Uncharted 2 Among Thieves – Review – PS3

Review Originally Appeared on Growngeekgaming
Before I set out on this review I need to ask you a question.  What defines a perfect video game?  After playing through Uncharted 2 I asked myself this question, in fact I kept asking myself this question as I was playing.  I found myself in a real conundrum trying to determine if in fact this was the mythical perfect game.  In short no, our search for the perfect game continues but I can without a doubt tell you that UC2: Among Thieves is the single closest thing to the perfect game I have come across.  Let me tell you why.

You are Nathan Drake, for anyone who has played the first Uncharted (note: I have not as of this review played the first Uncharted) you are familiar with the wise cracking Drake.  If like me you have not played the first game go get it, what are you waiting for?  While it may not be necessary I was able to get by without playing it and without feeling completely lost in the storyline, but I digress.  You wake up on a train, a train hanging over the edge of the cliff, Nathan quickly realizes this and your first mission is set, get the hell of this train.  This makes for a perfect setup for a very wild ride though out jungles, battle devastated cities, snow covered peaks and Tibetan villages.

I am not going into plot details because I don’t want to accidently spill some spoilers or anything that may give away the story.  But let’s just say it is full of deceit and drama and the writing is perfect.  I would even go so far as to say it played out better than most major motion pictures.  I laughed out loud a few times, I wanted to kill and a few times I was just OMG.  It was very well written and the gameplay fits right in with the script.

The game is played from a 3rd person perspective with a free moving camera for most levels; there will be a few where it is fixed.  The camera hardly ever becomes a bother and the controls only had me enrage maybe twice (I had been drinking though so that may have been my fault ).  There are a few different elements of gameplay in UC2.  Puzzles, stealth and guns guns guns!  The stealth elements play out in small doses only.  You won’t find any full levels of stealth antics here just the option to take out some enemies quietly although it usually turns into a plot mechanic when the game suggests it.  The real meat of the game is puzzles and action.  While the puzzles are quite simplistic they are still fun and really lend to the whole plot line as opposed to just a gimmick to make the game seem longer.  Think more Indiana Jones and less Laura croft on this game.

Now we come to the fun part, the guns.  Yes there are lots of gun battles and you need to familiarize yourself with the weapons of Uncharted 2, because you will spend a lot of time ducked behind cover and running and gunning to stay alive.  Rolling into cover peaking around a corner and taking a headshot on the bad guys feels very satisfying and while it plays out similar to Gears of War I never felt like I needed to compare the two.  It has a very unique and fun feel, even after dying I never felt too frustrated to give it another shot.

With a great plot, great gameplay and lots of guns what is missing from the package?  Well great graphics and this is where the game excels.  Without a doubt the best thing the PS3 has to offer right now when it comes to looks.  If any game were used to showcase the power of the PS3 Uncharted 2 has to be it.  I was hard pressed to find anything remotely bad about the graphics.  A few lower resolution textures sitting right next to some hi res ones did the trick and one of my few complains.  But I didn’t find them often.

The last place that Uncharted 2 excels is the multiplayer.  UC2 has both competitive and co-op offerings.  In co-op you have up to 3 other players take the role of Drake and 2 others with missions involving the usual elements from the single player unfortunately there is not campaign co-op. The competitive MP has your usual fair of modes, including deathmatch, Plunder, Elimination and Chain reaction.  Plunder is basically Capture the Flag, elimination includes 2 teams similar to DM only there is no respawn.  Chain reaction is capture the flag on steroids.  You need to secure 5 flags and you have to do them in order.  In pretty much all the MP modes it is Heroes vs. Villains and you get to choose which character model you play as.  Some are not available to you until you have unlocked them from single player.

The MP provides you standard fair but does it in the Uncharted fashion.  You have to take cover and fight more then run and gun.  Although there are still people who run and gun for the most part, they usually don’t last long though.

As much as this game strives for perfection it comes so close to doing so I am sure Naughty Dog can taste it.  It is a difficult job reviewing a game this great and I can’t find any reason why you wouldn’t want to pick it up.  Hell if you have the money and don’t have a PS3 I can feel secure in telling you that if ever there was a game to buy a system for this is it.  You have a great story awesome graphics, great voice work and lots of fun.  Don’t miss it, if you do you have no reason calling yourself a gamer

Score: 8 out of 10

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