Uncharted 2 – Among Thieves: And Also Among the Greats

Available: PS3

Game Type: 1 Player Action/Multiplayer

From: Naughty Dog/Sony Computer Entertainment America

The original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune introduced us to the new leading man of the Playstation 3. PSOne had Crash Bandicoot, the spinning marsupial with a demented Doctor-killing attitude and box-smashing aptitude. The PS2 had Kratos, and though GOW3 was a phenomenal game, it’s hard to place Kratos as the figure head of the system with such a late release and (seemingly) having only one game on the platform. PS3’s Nathan Drake is a suave, dashing, manly man: as one critic put it, the man women want and the guys want to be. As a late descendant of Sir Francis Drake, famous Spanish explorer, a sense of adventure runs strong in his blood. Through the first game, he lives up to his great-ancestor, finding Francis Drake’s medallion and map that leads to the famed Fountain of Youth. After finding this Fountain was nothing more than an analogy that somehow equates to zombie-infested-death-zone, Drake retreats to a life on a tropical island, sipping beers under an umbrella. That is, until a couple of old chums show up: Flynt and an old girlfriend named Chloe.

Drake used to run with Flynt, a stylish and mouthy British fellow and thief to boot. The two used to engage in several tomb raiding activities, however Drake is the good guy and we get the sense that Flynt may be more on the criminal element’s team. The beautiful Chloe used to engage in carnal acts with Nate it would seem, and uses her curves to persuade him to listen to his former buddy. Flynt asks Nate to help out with a job to find a key map that will undoubtedly lead to the famed treasure of El Dorado, the City of Gold.

Our adventure begins with the storming of a museum under the cover of night, using the new mechanic of teamwork to climb to enormous heights in an effort to stay out of sight. As Nate and Flynt find the map, things start to go awry; but hey, this is Nathan Drake we’re talking about, right? Things never go as planned.

Flynt frames Drake to be arrested by the local security, and wakes up in a jail in a poor village in South America. To his great surprise, who should show up but his old mate Sully and Chloe. Sully busts him out of jail through a large bribe, and the two continue on to stop Flynt with Nate’s old flame in hot pursuit, who was seemingly playing both sides. Apparently Flynt was hired by a soldier to set the whole thing up, with the promise of being the next Nathan Drake as his payment.

The story follows the same antics as the first, but not in a bad way. Tomb raiding, climbing, and ferocious gunplay are all elements that carry over. Nothing that was good changed, but rather simply got improved. Grenades for example, that used to be thrown via L2 and the arc diagram, now have the option to be thrown straight with a click of the trigger. Guns are totally revamped, adding a satisfying weight to both the shooting and hit detection. The choices therein are better, too, as several weapons make a return with the addition of other choices: more pistols, more rifles, more assault rifles, etc.

The melee combat is upgraded slightly as well, although there’s not a timing based element to it anymore which was disappointing. In its place, a counterattack feature was implemented, allowing for a very cinematic feel to the engagements. Also, the cover system plays similarly, but in a more manageable way. I found it difficult at times to accurately slide from cover to cover, but in U2 it’s as smooth as butter.

Building on a great game can be a challenging task, as it seems developers are all too ready to just rely on the preexisting greatness, allowing for some dismal follow-ups. Naughty Dog took the better path, however, keeping what worked well and updating the mechanics that could have seem dated. The most noticeable and obvious enhancement is the graphical power this game pushes, coupled with the cinematic flair the first game was known for. The situations Nathan Drake finds himself in are nothing short of mind-boggling. Hanging from a train car while railings break under his weight and giant chunks fall towards you, all the while hanging over an icy cliff; climbing up 20 story, decaying monuments crumbling under your grip; activating mechanisms long since forgotten; even an ice cavern-meeting with some kind of yeti, they’re all in there in spades. Basically, there is no part of the world that Nate is unwilling to chase after Flynt and his prize.

All these upgrades are just fantastic. Even the treasure hunting within the game has been updated, as now there are 100 treasures to find. Just like the first game, they are essentially invisible aside from a little glint on the screen every few seconds. The repercussions of this are astronomical, as I’ve rarely felt so satisfied finding something in a game as when you find your 100th treasure or even the first. I suppose it’s the fact that they don’t exist outside of these little shimmers, so it’s just a great feeling to find one, let alone all of them.

With constant new weapons, absurdly intense set pieces, and the best visuals you’ll find outside of a PC that was purchased two days ago and upgraded two minutes ago, there’s not much better on the market. For anyone that doesn’t think the PS3 is the leader in graphical prowess, look no further than Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. And for those of you who think sequels get stagnant, put on your explorer suit and get ready: the thrills this game delivers are on par with the best of games, movies, and dramatic TV alike.

Graphics: Superior to just about every game out there. When you roll in a puddle of water, half of Drake’s back is soaked and shining. During the train scene when it derails, you see blood following Nate as he stumbles along. Character models, scenery, and everything in between is just fantastic.

Controls: Just like the first game, only improved. Everything that worked works better, and anything that needed tweaking got addressed. I don’t think there’s a single thing to complain about in this regard.

Story: On par with any pulp fiction in any medium, this story makes you want to run to an outdoor gear store, grab some hiking shoes and run off in search of treasure. Why some game developers don’t yet understand why games with such great story arcs are superior is beyond me.

Multiple Play: Just like the first game, you’ll want to play through again just to find those remaining five or ten treasures that you missed in your first play through. And just like the first game, if they were hard to find the first run through with 100, just imagine how difficult they are to find with only 10 through the whole game.

Total: 99, A+