Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review

Back in 2007 Naughty Dog brought us a game so epic that it was advertised as a playable summer blockbuster. The game had a cinematic feel, and it could easily work as an adventure film in the vein of “Indiana Jones” or “The Mummy”. So it came as a surprise to no one that the developers quickly began working on a sequel after the success of the first game. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the much-touted sequel and its every bit as good as the original and then some.

Let’s not waste any more time, here are the HOTs and NOTs of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

HOT

Amazing Presentation
Just like the original, Among Thieves plays like a game but feels like a movie. Everything here is incredibly cinematic and plays out like an action adventure movie. Honestly, this is some of the best filmmaking I’ve seen in a while and that’s saying a lot considering this isn’t a film. The direction is spot on, and every scene works perfectly, advancing the story just right. The music fits, and each musical cue helps to flesh out the emotions of the scenes. This is as close to being an action star as any gamer can be without actually becoming an action star.

Sound Design

The musical score and voice acting is top notch, and is easily the best done in a video game this year. All of the original voice actors reprise their rolls, and the new actors fit their characters just as well. The writing here is phenomenal, though most of the best lines were improvised by the actors during the motion capture. The way each character plays off each other is incredibly realistic and makes these characters more than that. The characters here aren’t just mindless puppets thrown into the storyline, they are real people and totally believable.

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdAe1p2gvYY

Fantastic Gameplay
If it aint broke, don’t fix it, that’s the mindset Naughty Dog has taken with this game, and that’s just fine. Uncharted: Drakes Fortune was one of the best games, if not THE best game of 2007, so it comes as no surprise that the sequel has kept a lot of what made the original so great. The action is fast paced and very well done, and the puzzle solving is fun and intuitive. The puzzles are challenging, but never cumbersome or boring. Everything here works perfect, the game is fun to say the least.

Solid Multiplayer
The Multiplayer here is solid, and a first for the series. There are several different modes of play, the usual multiplayer games seen in shooters. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, etc. I have to say that my personal favorite is a game called plunder. Plunder is capture the flag, though the way it’s played helps make it stand out. Two teams compete to get a treasure placed somewhere on the map, and the team must work together to return said treasure to their chest. The treasure can, and will, be tossed all around the map as players work to move and defend it at the same time. It’s a great game online, and while it won’t top Call of Duty, it will offer Uncharted fans tons of extra hours of play well after the single player campaign.

Epic Story
The storyline here is again, like something you would see in a film. In a nutshell, the game takes place two years after the events of Drake’s Fortune. Nathan Drake is now hot on the trail of Shambala after finding the journal of Marco Polo. The story again blends history and mythology and by the final chapter will leave gamers satisfied with its exciting conclusion.

NOT

Controls
The controls are done well; don’t get me wrong. However, a lot of Drake’s jumps and such are somewhat automatic. At times you’ll want to simply take cover, but end up jumping over a fence and into danger. The camera can also at times get in the way. It’s not a major problem, but can sometimes get you killed.

VERDICT

I have no complaints about this game, it’s pretty much a perfect game. The gameplay is solid, the storyline absolutely fantastic, and the characterization brilliantly done. The sound design is top notch and the overall presentation is probably the best you’ll see in a video game. This game is an easy contender for game of the year, and while it may have some stiff competition coming from Modern Warfare 2, I have no doubt that Uncharted 2’s single player will be far superior to all other games released this year. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a damn near perfect game, and that’s why I give it a perfect score