Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune made its debut alongside the release of the Playstation 3 and managed to win the hearts of critics as well as gamers. 2 years later, Nathan Drake returns to our screens with some new adventures and thrills, but does it have what it takes to become another show-stopper?
The events in Among Thieves take place a year after the first Uncharted and Drake seems to have settled down, when he is approached by an old friend, Harry Flynn, who needs his help in finding a long lost relic. It is discovered that this relic is just the beginning, and he soon finds himself on a globe spanning adventure in search of the treasure which was discovered by none other than Marco Polo. We could carry on but that would only spoil an extremely unique, captivating and incredible story filled with action, suspense and enough thrill to satisfy the most hardcore of drug addicts. To top it off there is some top class voice acting which will also leave you laughing by yourself in front of your TV.
Uncharted 2 has borrowed many gameplay characteristics from its predecessor, tweaked them and added some new ones. Keeping with the 3rd person, action platforming theme, Drake has gained a few new skills along the way. Firstly, Nate is more aware of the objects around him thanks to better physics, which means that the platforming has taken a step up. You thought he was a good monkey in the first one? Now he is even better as he climbs, jumps and shimmies better than Indian Jones ever could.
A cool new addition is Drake’s ability to use stealth to take out enemies. This is used to take out thugs when they’re not looking and better your odds when you break out into a gunfight, seeing as there will be fewer guns pointing back at you. It adds some nice variation to gameplay and makes you tense up in fear of being spotted.
Action is the name of the game in Uncharted 2 and you will never come across any dull moments. Drake will find himself having to use his bare hands, guns, turrets, crossbows and his wit to defeat his adversaries. His journeys will see him climbing the rooftops in Turkey, hanging off the ledge of a train and jumping huge distances in the Himalayas. There’s enough action to make Chuck Norris movies look as dull as a Hanna Montana concert.
Having won our award for Best Graphics at R@GE 2009, Uncharted 2 may probably be the best looking game to date. It oozes perfection from the hair on Drakes neck to the lush Borneo jungle. With a seamless flow between cut scene and gameplay, we often found ourselves staring at the screen wondering as to why nothing is happening, only to discover that what we were looking at was gameplay. Character modeling is just as good as the personalities of the characters themselves and movement is extremely smooth and fluid. One of the best things about Uncharted is its level design, as it looks phenomenal and one can see that a lot of effort has been put into it. Not only is it highly detailed but it is also put together really well and makes you feel as if you are truly part of the adventure.
Now equipped with online, Uncharted 2 offers even more replay value to the player. It boasts a number of interesting game modes which include deathmatch, elimination and gold rush. There is also an online co-op which allows you and two other friends to team up and play through a number levels whilst working together to complete objectives. The online functionality adds a great feature to an already brilliant game.
Overall Uncharted 2 is a show-stopper. Its has a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and characters that will make you wish they were real so you can have them as your friends. It plays like a dream and makes you feel like the ultimate explorer as you rage through the action and figure out which way to go next. To top it off it is the best looking game you’ve seen and you’ll be stuck in the online after you complete the campaign a few hundred times. Chuck Norris and Indiana Jones were the definition of cool back in the day. Now that definition is: Nathan Drake.
[starreviewmulti id=1 tpl=20]
