In Creation Games

Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action-adventure/Third Person Shooter
Players: 1 (Offline) 1 – 10 (Online)
Release Date: 16^th of October 2009 (EU)

When Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was released it was considered to be one of the best games on the PlayStation 3 for a very good reason. It was just such a joy to play with solid mechanics for the shooting and platforming parts along with the others. Uncharted 2 takes the same ideas and mechanics from the first, takes it up quite a few notches and provides an experience that is up there with the best of this generation.

From start to finish Uncharted 2 has you hooked and makes you want to keep on playing. The opening is fantastic and puts you into the middle of the action without knowing what is actually going on. You see a wounded Drake falling down an upside down train carriage that’s hanging off a cliff. Drake falls to the very bottom and is barely hanging on so you need to climb up to the top. It’s a fantastic set piece to open the game with. You don’t know how Drake ended up or what he was doing but you want to find out. The game hooks you from this moment and never lets go throughout the entire game.

Everything about this surpasses the original. The shooting, the cover system, the platforming, the close quarters combat, everything has been extremely refined and polished to make Uncharted 2 one hell of a game. The first Uncharted done all of those great but it only excelled in platforming while this time everything has been much improved.  Graphically it looks incredible and is a big jump from the first game. The character models and environments both look amazing. Some of the environments will blow you away as unlike the majority of games this generation Uncharted isn’t grey, dull ad dark. It’s filled with enough to colour to make the environments stand out but it’s not overused. The jungles, the snow, the temples, the streets, every location in this game looks fantastic.

The animation also needs mentioned. The first game had great animation but this takes things one step further. The movement is so smooth in this game, every jump, every roll, evrything flows wonderfully. This helps the game achieve unmatched fluidity. The cover system feels a lot smoother now and it never feels clunky or sticky. 

There is always something exciting going on in Uncharted 2. Most of the set pieces are incredible and will really blow you away when playing. The fire fights play a lot better now due to the improved mechanics and better scenarios. Rather than just straight shootouts, the majority of encounters in Uncharted 2 have you swiftly moving between cover, climbing across walls, jumping to higher areas and so on; all while rapidly firing your gun! It makes the game really intense and very fast paced.

The platforming in the first Uncharted was probably the most refined part of the game and it remains very similar in the sequel. There have been a few noticeable tweaks and adjustments; along with a few new ways to climb objects but apart from that it remains untouched which isn’t a bad thing. Mixing the climbing and shooting together works very well in this and I found myself shooting from walls a lot more frequently in this game. Like I said before the movement feels a lot more fluid due to the improved animation and it definitely applies to the platforming parts too.

Close quarters combat was fun in the first game but it had its flaws, it seemed to get you killed most of the time you tried it and it limited to a few combos. Now there is plenty more to it and it’s a lot more effective. There is a whole range of stealth moves that you can perform which comes in handy for when you want to sneak about (Very rarely are you forced to be stealthy). Snapping peoples’ necks returns but you can now attack people from cover by pulling them over it if they are on the opposite side or take them down from the corner. My personal favourite though if hanging from an edge and pulling a guy off the ledge. These moves aren’t limited to stealth though (Snapping necks won’t happen too much in shootouts mind you) and can be used in the middle of shooting enemies which makes things even more exciting. On top of the other moves the actual fist fights have been improved. Enemies will now counter your moves forcing you to counter back and finish them off which works very well and allows for some stylish and effective attacks.

The puzzles have a lot more to them now. You still use a journal for hints on how to solve the puzzle but they are a lot more fleshed out and are slightly more difficult. I never struggled with any of the puzzles but they were all enjoyable. I love the journal too. You can now flick through the pages and if you go to the start you can see “The many faces of Victor Sullivan” which is hilarious. One thing that most recent games have disappointed me with is the lack of easter eggs and secrets, both of which Uncharted 2 has plenty of. The journal has a few it which are definitely worth checking out but there are quite a few other great ones which are also hilarious.

There is a larger focus on co-op with your A.I. teammates in Uncharted 2. Though there is no co-op through the main game (There are specific co-op missions though) you are accompanied with a partner for most of the game. They know what they’re doing and don’t get in your way which is fortunate. There are a few co-op moves now but they are quite simple and range from a boost to pushing objects together.

With the large mix of gameplay elements Uncharted 2 manages to stay varied throughout the entire game. The missions help this by being really varied themselves. Drake travels to a fair share of locations in this and each of them plays out quite differently which keeps things exciting. At one point in Uncharted 2, Drake says, “Everything I touch turns to shit” and that is completely true. Drake pretty much always ends with the worst possible outcomes but this does lead for some great moments in the game. Some missions, combined with the great set pieces, have you at the edge of your seat hammering at your controller in excitement. They take one of the most overused level ideas in a game and turn it into one of the most memorable levels of this generation. I am of course referring to the train level. Climbing across the top of a train while firing at enemies, jumping between carriages and getting some big guns fired at you is an incredible gaming experience. I don’t want to give all the good set pieces away but it is a fantastic level. This isn’t the only amazing level though, I could write an entire a list of them but like I said, it’s something you should witness yourself by playing it.

In terms of Story and character Uncharted 2 is very enjoyable. Like the first, Drake is on an adventure to find treasure but this time he is searching for what Marco Polo left behind. Don’t worry I’m not going to spoil it but I really enjoyed how the tale unfolded. The script has been very well written and it manages to keep you interested right up until the end. Both the returning and new characters are likeable (Well the heroes) and help keep the story interesting. The villains do their job as villains and make you hate them. All the characters have great dialogue and voice acting. Nolan North does an exceptional job as Drake which even outdoes his performance in the last game. His witty dialogue returns with some very humorous lines appearing not only from him but from all the characters. The famous “Kitty Got Wet” does in fact appear in the game which will please people who heard about it beforehand.

New to Uncharted 2 is the addition of multiplayer. Now this was always going to be about the single player for me and it was. The single player is a fantastic experience with a great story and cast of characters along with some of the most refined gameplay I’ve ever played. This multiplayer was just going to be an added bonus. Before I played the beta I thought it could have went the way of so many other multiplayer games that have just been tacked on so the developers could say that it had multiplayer. Fortunately it didn’t go this way and the multiplayer captures the feeling of the game right and manages to be very fun. There’s a range of co-operative and competitive modes which give you lots to play in Uncharted 2. You are still able to climb in the multiplayer which sets it apart from other online game; pulling an unsuspecting person off a ledge is great fun every time.

One of the main complaints about the first Uncharted is that it was too short. Well if that was one of your complaints you’ll be happy to know this is quite a bit longer. It took me just under 9 hours to finish the game which was on normal. On hard and crushing it will take a little longer. There is quite a bit of replay value in the game to keep you coming back. The single player is good enough to get a good few play throughs on its own but you have the higher difficulties to play along with the 100 treasures to find which is double the amount in the last game. Plus there is the multiplayer which will last quite a while too. This game will definitely give you good value for money.

Naughty Dog know how to make a sequel. With Uncharted 2 they really outdid themselves by making an excellent adventure from start to finish. Everything about the game has been refined so it excels in every area. It may not be the most original game ever made but when you have an experience as excellent as this it really doesn’t matter. You need Uncharted 2.

+ Great gameplay in every area
+ Some fantastic set pieces
+ Triumphs over the original in every way

- Doesn’t really do anything new

9.5/10