PS3 Informer

Uncharted 2 Game of the Year Review

Uncharted 2 has been crowned by many as 2009 Game of the Year. The accolades are mostly well-deserved, because it was one of our highlights on the PS3 from the past 12 months as well. In terms of action, Uncharted 2 plays like a hurricane in a knife factory, it's that ballistic. After the runaway success of Drakes Fortune, a sequel was pretty much assured. But instead of simply resting on their laurels and delivering a half-baked game suffering from sequelitis, Naughty Dog have exceeded expectations. The game is non-stop action, giving fans a cliff-hanging experience and offering a thrilling and exhilarating escapade. As developers seek to extract the full potential of the PS3 in coming years, they need look no further than Uncharted 2: Among Thieves for a shining example.

Game Background - Setting - Story

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a huge blockbuster of a tale, which in all honesty will have movie makers far and wide taking inspiration from it. The Story starts with 'Nate' seriously wounded, loitering in a shack of a Train Wreck in a situation that instills complete and utter panic. He has no idea, where, what or how and within a second of coming round he soon realizes he needs to escape what is left of a train. Nate being a modern love child of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft has being cursed with the luck of things always going horribly wrong but right at the end going unbelievably right. The plot has some great underlying tones of comedy, insecurities and relationship where everyone seems to have an agenda but daren't say much. Well, apart from Old Man Sully who is the coolest scoundrel of them all, dragging on his cigar whilst eyeballing the ladies, doesn't sound very cool on paper but as a 'Sidekick' he's cool.

Nate is a modern day treasure hunter whose life is a host of lies and deceit along with some surprising alliances and double crossing. In my opinion it's a game which stands all on its own as it does things that other games do [Cover System, Games Premise and Plot, Style of Play to name a few], but it's the delivery of them which makes this game feel
alive and such an individual title.

The game's levels include thrills such as taking out a helicopter whilst trying to survive in a collapsing building, saving your comrade whilst dishing out head shots, taking out a fleet of armed vehicles by jumping from Truck to Truck taking out the occupants. You have read correctly here people, the game really is that extreme. Also note, there are no safety nets in the way of new tech or anything like that. Just Nate, his trusty leathery diary and the, erm, same outfit - yep the same outfit from the first game. You'll find that you will be impressed with each and every level you progress through.

The variety of different things on display will also capture your imagination. It's an adventure that peaks just at the right time and completely keeps you on your toes. Every building, encounter, route, environment has so many possible outcomes and so many variants it gives each a level depth and challenge. The tale keeps you eager to see what
happens next, or how you going to get out of the pickle you are sitting in.

Gameplay

This is where UC2 really begins to flex its muscles and show you what it is made of. The game never ever lets up and you constantly feel like a cat who has used up eight of its nine lives. Nate seems to be followed by some serious bad luck. For example, when you are climbing up the train in the beginning and end of the game, parts bend and snap off, ledges and frames give under your weight and force you to find alternative routes to
freedom.

Jumping between platforms never really goes according to plan and there is many a life saved and many a time where you are saved due to those pesky unstable ledges. The game's A.I. is good and offers you a challenge, nothing 'Ninja Gaiden' hard but all the same it feels like you are always teetering on the edge of your own existence. The combat system here is excellent and requires no learning curve whatsoever. Becoming fluent with Nate literally takes seconds and before you know it you are diving in and out of cover, popping caps into craniums and offering stealth kills to whoever decides to get in the way of your mission. Weapons are well thought out and feel weighty. The style of play that UC2 offers is very much of a playground offering: you can use everything, climb anywhere and there tends to be several ways to carry out moves, battles, transitions and such which all add to the Adventurer/Explorer tale. The levels are some of the best I have ever seen by way of detail and atmosphere. The greenery is lush and beautiful to behold. The inner cities and building design feels really detailed almost as though they were designed looking through a magnifying glass.

I really think that Naughty Dog had a clear vision of where they wanted to go with this game as it feels direct and sharp. As the story unfolds you come across some interesting places with awesome opponents which are too farfetched and fit the realm that is Uncharted. Another level I must mention is the moving train, the is an excellent well thought out set piece. Dodging train track furniture whilst taking out the bad guys, adrenaline fuelled jumps and leaps from carriage to carriage with the track waivering and tussling due to the old and rickety track, whilst offering knockout punches to the cumbersome bad guys, ducking and weaving then finding a little ledge to hide behind for a quick reload. It's frantic and fun while also showing off the game's zingingly good visuals. Add to this a control system a toddler could perform with, your 'Indiana
Jones' style page turner and you are indeed understanding the game as a whole.

Graphics

The graphics are in many ways a showcasing platform for both Sony and Naughty Dog. They are mouthwateringly good and the attention to detail is staggering. I have had a fair old root around the game and have nothing but sheer admiration for the amount of hard work that must have gone into this. Character emotions are clearly felt through their facial expressions, levels feels organic and real, as oppose to 'cardboard-cut-out-town'. The characters you meet always feel individual and are well casted as they feel menacing and scoundrel-esque.

One example I can offer which may help you understand the depth of detail here is comparing a normal house (normal games) to one of the many beautiful cathedrals of Barcelona. The difference in detail, design and feel of each building as an entity is of the same difference in scale and level with Uncharted 2 and most other next-gen games out there. Think Toyota Corolla versus Bugatti Veyron in a drag race and you get an idea of the difference in class and calibre of Uncharted 2. Visually it's at the top of the pile waving its arms about and screaming, look at me, I am delightfully pretty, although without sounding so much like Paris Hilton.

Sound

Uncharted 2 sounds crisp and clear, great voice acting, brilliant sounding explosions and guns. All in all this is a great area of the game and should be enjoyed and Full Boom with a 5.1 gently blasting one into oblivion. Surround sound helps enhance the entertainment and immerse you into the story. Really this is a well delivered area of the game which never fails to completely draw you in.

Multiplayer

This feature took me by surprise. I really didn't expect it to be any good to be fair, but as with the games many twists and turns it left me very impressed. Think of this like Corn flakes. When you are a little peckish and you search you humble abode. You spy them and think 'Ahh I don't really fancy them'. The laziness kicks in and you then decide to eat them and nine times out of ten you will always be left thinking 'I rather enjoyed that, forgot how nice Corn flakes were?'. That is how I would describe the Multiplayer with UC2. Its swift and slick and allows you to 'show boat' your skills a little. Level design offers varied play and this tied up with all the new looks and such that you can purchase within game currency add to this feature.

The Co op section offers some 'Team' based mini levels if you will which are fun. Running around popping caps in asses as 'Old Man Sully' is brilliant if nothing else. They have done well here and offered something that for me exceeded my expectations.

Conclusion

Uncharted 2 is up there, pushing and shoving to be the best game on PS3 and its offers a great standalone experience. This for me is definitely in the top 5 PS3 games ever made. I would say it's the 2nd best game ever as I am such a huge fan of Metal Gear Solid. It's definitely strong enough to fight with the likes of LBP, Killzone 2, Infamous and the such and take up its pedestal as one of the PS3 greats. I would also say that it has helped sell PS3 hardware and establish Naughty Dog as a premier developer. Great game, great vision, great style of play make this unmissable. Now put Modern Warfare 2 down for a second and remind yourself how great new ideas and franchises can be!