[singlepic id=135 w=270 h=190 float=left]The first time I ever came close to being like my childhood hero, Indiana Jones, was in India; when I snuck into an old, abandoned yoga school that had been closed off from the public and was now claimed by the jungle and spiders as big as your hand.

The second time was a million times more exciting than getting caught in webs and having to bribe guards who caught me in places I wasn’t supposed to be and in contrast, I didn’t want the experience of constant near-death situations ever to end.

The Uncharted series has been setting the standard for what games on the Playstation 3 should deliver for quite some time now. With Uncharted 2 being possibly the best game of 2009, developer Naughty Dog has been hard at work for two years to deliver another masterpiece, but they’ve not only made good on their promise in crafting the best game to be released on the PS3 (there, I said it), but they’ve raised the bar so ridiculously high that if I had to gush as much as I could about why this game is so great, I could probably submit it as a paper for a master’s course at university.

But I’ll try and keep it short, and the quick way to sum up my thoughts for Uncharted 3 is: this is the best game I’ve played in a long time, and you need to buy it. Don’t have a PS3? Buy one for Uncharted 3. It’s THAT DAMN GOOD.

It’s hard to know where to start when talking about Uncharted 3 as it throws so much at you at once, in the best way possible; like a gattling gun, you’re hit rapid fire with some of the most compelling characters ever realised, a story that never stops pushing you to the edge of your seat and the most epic, stunning and jaw dropping moments across any media format ever. Bar none.

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You’ll jump straight into the shoes of the ever witty and charming Nathan Drake, starting his next adventure of putting himself in ridiculously over the top, action packed and dangerous situations in an all out bar brawl in London. This is primarily an introduction to the game’s new and improved hand-to-hand combat and shortly after follows a tutorial to the plat forming and third person shooter elements to the game, but that doesn’t stop them from being incredibly engrossing and entertaining.

In fact, you know you’re in for a joyride when the opening moments of a game are able to teach you how to play, yet at the same time show off some incredible examples of fleshing out its characters personalities and provide some oustandingly tense, action packed and downright hilarious moments.

Skin the game down to its bare bones and you won’t find anything you haven’t seen anywhere else before; the platforming, climbing and exploration elements you’ve seen before in the Prince of Persia and Tomb Raider series, and the cover based, over the shoulder shooting has been done by Gears of War and Resident Evil 4.

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But Uncharted 3 takes all of these elements, polishes them up to a blinding finish and blends them all into one beautiful package for you to slowly unwrap. There is no end to the absolutely breathtaking moments the game throws your way with style and flair, all whilst keeping you in the thick of the action. Whether Nate is fighting his way out of a burning chalet, clinging for dear life on an out of control cargo plane or being chased through a temple by massive spiders, you’re always in control.

It’s not perfect, of course; things do start to become slightly monotonous further into the game, as you’re forced into yet another fire fight with the same suited up thugs. These are broken up with a lot of climbing and platforming here and there across the stunning scenery the game throws at you, although these become less frequent later on and you’ll find yourself exchanging fire from behind cover over and over again.

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Thankfully, the cast manages to save it all from feeling like too much of a chore. Through brilliant writing, top-notch voice acting and motion captured models, the characters of Uncharted 3 are some of the most endearing, charming, villainous and hilarious you’ll meet in any game out there. Characters will banter with one another as you’re exploring the levels, Nathan will put out some endlessly entertaining one-liners when gunning down enemies alone and the cut scenes make for some great character development.

It’s the most personal of the series, giving a window into Nate and Sully’s relationship and backgrounds, really adding some depth to the irresponsible and risk lusting Drake. Katherine Marlowe takes on the role as a more understated villain – at least compared to the roided up soldier seeking immortality in Uncharted 2 – but nonetheless is incredibly wicked and conniving.

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You’ll really begin to feel like you know these characters and care for them throughout your time together… and be part of their adventure.

And what an adventure it is.

Alongside the single player experience is some multiplayer tidbits to keep you occupied, such as the standard death matches and team based capture the flag-esque modes, although they’re really just a nice little distraction from the single player mode where the real fun is to be had. It’s not going to drag you away from more competitive and polished multi player games such as Modern Warfare 3, but it’s nice that it’s included to add that replay ability once you’ve finished the main game.

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And there’s even a coop campaign that has the best of both! It’s more ‘Uncharted Lite’ with a less fleshed out story and characters, but it’s an excuse to get your friends involved with doing all the climbing, exploring and shooting from the main campaign, so no complaints there.

Uncharted 3 doesn’t do anything amazingly new or innovative when it comes to game play… but what it does, it does well, and combined with its gorgeous visuals, stunning scenery, a soundtrack that’ll set your spine tingling and inspired characters, it’s setting a new standard for games developers.

There are no exaggerations made in this review… Uncharted 3 really is as good as it’s made out to be and totally worth buying a PS3 for. There’s no question that it’s possibly the best game of 2011… The only question I have is whether Naughty Dog will be able to top it with their next installment… and how?!