Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review (2016, PS4, Uncharted Collection)
This review is only 7 years late, yay.
Naughty Dog, creator of two of the most successful intellectual properties (IPs) for both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 has done it again. Crash Bandicoot (PS1) and Jak and Daxter (PS2) were some of the most recognizable characters for years. Now with Uncharted, they created an IP that is not completely original, but the way it is executed, raises for bar for action-adventure games, and some might argue, the whole industry. Uncharted is an action-adventure third-person shooter with a grand vision. It combines everything you love about a great video game and turns it all into a very cinematic experience you can’t peel your eyes away from. The graphical capabilities of the PS3 were undoubtedly pushed to their limits with this title. This game could still give current-gen titles (PS4 and Xbox One generation) a run for their money. There is just a lot to love with this game. Like its predecessor, the story and writing are something any story should strive for. There are interesting, three dimensional characters who feel alive; they have wants, needs, and goals. Uncharted 2 has the look of a high budget Hollywood movie. The gameplay is the only place this game could be considered as “aged” compared to today’s titles. Nonetheless, playing through Uncharted 2 is an experience no gamer should miss out on.
The story takes us through many locations in this game. Our hero Nathan Drake, a tomb-raider-indiana-jones-esque character takes us through many different parts of the world in search of the fabled city of Shambhala. There’s betrayal, redemption, and a lot of good dialogue and character building that happen throughout the story. The Nathan from the beginning is not the same as the Nathan at the end of the story. From the opening scene of Nathan waking up on a train hanging off the edge of an icy mountain, you know you’re going to be in for a hell of a ride.
It’s hard to describe scale in a video game. We are used to playing games where the camera is so close to the character, it’s easy to miss the overall scale of what’s happening at any given moment. There have been great games that break this limitation such as Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) and God of War 3 (PS3). In Shadow of the Colossus you battle huge beasts. For most, if not all of them you literally have to grab on to their fur and climb them like 10 story buildings. In God of War 3, you went up against monsters that were much larger than the main character. He had to swing up and around them in order to defeat them. Uncharted 2 joins these two games in terms of scale because of the great set-pieces you encounter. Environmental destruction plays a huge role in this game as there are many times when you have to run for your life because either the environment around you is collapsing, or the environment is trying to kill you. Both of these things are used to great effect, and when they happen, you can’t help but smile. They are exhilarating moments and leave a lasting impression on you.
I was going to bash this game again for the gameplay, but I decided I’m going to go easy on it. A lot of the same problems present in the original Uncharted are still found here. The AI is sometimes way too smart, throwing grenades at you with sniper-like accuracy. There are tense moments when you must run around a corner during a gun-fight and you end up running face first into an enemy with a shotgun. The platforming has improved, not drastically but definitely improved. I didn’t see Nathan magically jump farther than he was suppose to, which was a problem in the first game. I did die. I died a lot, most deaths were my fault, but some deaths I can say were either bugs, or just unfair balancing issues.
If you google, “Uncharted 2 concept art,” you’ll find the reason why this game is so gorgeous. Any type of art begins with a solid foundation, and Naughty Dog knows how to take a concept and do it just right. Naughty Dog understands that there is no point to having a beautiful game if you don’t have a good story to go along with it. They understand where the medium is and tried to push it further than most people are accustomed to. Hideo Kojima has done this with all of his Metal Gear games. Up until MGS 4 which came out in 2008, a year before UC 2 (Uncharted 2), Kojima proved to the video game industry that games should not just be about pressing a button and having your avatar merely execute your commands. Uncharted and Metal Gear prove to anyone that plays them or watches someone play them that video games are a multi-layered art form like writing poetry, or creating films. Most of the hype surrounding this game is well deserved. I plan to replay it after I’m done with the series as a whole. I want to try to not die as many times. I think any medium of expression has done its job when it leaves the audience wanting more, and I definitely want more Uncharted in my life.
I give this game: 9/10
Reviewed by: Edwin R.R.
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