Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
When Uncharted 1 came out gamers were shocked by the quality narrative and character development but the core game-play although competent was not on par with many games of the time. Now 2 years later is Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 an improvement or is it more of the same?
From the opening cut-scene it is obvious that Uncharted 2 is a good looking game. Uncharted 2 has more polish and detail in a single sculpture than most games have in their entire single-player. Nathan Drake and many of the main characters are very well animated throughout both cut-scenes and gameplay, and this game is a testament of how great a developer Naughty Dog is. It is the little things that make Uncharted 2 great, whether it is Drake stumbling after a jump or an old log snapping under pressure it's the little quirks of Uncharted 2's world that makes it believable and brings it to life. The setting in Uncharted 2 is great but it's the characters that makes Uncharted 2 the game it is. The main character Nathan Drake is, in my opinion, the most well developed character in Video-Games to date, and after playing Uncharted 1 I looked forward to seeing Nathan Drake in a game again much like how you look forward to seeing an actor again in a movie. The Uncharted universe is full of villains and Nathan Drake is merely a villain thrust into the roles of a hero this makes him more interesting than the flat characters we expect in most games who are always to the extreme end of the moral meter. But what makes him shine as a character is how well he interacts with the other characters, most notably with Uncharted 1 returny Elena Fisher. The banter and chemistry between characters is on the same level as or better than most films and makes the narrative and game-play more interesting. All the characters are very much action film archetypes not stereotypes which makes them familiar but not played out or over used, the one exception to this is the main villain who is very stereotypical and predictable, an interesting villain would have made uncharted 2 a perfect narrative experience.
The game-play of uncharted 2 is a welcome improvement to the original. Like Uncharted it revolves around 3 basic mechanics Combat, Platforming, and Exploration/Puzzle solving. The combat of Uncharted 2 is a cover based shooter akin to Gears of War but without the clunky movement. Drake is a very mobile character thus adding a layer of game-play Gears lacks. You can vault over ledges, climb high obstacles and get attacked from every angle. Uncharted 2 also introduces a stealth mechanic that, other than in an initial segment of the game, is well implemented and optional which keeps it from being frustrating. The platforming is very similar to that of Uncharted 1 but some little things(ie:things breaking and things chasing you) keep it exciting and at times intense, there are several occasions when something looks like you can jump on is actually impossible to jump on and this can be frustrating but a hint system keeps it from becoming game breaking and controller tossing. The puzzle solving is definitely reduced in comparison to the first game which depending on who you are may be a welcome change, the puzzles in Uncharted 1 slowed down the narrative and made it feel more gamey, so in Uncharted 2 the few puzzles are very well polished but since the are so few and far between don't bring the narrative to a halt.
Uncharted 2 isn't without flaws, there are several points in the game where you can get stuck, most notably the initial stealth segment where if you don't do it exactly how the game wants you to it is instant failure. Also there will be times when you face an enemy who can take a ridiculous amount of bullets which may take you out of the experience, for the most part this is only boss enemies but it is still bizarre when a man can take 3 shot gun blasts to the face and still get up.
Uncharted 2 also has a ton of replay value something the first Uncharted was lacking. With a plethora of unlock-able skins, weapons and renders you'll be coming back to the singleplayer to test out your new stuff and besides how can you hate a game where you can play as a Skeleton or doughnut Drake
Uncharted 2 is a incredible game which features more quality, depth, character development, laughs, thrills and memorable scenes than most games out there, hell i haven't mentioned the Multi-player yet (which i will go in depth with at a later date) . Uncharted 2 is a top tier game that is deserving of the 60$ price tag and one of the best games of this console generation.
When Uncharted 1 came out gamers were shocked by the quality narrative and character development but the core game-play although competent was not on par with many games of the time. Now 2 years later is Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 an improvement or is it more of the same?
From the opening cut-scene it is obvious that Uncharted 2 is a good looking game. Uncharted 2 has more polish and detail in a single sculpture than most games have in their entire single-player. Nathan Drake and many of the main characters are very well animated throughout both cut-scenes and gameplay, and this game is a testament of how great a developer Naughty Dog is. It is the little things that make Uncharted 2 great, whether it is Drake stumbling after a jump or an old log snapping under pressure it's the little quirks of Uncharted 2's world that makes it believable and brings it to life. The setting in Uncharted 2 is great but it's the characters that makes Uncharted 2 the game it is. The main character Nathan Drake is, in my opinion, the most well developed character in Video-Games to date, and after playing Uncharted 1 I looked forward to seeing Nathan Drake in a game again much like how you look forward to seeing an actor again in a movie. The Uncharted universe is full of villains and Nathan Drake is merely a villain thrust into the roles of a hero this makes him more interesting than the flat characters we expect in most games who are always to the extreme end of the moral meter. But what makes him shine as a character is how well he interacts with the other characters, most notably with Uncharted 1 returny Elena Fisher. The banter and chemistry between characters is on the same level as or better than most films and makes the narrative and game-play more interesting. All the characters are very much action film archetypes not stereotypes which makes them familiar but not played out or over used, the one exception to this is the main villain who is very stereotypical and predictable, an interesting villain would have made uncharted 2 a perfect narrative experience.
The game-play of uncharted 2 is a welcome improvement to the original. Like Uncharted it revolves around 3 basic mechanics Combat, Platforming, and Exploration/Puzzle solving. The combat of Uncharted 2 is a cover based shooter akin to Gears of War but without the clunky movement. Drake is a very mobile character thus adding a layer of game-play Gears lacks. You can vault over ledges, climb high obstacles and get attacked from every angle. Uncharted 2 also introduces a stealth mechanic that, other than in an initial segment of the game, is well implemented and optional which keeps it from being frustrating. The platforming is very similar to that of Uncharted 1 but some little things(ie:things breaking and things chasing you) keep it exciting and at times intense, there are several occasions when something looks like you can jump on is actually impossible to jump on and this can be frustrating but a hint system keeps it from becoming game breaking and controller tossing. The puzzle solving is definitely reduced in comparison to the first game which depending on who you are may be a welcome change, the puzzles in Uncharted 1 slowed down the narrative and made it feel more gamey, so in Uncharted 2 the few puzzles are very well polished but since the are so few and far between don't bring the narrative to a halt.
Uncharted 2 isn't without flaws, there are several points in the game where you can get stuck, most notably the initial stealth segment where if you don't do it exactly how the game wants you to it is instant failure. Also there will be times when you face an enemy who can take a ridiculous amount of bullets which may take you out of the experience, for the most part this is only boss enemies but it is still bizarre when a man can take 3 shot gun blasts to the face and still get up.
Uncharted 2 also has a ton of replay value something the first Uncharted was lacking. With a plethora of unlock-able skins, weapons and renders you'll be coming back to the singleplayer to test out your new stuff and besides how can you hate a game where you can play as a Skeleton or doughnut Drake
Uncharted 2 is a incredible game which features more quality, depth, character development, laughs, thrills and memorable scenes than most games out there, hell i haven't mentioned the Multi-player yet (which i will go in depth with at a later date) . Uncharted 2 is a top tier game that is deserving of the 60$ price tag and one of the best games of this console generation.
