Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Nathan Drake is back in an even more epic adventure that includes betrayal, ancient secrets, and women with big sparkly eyes.  The original game was an amazing adventure, and though it was flawed, Naughty Dog has taken run-and-gun platforming to the next level with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.  But is it worth your hard earned drug money? 

If you didn’t know this already, Among Thieves looks good. The kind of good that makes me want to take it to a secluded location and do terrible naughty things to it, if that were legal (or possible).  Everything about this game looks great: the characters look and act real, the cinematics are gorgeous, and there are more than a few locales that will literally make you stop playing and just stare.

What really helps this game stand apart from the plethora of other gorgeous games out there is its cinematics.  Sure, the platforming is fun and the combat is intuitive, but the cut scenes are truly second to none.  When someone comes up behind you while you’re playing this game and asks what movie you’re watching, you know something was done right.  The well-written dialogue, stunning animation, and twinkly-eyed women are more than enough to get you lost in the game. This is an interactive movie that easily rivals anything Hollywood has to offer, especially the Indiana Jones films that this series is so often compared to.

Get ready, because I’m about to spread some more of my Geek on you.  It’s best if you just lay back and take it.  Ready?  Good.  The particle effects in this game, specifically the snow and rain (though the fire is lovely) are amazing.  I’ll confess I probably spent several minutes just walking around in the snow, marveling at how real it looked.  The rain is another example of the deep technical love that went into this game; near the end there’s a section where you have to fight a couple enemies in a shallow creek. As you’re wading in this babbling brook of beauty, taking out occasional baddies along the way, you’re being drenched by a storm.  This is easily one of the best looking sections of the game, because the water effects are where the series has always shined. So for those of us who get excited about high polygon counts and photorealistic fluids, this is a set piece you won’t easily forget.

One major improvement over the original came in the form of more realistic combat.  Now, instead of a few quick jabs, Drake has brutal combos that are always fun to watch.  The absence of bullet sponge enemies is also a welcome removal, but the arena style level design from the Drake’s Fortune has barely changed.  There are several more derivative areas in the game where you will be forced to take down waves of enemies in a closed off arena.  It’s unfortunate because the rest of the game has evolved so drastically.  Sometimes the controls can get a little wonky, especially during platforming.  It’s not that the platforming isn’t great (most of the time of the time it’s spot on); it’s just that the controls can be a little unresponsive during several of the more intense parts of the game.

Speaking of platforming, there are a handful of areas that are easy to get lost in.  Not necessarily because the levels are too expansive, rather because sometimes you just won’t know where to go, or you’ll know where to go, but not how to get there.  For example, in one section I had to get to a window that was conveniently stationed just out of my reach.  Unfortunately, due to its sometimes subtle level design and textures, I didn’t notice a small section of the wall at the other side of the map that can be climbed, allowing access to the window.  This happened to me more than once, but as a disclaimer you should know I lack just about any real sense of direction.

  I have one major issue with the game, which should probably be filed under character development.  Throughout the game, the developers want you to get immersed as Nathan Drake, who’s a likeable guy with a great sense of humor and a mean fashion sense.  For me there’s really only one thing keeping me from loving Drake, and that’s his ability to kill a couple hundred bad guys before returning to his loveable witty self.  I just don’t understand how a character like Drake can kill so many people and not feel bad about it.  I’d expect something like this from Marcus Fenix, but not Nathan.

  In the end, Uncharted 2 is easily one of the best games for the PS3, and any owner of the console needs to check it out.  Whether or not you’re interested in platforming, or third person adventures, or even if you’re not a fan of stories in games (though if you aren’t what’s wrong with you?), this game is worthy of anyone’s time.  When you’re done with the single player story you can jump online to play cooperatively or against your friends (a new addition to the series).  A ton of love went into Among Thieves and it shows, so do yourself a favor and check it out.

Likes

•  Amazing visuals, Uncharted 2 makes full use of the PS3’s technical power.
• Multiplayer features give you a reason to keep playing long after the single-player is beaten.
• One of the best story-driven games on any console so far; this is an adventure you won’t soon forget.

Dislikes

• Repetitive arena-like sections where you’re forced to slay waves of enemies.
• Controls have been improved, but they’re still not perfect.
• Nathan Drake is a supposedly good guy, but yet he can kill a couple hundred guys and immediately joke about it?

Level 42 Review Score

 / 

The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.

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