I totally agree. Now I played after all three were out. And played all of them back to back.

Frankly besides the fact that the second game provides the most improvements in comparison to its predecessor, the third tops it in almost every aspe ct. Especially the story, who was far more interesting and compelling.
And I'm a sucker for great story

I think 2 is the worst of the console trilogy. I even like the vita release more. 3 is the very best, have yet to start 4

I preferred 3 as well. 2s not bad but 3 is just better overall.

The story and pacing are in my opinion better in the second game, but the gameplay was improved on the third. The second game had a much better build-up to big set pieces, and they made sense in the context of the story, while in the third some of them felt separate from the rest of the story. I still like both games a lot, but I'd say the second is slightly better thanks to its more well thought out story.

3 is better than many give it credit for (I'd give it an 8.5), but it wasn't as well composed as 2 was. The writing and development time were its primary sources of weakness imo. The villains were underdeveloped, game handling had issues, Hennig herself stated that they wrote the story after the setpieces rather than the other way around (leading to stuff like the massive red herring of the ship section, however impressive technically), Nate and Elena's relationship development was paper thin, and the third act was very rushed and underwhelming. Never played the MP but from what I'm told it was also inferior. 2 was just far better paced and put together. It and the original had deliberately hamfisted narratives that were executed well around tighter, leaner, more cohesive campaigns.

4>2>3>1

3 had some great set pieces, like the sinking ship and desert part, yet Uncharted 2 was better over all. I played through Uncharted 2 more times than 3.

What puzzles were more difficult in 3? I can't even remember any puzzles from the 3rd one. I still remember some from 1 and 2. Must have been pretty easy if I can't remember them while I played it most recently. So far the puzzles in 4 are not even puzzles :/ Those who prove worthy, borders on insulting. Platforming is better though.

No way is 3 better than 2. I am awaiting 4 coming in the mail in a trade, so i can't say about it, but it looks awesome, from what i've seen. As for my PS3 order of preference it's 2>1>3.

I loved 1 when i played it, when it came out. 2 just blew me away, as it was a big step up from 1. 3, while i still liked it, i just found myself not being as excited while playing it, like i was with 1&2.

Agreed. Some more to it though.

Uncharted 2 multiplayer maps (Sanctuary hype!) > Uncharted 3 multiplayer maps

Uncharted 3 multiplayer (Couch Co-op, weapon balancing) > Uncharted 2 multiplayer

But why?

I disagree. Uncharted 2 was the more polished package overall and was a more consistent experience all the way through. Uncharted 3 felt rushed in sections (especially towards the end) and although they had some great level design, the AI didn't seem capable of keeping up with the larger and more vertical layouts. The story was also underdeveloped with lackluster character development. It might have had some good set pieces but they felt like a series of disconnected moments.

Uncharted 2 on the other hand had better balance overall with a well developed story and deeper character interactions. The levels were very well designed with natural progression between set pieces. The stealth was also more effective than in 3.