Adventure of a Lifetime! – Review of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Developed by: Naughty Dog Entertainment
For: Playstation 3
Sometimes, adding bells and whistles is just the perfect excuse to create a sequel to a new game. Better animation, graphics and sound usually are purely artificial and means to only help a game get first week sales due to its impressive tech. Very rarely do the new bells and whistles actually improve a game beyond an aesthetic point of view. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, however, is one of those exceptions.
The game has you returning as Nathan Drake, treasure hunter extraordinare who seems to be a potent mix of the best parts of Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider and geek-adored actor Nathan Fillion. Like in the first game, you scale the environments to get from destination to destination, then stop every once in a while to shoot down some baddies, cover-based style (Gears of War).
The story is very much in the vein of pulpy 50’s exploration novellas, while mixing with modern anti-hero archaetypes to create Nathan in a different light than he was in the original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Nathan feels more like a dashing rogue than he does a reluctant hero, which is to the benefit of this decidedly darker story.
In the course of the 10 – 14 hour adventure, Nathan goes from lush jungles, to snow barren mountains and war-torn city scapes. The exquisitely detailed environments gives the game a pure “lived-in” feeling when going through cityscapes, while the tombs and jungle based areas are gorgeously rendered with distinct, colorful detail. This helps avoid common problems with most exploration type games, where certain areas look very similar and adds confusion to progressing to the next area.
Uncharted 2 can be described as a game of rapid sequences. Mainly, after one big thing happens, another big thing happens that tops that moment, and the cycle continues from there. Whether you are shooting up enemies or jumping from train car to train car, Uncharted 2 keeps the game going on a blockbuster, popcorn munching pace. The pure cinematic feel to the game oozes with Hollywood charm, making lovers of cinema and games alike fall for the main character and the globe-trotting story.
The multiplayer, however, may just be the biggest draw to this game. A full functional, competitive and accessible multiplayer renders this package complete. In both cooperative and competitive modes, Uncharted 2 adds simple thrills with its beautifully rendered graphics and its air-tight gameplay. Some may complain that the multiplayer is simply “standard”, but with so many multiplayer experiences falling short, a fully competent and fun multiplayer should still be rewarded.
Here’s a cliche you probably heard already dozens of times: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a complete package. An entertaining and breakneck paced singleplayer campaign, followed by a finely balanced and tuned multiplayer gives any PS3 fan a great time worth having.
Review
Pros Cons - Beautiful, detailed graphics
- Improved gunplay
- Great characters, especially Nathan Drake
- Multiplayer, while simplistic, is very fun- Some animation quirks
- Some bosses seem ridiculous
Rating
