokes thrown into the dialogue during the action, Uncharted 3 looks to set the bar high once again. Given the co-op action we had a chance to try, it might just pull it off when the game releases on PlayStation 3 in November.
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