Action-adventure game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was published for PS3 by Sony. Two years after the events of the first game, Nathan Drake (Nolan North) partners with Elena Fisher (Emily Rose) and Chloe Frazer (Claudia Black) in a search for the Cintamani Stone and the city of Shambhala. However, in their quest they must also contend with a mercenary group led by war criminal Zoran Lazarević (Graham McTavish), who knows about the mission after Drake’s former associate Harry Flynn (Steve Valentine) betrayed him, and who hopes to use the Stone for his own gain.
PROS
- A fantastic balance between adventure and platform gaming, particularly when completing the puzzles; while the action when facing enemies is fast-paced and intense, often involving mini-puzzles/mysteries which one must take on. Furthermore, some of the action levels subvert gamer expectations by giving us enemies which cannot be killed (though they can be slowed down by bullets) but must be evaded instead.
- The puzzles are very clever and intricate challenges which force the player to take heed of the smaller details in Drake’s surrounding, the smallest of which often make the difference between completion and going round in circles.
- The non-linear narrative proves rather interesting as it gives a real sense of mystery to the first half to two-thirds of the gameplay, and in its own ways presents another puzzle which we the gamer piece together as we play through the narrative.
- Breathtakingly stunning graphics and conceptually fantastic designs throughout the game. In the exteriors it is particularly found in the reflective quality of the water, the brightly-lit surroundings and the scale of the mountains and jungles; while the designs of the interior locations are as rich in nuance, detail and texture in the small caverns as they are the enormous temples.
- When controlling Drake as he climbs, the in-game camera often depicts this in a long shot or a wide, giving the campaign a real cinematic quality which is jaw-dropping to look at, as is the scale and cinematic quality of the cutscenes.
- The main characters have a great dynamic which evolves over the course of the game, and is made all the more engaging by the excellent voice performances from Nolan North, Emily Rose and Claudia Black. Furthermore, with more motion-capture technology having been used, their movements, gestures and expressions in the cutscenes in particular have a much more fluid and naturalistic quality than those of the first game.
NITPICKS
- As with the first game, Drake swims and runs very slowly, the latter of which proves rather frustrating and a slight hamper in a couple of levels.
VERDICT: 10/10
Pete Kirkpatrick's Reviews 