Written by: Alex

 

 

 

"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" follows the continuing adventures of Nathan Drake. This sequel to the 2007 title Uncharted: Drakes Fortune the game that marked Naughty Dogs entry to the current generation of consoles.

 

It received a fair critical welcome, but the overall opinion was that while it was fun there was room for improvement. Now with their second instalment in Nathan’s tale we get to see if Naughty Dog have managed to polish up this rough gem.

 

Initial impressions of Uncharted 2 are incredible. The lead character, Nathan Drake awakes on a train, bleeding and disorientated. It’s a interesting way to throw the player into the action with a similar situational awareness to that of the protagonist without relying on the ‘amnesia’ plot line so many games seem to fallback on.

 

Talking of falling back, as Nathan starts to come to his senses he notices not all is as it should be, with the most pressing abnormality being gravity doesn’t seem to be going the right way. The chair Nathan is sat in buckles under his weight and he falls through the carriage barely managing to find a handhold to save himself from the drop down the side of the cliff the train is swinging precariously over.

 

So begins the tutorial, it sets the scene both in what players will be expected to do and the pace and style of ride they are about to be taken on. Cut scenes are scattered through out this section, flashback that introducing the plot and key characters in a manner reminiscent of a movie. The game’s cinematic, as with everything in Uncharted 2, was established during the original game. What the sequel manages to do (consistently) is to take what its predecessor offered and improve upon it.

 

 

The writing was refined both in the characterisations and the scale of the story. Returning characters are expanded upon, and perhaps more importantly additional cast arrive. Each member is significantly more believable than the majority of game characters thanks to the wonderful script, which is bought to life by the vocal talent. Through out the interaction between the cast members is a joy to listen to, and fortunately it isn’t limited to the cut scenes as characters continually banter back and forth continually, ensuring that you are consistently entertained even when the action is of a slower pace.

 

The constant interaction between Nathan and the other characters of course requires other characters be present. In most games this usually results in a string of escort quests, or at least frequent failure as your partner manages to get killed. Fortunately Uncharted 2’s support characters appear as capable as Nathan, well either that or bullet proof, as none of them ever seem to have any trouble dealing with the innumerable things that are thrown at them. Only once did I see the AI do something stupid, when one of my group decided she wanted to hide on a stairwell while the rest of us ran on through an abandoned house, and anyone who has played single player Resident Evil 5 will tell you that compared to RE5, this is an error easily forgiven.

 

Uncharted 2’s environments are also improved from the original game. Of course they have undergone the same graphical overhaul, but also the shear variety Naughty Dog shoehorned in during the course of what is a relatively short tale is incredible. Nathan moves from sewers to temples and from cities to arctic tundra, each with their own beautiful, unique style. The difference this creates between the original Uncharted and Uncharted 2 is similar to that of Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Raiders of the Lost Arc. In one Indie is stuck in the same mine for the majority of the movie, while the other see the action jumping you all over the world. It offers real feeling of adventuring, even when the game falls into its predictable formula.

 

 

I admit describing the games action, as having a ‘predictable formula’ is a little misleading. It is decidedly more varied than most games, but like the original game it follows the same exploration, gunplay, puzzle solving through out. All of this is broken up by the wonderfully acted cut scenes but it quickly descends into a fight, platform, fight pattern that becomes more and more transparent as you move through the game.