Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Sony PlayStation 3
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Rated: T for Teen
Released: 2009
Completed: 12 May 2016
I’ll just get this out of the way right now: Uncharted 2 is the best game on the PS3 console. It’s arguably the best game of the PS3/Xbox 360/Wii console cycle. In my opinion, it’s the best game Naughty Dog have ever made, up to and including The Last of Us. If you want to stop reading right now, I’ll understand, because the rest of this review is going to be me gushing about how much I love this game. Any semblance of objectivity will be tossed out the window and I will devolve into a drooling fanboy.
What makes Uncharted 2 so great? Everything. Every little facet. It does what any good sequel should do and improves upon the solid foundation of the original. It’s better in every conceivable way. The graphics are considerably more detailed, the score is more sweeping and epic, the control is more precise with new abilities added, the story is more intriguing, the pacing is better, the combat is more refined, the platforming is more diverse as are the environments you’ll be exploring, it’s funnier, it’s more exciting, and the setpiece moments are absolutely, positively some of the most breathtaking things ever seen in a video game to date.
Right from the opening, Naughty Dog sets the stage for a grand adventure as Nathan Drake awakes to find himself badly wounded and dangling over a cliff in the car of a crashed train. How he got there is revealed later but in that moment all you can think about is surviving. A series of flashbacks cover the first half of the game, explaining how Nathan ended up in such a predicament and filled with equally unforgettable moments. You’ll run for cover from a gunship as it tears the building you’re in to pieces, then later you’ll get your revenge after hopping from car to car on a moving train. You’ll leap between enemy trucks as they speed along a precarious cliff, and climb massive ancient structures to uncover the hidden secrets of Shambhala, the fabled civilization that inspired the myths of Shangri-La.
If the original Uncharted was an establishing shot, Among Thieves is the money shot. Everything you loved about the first game is intact and improved. The game is still very linear, and the platforming doesn’t require the skill of Prince of Persia, but it’s still exciting and Nathan has been given a few new moves like the ability to swing on horizontal poles. It still has the desired effect of making you suck in your breath, even though the jumps are designed to be made by the skin of your teeth. The combat feels much less clunky, however. The long gunfights could sometimes bog down the first game. They’re not much shorter here, but they feel bigger, better, and most importantly, more responsive. The pace of everything has quickened, and shooting down helicopter missiles from a mounted turret is a nice change of pace from the hundreds of faceless enemies Drake will kill before it’s all over.
The characters are better too. Drake is still a lovable smartass, but the addition of a new love interest (Chloe) and two new villains you just love to hate make the stakes higher. Naughty Dog wisely chose to keep things lighthearted, though, and the dialogue is heads and shoulders above the original. There were so many silly moments that made me laugh out loud, such as Nate taking a dip in a pool and trying to convince Chloe to play Marco Polo with him. Instead of falling into the trap so many other developers have of making a “darker, grittier” sequel, Naughty Dog went in the opposite direction. It helps the overall tone of the game, making it feel even more like a popcorn adventure film.
The tech that drives the game has also taken big steps. Environments are much larger in scale and contain far more little details at the same time. There are some truly scenic vistas, worthy of screen-captures (which is, thankfully, a feature in the PS4 remaster). Characters look much more natural. Nathan’s hair may not move, but it no longer looks like a Lego hairpiece. His signature ring and rope necklace aren’t glued to his shirt any longer. He even changes clothes several times throughout his journey, and each outfit has its own cool details.
What more can I really say about the voice acting that I didn’t say for the first game? Nolan North and Richard McGonagle are impeccable as Nate and Sully, but newcomers Steve Valentine, as Nate’s British partner Harry Flynn, and Claudia Black as the seductive and exotic Chloe Frazier fit right in and give sterling performances of their own.
There just aren’t enough good things I can say about Uncharted 2. If only all sequels were this good. As far as I’m concerned, this is Naughty Dog’s masterpiece and its only real flaw is that there’s nowhere to go but downhill.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was completed on a PlayStation 3 with no cheats.
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