Uncharted 2: Among Thieves PS3 10/10

THE GOOD: FIXED CAMERA ANGLES, CINEMATIC QUALITIES

THE BAD: SOME CLICHED “THROW ME THE IDOL, I’LL THROW YOU THE WHIP” MOMENTS

STUDENTS: DON’T TAKE IN PLACE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

Uncharted 2 begins with quite a cinematic cliffhanger, literally. Players take on the role of Nathan Drake, a proficient fortune hunter that, at the moment, happens to be stuck on a train. As the camera pans, however, we can see that Nate is hanging in said train car off of the side of a mountain in Tibet. Now things are exciting.

As the train car begins to teeter, players make their ascent through the car vertically, climbing through shattered windows and over luxurious train seats. What really defines this moment, along with many others in the game, is the spectacular fixed camera angles. Without the free camera control, we can see Nate’s challenge from his perspective: a daunting climb upward.

Without the control of the camera during these platforming sections, Uncharted 2 makes players see what the developers intended for them to see: gorgeous vistas, or even waves lapping on a building beneath you, all the while Nate is traversing a rugged cliff or wall. And these perspectives are beautifully detailed and rendered.

Without the control of the camera during these sections, the game genuinely feels like a cinematic experience, just one that players are privileged to interact with.

And when it comes to combat, Uncharted 2 seamlessly gives camera control back to players.

One of my few gripes from the original Uncharted was the clunky grenade controls. In Uncharted 2, the original settings are still in place, allowing players to use the PS3’s motion sensing should they choose, but there is also a new setting for the analog sticks, which is a welcome addition.

The cover system from the original Uncharted also returns, retaining its excellence.

The entire game is extremely polished as well. The cut scenes are excellent, with characters being gorgeously detailed and the voice acting being top notch. Even the inigame cinematics look fantastic. One telltale moment occurs during gameplay when Nate falls into some water, and emerges looking soaked. His jeans and shirt turn a darker shade, seem to cling to him differently, and even glisten a bit in the sunlight, all from falling in water. Sadly, such polish is often left out from other games.

The storytelling is interesting too. Naughty Dog, Uncharted 2’s developer, took a page from Quentin Tarantino’s book. The game opens with the train section, as mentioned above, before playing full level flashbacks from such locales as Borneo and Turkey.

One of my favorite moments from Uncharted 2 occurs in the Borneo level. After being ejected from his vehicle, Nate is chased by some enemies in a monstrous looking truck. The camera pans to the front of Nate as players control him running away from the truck, and toward the player. Again, this is possible because of the fantastic fixed camera angles. 

This moment was reminiscent to me of scenes in Naughty Dog’s former games, Crash Bandicoot, wherein players were running from giant boulders or snowball landslides, as the perspective was the same. Whether or not this was an intended throwback or not, it still brought back memories.

Uncharted 2 is an excellent game for the PlayStation 3. The story, although riddled with cliches such as double-triple crossing broads and eastern-European accents, is gripping and entertaining. The vividness of the sun setting over the jungle horizon is testament to the game’s level of polished graphics, and the brilliant mixture of platforming and combat makes for one must own PS3 title.
This is the title players will show their non-gamer friends when they want to demonstrate their home theatre system and PS3.

I give Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a 10 out of 10.