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Good:
- Beautiful environments and atmosphere
- Pounding music
- Involving story
- Multiplayer
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Bad:
- Painful jumps
- no multiplayer control
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Rating : 7.5 / 10
Developer: Naughty Dog
Availability : PlayStation 3
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Following the same pattern as the first one, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves puts you through cinematic twists as the game unfolds continuously between gunplay and cinematic. They are a mix of in-game and pre-rendered sequences; an unnecessary design, but not hugely distinguishable problem. Through this action theatric movie, it is almost hard to stop because you just don’t know when to. The game just keeps on giving.
Those who have played the first can expect similarities in storytelling, while those new to the series can enjoy a fun change in history. As the story unfolds, you will learn more about the protagonist Nathan Drake, and also learn of some past associates he’s been among. This chapter follows the trail of Marco Polo, where in his journal, some things were not recorded; we are about to find out what they were.
Into the game, it still consists of all the problems in the first game.
Animations are again great but the game will be missing some sets. Mostly in relation to collision and interactions with objects. One for example is against walls. Nathan will kick off it, but if you jump or fall into it in a certain way the developers anticipate, Nathan will merely flinch between animations and land; though you may not know what, you just know something is missing.
Jumping around and scaling the world is still the same as in the first, so it’s a hit and miss depending on how you play. Navigating around the wall is easy enough, but moving from one section to another isn’t as fluid and you fill find at times falling off and not know why it just wouldn’t work.
The AI is still great in surrounding you and flanking you, but still dim witted to know what to do when a grenade falls at their feet. There will also be times where they don’t notice you, even though you are in plain sight; partially from design of game, and a somewhat glitched situation.
However, take these little problems away, and Uncharted 2 is one beautiful game with solid mechanics; with every hit, there’s also almost a miss.
Uncharted 2 has stepped up the graphics from the first with adding more to the environment, and providing richer details and colour. This you will notice when you finally climb up the hotel and take in the city. However, visuals still suffer similar symptoms in having some objects blander than they should either because they didn’t see the importance of it, or they tried to take a shortcut. From this, on some odd occasions, you would have the same wooden board door where the most part will have great detail, but then there’s one part which is a lacking; you may notice this not far into the start of the game. Other than that, you will have the loading textures just after a movie, though they now load a lot faster and much less noticeable.
Aside from the graphical aspect of the game, you can choose single player skins to use after unlocking and purchasing them. What’s disappointing is that they don’t receive the same love as Nathan’s default skin, ie. Nathan looks wet after splashing through water while Chloe won’t, neither will many others; skins are only added looks and fun.
To compliment the graphics, Naughty Dog once again uses an orchestral arrangement. Using some pieces from the original, the music has expanded to a more ritual feel. Using the same technique in having music play during gunfights and when you’re finished, having the music stop, every now and again you can get a very intense scene where guns are blazing music is pounding away at the drums and danger.
One major change they have made here though is that there will be a lot of dialogue between each character, whether it be complementing each other, witty remarks, or talking. Whatever it is, you are guaranteed a smile on your face with some of the remarks they make.
A lot of the original game has been brought into Uncharted 2 and you will find they have been improved. One example is being able to move around corners of cover more easily, however, still not perfectly. Also, to help streamline the game more for gamers who don’t have quite as keen an eye as others, if the game sees you not progressing after a while, it will give you a hint on what to do.
Reiterating what’s already been mentioned, there is absolutely no loading between any parts of the game during single player other than when you pick continue from the main menu, or new game. From start to finish, the game will blend gameplay with cinematic flawlessly and almost like a real movie. If anything, only a second worth of loading.
Graphics have been touched up and improved with environments more interactive such as bottles and containers flung around as you shoot them or run through them.
Music and sound is still as dramatic and dynamic as the first, but have more variety to fit the different scenarios more effectively, allowing you to more fully immerse in the story and drama.
The solid mechanics from the cover system, to the fighting, have been touched up to provide better fluidity.
What Uncharted 2 has brought new to its series however is the online multiplayer.
Your classic game types are available such as deathmatch, king of the hill, plunder. Deathmatch is actually team death match, and plunder is capture the flag. King of the hill has also been modified slightly to have the capture point move around the map at different times. Teams need to be within the zone to have the score count up and keep an eye out on where it moves to. A new mode has come out of this which is called chain reaction, where you capture a point, and move onto the next. You need to capture points in order and cannot skip, with the first team to complete all captures winning.
There are also uncommon modes such as turf war and elimination. Turf war is where you capture certain points and it begins adding to your score. The more you capture, the faster it counts. Elimination is a team deathmatch game with no respawns.
You are also given survival, where you survive an onslaught of enemy AIs for as long as you can, with the variation gold rush where you also need to steal the treasure from them, much like plunder.
Co-op is also available but unfortunately there is no local co-op, only online.
You are also provided with a machinima mode where it’s free play, allowing you to create and record your own videos and movies to your liking.
In relation to recording, each game you play is recorded automatically for a set number of most recent games. You can view these replays from various angles of your character, but also of other characters. You can also pause to gaze at fond moments you’ve had in the match such as a straight bullet shot in the enemy head with them flipping backwards in the air.
All of this builds up to a hefty multiplayer mode providing players variety with their matchmaking system making it easier for players to find a game. This however is a problem in itself. Once you find a game, you vote between what map or game type you want, but because people will have a favourite, or the typical gamer will play only a certain mode, many times you will not be able to play what you want, nor try out new things. Even if you can get the mode you want, it may not be the map you want, and vice versa.
The only time you can genuinely play what you want is to host a game yourself and invite friends or players you’ve met, to join you. This isn’t the easiest of things to do either if they are already in their own game or party.
By party, unless you’re hosting and inviting them into yours, after you finish a game, you can select party up, and whoever does the same will stick with you, or you will stick with them, and participate together in further games. This makes staying in a group easier, making also finding more players to join a little easier since there’s a small group of you already.
In terms of character customisation, players can use a skin they’ve unlocked and purchased, and additional boosters that help in battle. Such boosters for example include better accuracy in guns, more ammo, faster movement, etc. By mixing and matching to your strengths, to complement your weaknesses, or according to the map and location, you can dominate the game and all other bounty hunters.
At the end day, Uncharted 2 Among Thieves holds to its roots and does it all better. Providing an extra multiplayer mode gives Uncharted 2 more replay value if you’re easy going and out there for some fun. But amongst the greatness of the game in riveting story, to intense battles, there are still too many flaws that can be picked out; not so much in single player that will detract you from gaming experience, but in multiplayer, making it harder to enjoy a game you want without the hassle.
If you’ve played the original and, or, liked it, this is a must buy to add to the series. If you’re new to this franchise, you will have a different and new experience and is worth having a play through or two.
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