Is there a technique to hand-to-hand fighting in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception?

Question

From what I've been through so far, the hand-to-hand fights in Uncharted 3 seem to be pretty random and a lot of button mashing. It seems to be a lot of ☐ to punch, and the occasional Δ to counter, and sometimes randomly mashing ○ to struggle and throw.

Is there a consistent technique to taking down enemies faster? I know that if you can sneak up on someone, you can take them down quickly. And occasionally, some of the fights seem scripted if you're close to an object that you will smash someone into. But for the normal fights, are there moves, or combinations of moves that you can do to take the enemy down quicker?

Answer 1

As you've gathered, the basic melee combo is pretty weak. Drake will do more damaging combos if you swing at an enemy close to a wall, a drop or an object that Drake can use as a weapon. The trick is getting an enemy close to the wall; thankfully, you have a handy grab move for that: press circle and hold down the direction on the left stick you want Drake to try and fling them.

Answer 2

You can use the grab move that Merus mentioned (press circle and point with the left stick) to push/throw enemies off ledges, if there is one nearby. Even relatively small drops result in the enemy staying down.