Uncharted 2 -PS3-

Uncharted 2: Among Theves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is magic in a bottle. Its a beautiful adventure ride, that’ll thrill old and young alike. Its like a circus. Its basically a circus. It’ll dazzle and bedazzle you at the same time.  OK, none of that make any sense, I just want to say that its a good game. Its like the Avatar the movie of the gaming world. The story is compelling, the duologue is quick and witty, gameplay is refined and precise. Its a pick up and play good ole’ adventure game that you’ll want to come back to.

First, Uncharted 2 is a linear adventure exploration game. And second, it plays as an excellent shooter. Its played from a third person view.  I never played the first Uncharted. I hear good things about it, and I want to play it someday, casue if its half as good an Uncharted 2, its a great game.

Uncharted 2 was developed by Naughty Dog. They are the same team that made all the Jak & Dexter games. They are similar to Insomniac Studios who make all the Racket and Clank games that started making the Resistance games. Its fun to see these experienced studios make “must have” games but of a different genre that they are not use to making. The Naughty Dog team really outdid themselves, and they really took advantage of the ps3 hardware like no other game before it. Here is why: so many of the big games coming out today are multi-console. They come out on the pc, xbox 360 and the ps3.  They way that they develop it, the game is developed to be maximized on the xbox 360, but then is ported to the ps3. Thusly, the ps3 ports tend to not fully utilize the ps3 hardware. It has to do with the 8 core ps3 cell processor and the tri-processor xbox 360 difference. Currently its just easier to develop for the xbox 360 because its so similar to the pc.

Anyway, This has resulted in the ps3 ports not always looking as good as the xbox 360 equivalent. Enough of that. Naughty Dog has been working with the hardware for 5+ years and it they made a product that really takes advantage of the ps3.

Uncharted 2 looks screamingly good. At times I was in awe of the detailed environments, and how far the world would extend in the background. The game will most certainly reward you with pleasing visuals as you progress through the game. I will not disappoint you. You’ll venture through jungles, snowy peaks, mountainous town peaks, and busy city centrals. There are more places too, they all look amazing. I cannot express how visually stunning the game looks, and the game constants runs smoothly. Uncharted 2 is an accomplishment and a landmark.

Uncharted 2 plays just as well as it looks. The game is played from a 3rd person perspective with the usual adjustable camera. The game is 2 equal parts, part 1 is platforming / puzzles and part 2 is the shooting action. The platforming and puzzles are deeply involved with the environment. Thousands and thousands of the walls, poles, cracks, and doorways can be scaled. The climbable areas blend in beautifully with their surroundings. Its a real treat.

The music and voice acting is top notch. Its pretty much Academy Award winning quality musical score. Its all original and its matches and accentuates the areas and situations. The voice acting fills the game with a sophisticated wit. The genuine character of Nathan Drake is realized through his playful banter with the other supporting cast members. Having played so many video games, The voice acting is usually forced, unnatural, and bland. Not always, but anyway Uncharted really sucks you into the story.

There is also a robust and supported online multiplayer that supports up to 16 players.  I played it for several hours and had a good time. I didn’t have much practice and I usually would end up in the middle of the pack. I like it because it uses both the environment climbing and the shooting. I really enjoyed it. And even without the multiplayer, the standalone game is still so good.

Uncharted 2 is a must have if you are a video game fan. It is definitely a system seller for the ps3. I hope Naughty Dog keeps making games, cause stuff they produce has just made the “buy it day 1″ list. Uncharted 2 Undoubtedly get a 5/5

-pete March 21 2010