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If Uncharted 3 has proved one thing to me, it's that Naughty Dog is unbelievably adept at delineating an openly interactive experience. Whether you're chasing down an opponent through back alleys and across rooftops or searching for a hidden switch in some decrepit structure, Naughty Dog knows exactly how to direct your eye and smooth out all of the typical bumps associated with navigating a 3D space. And all of this is amidst stunning and grandiose locales, which are part of an amazing and intriguing story. Naughty Dog shows unbelievable mastery in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception that's unparalleled in this day and age.

I thought that after Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, other developers would be taking notes and incorporating the many tactics showcased there into their latest AAA, story-driven title. But alas, Uncharted 3 has arrived and nothing of the sort has been done. Naughty Dog has seen fit to not rest on their laurels and continue to push this unique series further with a slew of improvements.

Unlike Uncharted 2, it's not very easy to explain or showcase just what has changed this time around. It's all very subtle, mostly because the changes seek to increase immersion. Things like controls are vastly improved, with very few issues ever hindering your experience. Even Uncharted 2 suffered from the occasional control glitch, which was noticeable enough to mention when discussing the game. Along the way, Uncharted 3 lends a helping hand to players; if you perform a jump a little crooked, have no fear, it's not going to stop or slow you down. Of course, the game isn't totally auto-correcting you, you will fail. But it's forgiving enough to keep you in the experience. This is crucial to maintaining immersion.

Most importantly, the gunplay, exploration, and platforming have struck a much more amicable balance. At least for the first three quarters of the game your enemy confrontations will rarely be overwhelming and they always feel fitting for the situation. You don't feel like there's some monster closet out there spewing enemies forth just because you set foot into whatever zone the enemies patrol. As such, the experience moves along well as you progress from task to task always pushing the story forward.

A much greater focus has been placed on stealth this time around, encouraging you to stay out of dodge and pick off enemies one by one in an effort to avoid firefights that would hinder your forward momentum. The melee capabilities have been similarly upgraded, now playing out more akin to Assassin's Creed 2. This makes it easier to take on multiple foes at the same time, conserve ammo, and it provides an opportunity for players to vary their own experience.

As has become the usual, the story and settings are equally amazing, sucking players in from the very first scene of the game. Just like Indiana Jones - a series Uncharted clearly takes influence from - you even get to visit Nathan Drake's past. It's an intriguing segment that sets the stage for the game, Nate's character, and his relationship with Sully. If you've seen The Last Crusade, this should sound pretty familiar. As a matter of fact, the item Nate seeks as a child is the same item you're after at the beginning of Uncharted 3.

Another venture of Sir Francis Drake becomes the centerpiece of the story, leaving Nate, Sully, Chloe, Cutter, and Elena all in pursuit of "The Atlantis of the Sands." A hidden chalet in France, a Syrian citadel, the streets of Yemen, the Rub 'al Khali Desert, and even a short trip on a cruise ship are a few of the locales you'll encounter along the way, and each is more stunning than the last. Almost all of them house a high intensity segment, exploration, and some tucked away secret that will keep you on the hook to see what's next.

As mentioned earlier, the game's pacing and variety in tasks is expertly balanced for the first three quarters of the game. However, towards the end, it reverts to the roots of the series, focusing heavily on consistent firefights with many enemies. None of the fights are particularly bad; they are all set in interesting environments, forcing you to traverse the landscape to both find cover and reach critical vantage points. They just break the pacing of the game, as well as the perfect immersion. This is due in large part to the difficulty spiking during these encounters, requiring multiple attempts to succeed.

A nitpick, but when engaging in melee, it can be hard to break away from the encounter and one-hit kill snipers can easily target and dispatch you. The heavily armored enemies are easily and safely defeated in a hand-to-hand fight, but it can be time consuming. Toward the end of the game, it always seemed that a sniper would pop out and shoot you after engaging the armored enemy, resulting in death and a restart of that entire level segment. Because the rest of the game encourages taking your enemies on bare knuckled, it was a hard habit to break toward the end of the game.

If there's one thing I can't deny, it's that the game is gripping from beginning to end, despite some of its shortcomings in the twilight hours. In many ways it's a better experience than Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, but it's not quite as grandiose. This means very little when the game is already larger than life – making it especially hard to convey this as a fault. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an unequivocal success and every PlayStation 3 owner owes it to themselves to give it a shot. Like its predecessor, it's one of the most memorable games of this generation.