Uncharted 2: Among Thieves : PS3
There was some definite anticipation as I loaded up Uncharted 2. Not only had I loved the first game, but I’d also seen that the sequel had managed to gather more awards and perfect score reviews than should be possible; one French magazine even pushed the boat out and gave it 21 out of 20: that’s some hype. Coming off the back of an amazing gaming experience with Mass Effect 2, I didn’t want to drop into something disappointing so figured Uncharted 2 was the right thing to play. I wasn’t wrong.
Now, I’ll say now that I don’t think this is a 21/20 game, but it’s certainly an easy 9/10. If I have anything negative to say, it’s that it doesn’t improve the system enough over the first game and there a few little moments where the buttons don’t do exactly as you want and you roll rather than ducking into cover, or jump in slightly the wrong direction, but those are tiny complaints in a game which is pretty much perfect otherwise. With them out of the way, let’s look at the good stuff.
Uncharted 2 is simply bigger than its predecessor. The story is slightly grander, the scope is greater, the locations are more impressive, the graphics have been upgraded, enemies are cleverer, the script is tighter… It’s a long list of things which are improvements, but none of them really blow you away because the first game has already done that and sets an baseline which is incredibly high. Thankfully, Uncharted 2 does manage to leap over that baseline and it does so because of its set pieces. Quite simply, you’ve seen nothing like it.
When I played Dead Space 2, I was blown away with the set pieces in it; huge exciting action sequences which really made you feel like part of the action. Uncharted 2 makes DS2 look like a baby cousin in comparison. The long action set pieces are incredible, with both the train section and the truck sequence sticking easily in the mind, but for me it was the long and intelligent tank-in-village episode which was a particular highlight as I had to seek out and kill the men with rocket launchers in order to steal their weapons and rid myself of the tank. Great stuff indeed!
I played Uncharted 2 on hard. Like Dead Space before it, I figured I had the game down well enough that I could push myself and I was pleased that I did. I died a lot, maybe more than a lot, but I enjoyed the combat enough that I was willing to replay sections four, five… maybe ten or eleven times before I got it right. Each time I felt I was going to give up, that was the time I managed it and it never got frustrating. Even the final boss (which was actually the most annoying bit of the game) was done within a reasonable time frame and with the credits came a sense of achievement and pleasure.
Unfortunately, thus far, I haven’t been able to play the multiplayer mode. This is because the PlayStation Network is down and has been for a lengthy while now. When it comes up, I’ll give multiplayer a go, because there’s a co-op mode which might well be a lot of fun. There’s probably some good DLC too.
Uncharted 2, like so many games I have played recently, is sublime. It is an amazing experience with a good script, impossible-to-believe graphics, fun gameplay and a good length. Games really have come a long way in the last few years, and this is one of the series which is pushing the curve. Get it, play it, be impressed.
