With all of the awesome video games coming out every week, how is a person expected to play them all? Trying to play every game upon release can be a strain on both time and wallet. In late to the party, Nate and Nick will talk about games that can be had on the cheap, not because of quality, but because they’ve been out for awhile.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was the first Playstation 3 game I ever played and it set the bar pretty high. It combined a truly compelling story (a rarity in video games), breathtaking graphics, and solid platforming and gunplay reminiscent of Tomb Raider. If the original wasn’t your cup of tea, you probably need not read any further; Uncharted 2 is a bigger, prettier version of the first, but in the end it feels largely familiar.
Uncharted 2 follows Nathan Drake as he once again searches for lost treasures across varying locales. The story is well done, complete with double crosses, double double crosses (or is it triple crosses?), and the obligatory babelicious romantic interest. It might seem a bit cliché, but thankfully, the writing is excellent. The dialogue is funny and sharp and the delivery is top-notch, thanks to excellent voiceovers.
In terms of gameplay, not much has changed since the first game. It’s still a mix of sometimes clunky shooting and Prince of Persia-esque wall climbing and cliff jumping. Using cover is much more essential than it was in the first game and for the most part it’s well implemented. You press circle to slide in and out of cover, but because the same button is used for Drake’s somersault dodge maneuver, you will inevitably find yourself dodging when you want to duck and vice-versa. Gunplay is largely similar to the first game, with no targeting system or aim assist, and can be satisfying, if not a bit repetitive.
Puzzles return from the first Uncharted to break up the gameplay, but they aren’t very well conceived. Mainly you are just asked to consult Drake’s journal, read a page, and then copy what he has written into some sort of symbol combination. Because of the sophomoric nature of the puzzles, there isn’t much of a feeling of accomplishment when you finish them and as such, they feel like an afterthought. There’s also a reflecting light mirror puzzle, which for some reason has become a staple of action-adventure games.
While Uncharted 2 might not break the mold in terms of gameplay, it sure as hell does when it comes to visual. The game is flat out stunning. So much attention to detail went into every tree branch in the jungles, every wooden plank in the shanties, and every old brick in the dilapidated old monastery. The marketing campaign for the game billed it as indistinguishable from a blockbuster movie, and it wasn’t simply embellishing.
The sound in Uncharted 2 is a different story. It feels as if, other than the dialogue, the sound tracks were just recycled from the original. If the guns sounded like pea shooters to you in the first game, your opinion of them won’t be changed in the second. It’s a shame too, because it taints an otherwise stellar presentation.
Uncharted 2 might not be the reason to go out and buy a PS3 if you don’t already own one, and it might not be the Game of the Year many are lauding it as. What it is, though, is a compelling action-adventure story wrapped in a pretty package, with some damn fine action sequences sprinkled in. Calling Uncharted this generation’s Tomb Raider, would be an apt comparison.
Grade: B
Nate played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves on the Playstation 3 for around 8 hours until completion.
