Uncharted 2: Because Treasure Hunting Never Looked So Good

We are all excited for Nathan Drake - the man just takes any problem by the horns and well, gets sent off hurtling across the stadium. But despite the fact that fate seems to like bringing the ever-cocky lead character down, his fast thinking and incredible luck certainly makes up for it. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves takes players in control of good old Nathan once again. The game brings a combination of platforming and cover-base shooting combat to bring Nathan’s latest treasure hunting experience to life.

Uncharted 2 starts you off with Nathan waking up badly wounded, in a massive train accident, and on the verge of falling off the cliff. Not exactly the most calming introduction, but the delivery works and we found ourselves hooked well within the first five minutes of the game. Developer Naughty Dog certainly knows how to mix a good blend of suspense and action as you slowly climb up the damaged train, grabbing unto every single pipe, hatch and any random mechanical contraption to get yourself to the top. Not everything holds well of course, hinges can tear off and you can never be sure if your footing will support you long enough before you can find something new to hold on to.

There are plenty of wall, obstacle and cliff climbing sequences throughout the game, in various locations. The great thing about it is that it never gets old or repetitive, particularly with Drake’s frequent one-liners about his current predicament or the amusing conversations he has with his companions.

For those familiar with treasure hunting-adventure movies, the same formula has been used for the storyline: a seemingly innocent quest for great wealth and knowledge is put into peril by a group of sinister individuals who would use the treasure for ill purposes. Not that breaking into a national museum in order to smash open an artifact to read single clue is something to put into the honorable category, but the game does help justify your actions with due perspective.

It will not be all climbing and crawling however, as mentioned, you have got bad guys on your tail and it will take a combination of skill and firepower to take them down. Most encounters will encourage players to sneak around and to silently take down opponents. The alternative is to rush enemies head on with guns blazing –which is not effective at all in the harder difficulties. There are, of course, sequences that will require you to take on a direct shootout, and surviving these will require some accurate gun shooting as well as fast wits. Not to leave out the great platforming system they’ve got, Naughty Dog also gets players to take on waves of enemies and even an attack helicopter while hanging precariously from a ledge. It sounds dangerous and insane, but it is also the ultimate recipe for fun and excitement.

The story writing is top notch, while plenty of the game’s plot is delivered while you are in control, the event sequences in between makes you feel like you are watching a movie. The voice action and character animations are so well done and so lifelike that you can forget about the fact that Uncharted 2 is a game and just focus on the events onscreen. Of course, you would still have to pick up the controller to get things moving afterward.

For a completionist, this game is torture. While the online trophies naturally take some effort to accomplish, there are a lot of offline trophies that are just too repetitive. Particularly when it comes to accomplishing kill counts for each weapon type. Finishing the game does open up options for easily acquiring weapons, but the effort simply takes too much time -time you can spend on other great titles since by this point, you would have already finished the entirety of the story. The Platinum Trophy will have you putting away some hours, and the only good thing here is that it will still not take as long as some other grind-fests that we’ve seen in other genres.

That aside, there is very little else to complain about with Uncharted 2. Nathan is a pretty great lead character, stubborn, strong willed and very opinionated. His quirky comments and laid back approach to problems allows players to get a more personal feel for the role –especially when some of his sudden outbursts reflect what most players would feel in the given situation.

For an action based platformer, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has it all in the bag: a great storyline, interesting characters, solid controls and a soundtrack fitting of a full length motion picture. The action keeps you on the edge of your seat while the story will have you hanging unto every single line of dialogue; it is an experience that any PS3 owner cannot afford to pass up.