Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3 - 2nd completion)

[leathercubster]

I beat Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Game of the Year Edition two times in this whole playthrough, first time on "Normal" difficulty and then on "Hard" difficulty. I would have had everything done sooner but it's been a very busy month. I've gotten about half the PS3 trophies for this game and all 101 treasures but I've never attempted any multiplayer gaming. I also managed to unlock most of the extra content (videos, art, skins, etc.). I didn't bother with any of the DLC as I assumed this version included it on the disc but instead, they get you to download it and the code included expired over 2 and a half years ago! So this version was useless and for that, I refuse to bother with the DLC as it makes no sense to have an expiry date for a damn code when you paid for the game.



The game's plot revolves around the doomed voyage home of Marco Polo from China in 1292. After spending almost 20 years in the court of the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, Marco Polo departed with fourteen ships and over six hundred passengers - but when he arrived in Persia a year and a half later, only one ship and eighteen passengers remained. Polo never revealed what had happened to the lost ships. The game's story begins in medias res, with wounded protagonist Nathan "Nate" Drake waking up to find himself in a train hanging off a cliff with a bloody stomach wound. Through flashbacks, it is revealed that former associate Harry Flynn and old girlfriend Chole Frazer approached him with a job to steal a Mongolian oil lamp from a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Nate accepts the job when he learns that the lamp may lead to the treasure of Marco Polo's lost fleet. Flynn and Drake acquire the lamp, which contains a map showing that the lost fleet had been transporting the Cintamani Stone from the mythical city of Shambhala (better known as Shangri-La) before being thrown ashore in Borneo by a tsunami. Taking the map, Flynn double-crosses Drake, who is arrested and imprisoned. After three months he is released with the help of old friend Victor Sullivan and Chloe. Chloe, who claims to have had no knowledge of Flynn's treachery, had asked for the help of Drake's friend to secure his release. Nate and Sully follow Flynn and his boss Zoran Lazarević, an ex-Soviet intelligence operative and Serbian war criminal, to Borneo. With the help of Chloe working within Lazarević's camp as a mole, they discover that the lost fleet never actually possessed the Cintamani Stone. They locate a tomb containing the bodies of Polo's passengers, as well as a Tibetan phurba and a letter from Polo saying that the next clue is in a temple in Nepal. Flynn and his men appear in the tomb soon after and take the letter, while Nate and Sully escape by jumping off a cliff into a river. After everything, Sully backs out, deciding that the quest is too risky for him. Nate and Chloe head to Nepal to search for the temple that holds the clue to the whereabouts of the Cintamani Stone, with Flynn and Lazarević stopping them at all costs.

To see the game's opening and gameplay go here or below:

Click to view

Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, and Part 5 here.






Graphics/Art-10
+ Excellent graphics and animation! A lot of attention to detail just like in the first game. Natural surroundings and architecture have a pretty realistic flair.
+ Some heavy action cutscenes and situations are amazing! They're based on very over-the-top, Hollywood-inspired action flicks.
+ Level design is generally good and knowing where to go isn't too difficult.
+ Great snow and water effects. The textures are reflected on Drake's clothing as he moves through the elements. Lighting effects are also great too.
- There aren't many different kinds of soldiers. It feels kind of repetitive killing the same looking soldiers.
- The level designs don't seem realistic in that it feels like a video game and that they are structured like a game. For most games, this feeling works but for some games that require realism (and the aim of the developers), the levels shouldn't be structured too conveniently. Bricks and ledges are placed in a way that just happen to provide a way out of your predicament.

Sound/Music-10
+ Excellent voice acting with returning cast members from the first Uncharted game.
+ Great music and sound effects. The Uncharted theme from the first game returns.

Control-9
+ About the same as the first game so navigation is relatively easy. The game kind of plays like other 3D action platformers with Gears of War mixed in.
- Sometimes in battle, covering can get wonky and you're left open to attack.



Gameplay-9
+ Gameplay is very similar to the first game so it's easy to get into (even 3 and a half years after my playing Drake's Fortune!).
+ Drake is physically adept and is able to jump, climb, and scale narrow ledges and wall-faces to get between points. He can also be equipped with up to two firearms - one single-handed and one two-handed - and a limited supply of grenades. You can pick up weapons, automatically replacing the existing weapon you were using, and additional ammunition from slain soldiers.
+ The cover-based gameplay returns. You can cover in corners or low walls using either aimed or blind-fire to kill enemies. You can also have Drake fire while moving.
+ If you are is undetected by enemies, you can attempt to use stealth to take them out, such as by sneaking up behind them to knock them out with one hit, or by pulling an unsuspecting foe over a ledge from which Drake is hanging. If all of the soldiers patrolling an area are killed stealthily then other waves that would normally appear do not.
+ Some areas of the game require you to solve puzzles with the use of Drake's journal, which provides clues towards the puzzles' solutions. When enabled, a hint system provides gameplay clues, such as the direction of the next objective (by pressing "up" on the control pad).
+ Throughout the game are 100 special treasures that may be hidden or in difficult-to-reach places that you can collect. There is also one secret "hidden" relic (making it a total of 101 treasures) exactly the same as the one in Drake's Fortune. Collecting these treasures, along with completing certain feats within the game, is tracked by the awarding of medals, which gives you in-game money to use to unlock extra content on the disc.This includes concept art, game movies, and game cheats such as guns with infinite ammunition. A large portion of the in-game medals are used to award trophies too.
+ The enemy AI can be somewhat intelligent. They'll approach you as close as they can and will even throw grenades to flush you out.
+ The checkpoint system is mostly good and frequent.
+ Combat has changed a bit from the first game. You press the square button to attack and the triangle button to evade/counter at the right time.
- The vast majority of enemies you kill in the game are soldiers and it gets kind of repetitive. At the very least, they all don't carry the same kind of weapon.

Fun/Story/Misc-9
+ A very Hollywood-esque type of story that plays off of adventure movies, including it's production values.
+ Generally a fun game with some replay value. I heard the multiplayer is pretty good too.

Total: 47/50 (Grade level: A)

Gameplay videos are here, here, here, here, and here.

Because of the third game in the series was released a year and a half ago, there is no longer a main Uncharted 2: Among Thieves website. The Wikipedia article is here and the Gametrailers.com video review is here.

Next Game: Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

Currently playing: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS)