Uncharted 2: Among Thieves — Among Excellence

You can’t blame some of the more cynical people who like any form of entertainment for disliking sequels. After all, they’ve become the foundation various industries are based on. But it’s a practice that’s easier to dislike more than usual these days thanks to more and more of them being made to play it a little too safe. But sometimes, it’s worth it to give them a free pass; developers have the potential to make another game in the franchise (because everything is a franchise these days) that’s even more superlative than the original title. One that refines the ideas found in the previous game; or games.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the games that epitomizes the idea that sequels are perfectly OK as long as the resulting product contains elements to better the franchise. Sometimes significantly. Not to say that it will make it too hard to go back to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune for another replay, but the sequel really does a great job of bringing to light the pacing (it slows up around half of the way through) and predictability (oh, why here’s a big room. I wonder what’s going to happen in here…?) issues it actually had. Needless to say, the sequel is the original’s undoing, but more in a Spider-Man movie rather than X-Men movie style.

You can really tell that Naughty Dog listened to fans when it came to refining Uncharted 2. An aspect that makes the experience enthralling from start to finish is its sheer unpredictability factor. Uncharted had a problem where every time you walked into a large, sprawling area full of cover, you knew that the entire situation would result in a hail of gunfire. In this sense, the second game is much more unpredictable and has tighter pacing. You’d be surprised at how much more this one feels like an adventure in usurping pre-established video game conventions with its set pieces.

Said set pieces are also much more involving and intense this time around. Rarely does the same type of skirmish play out multiple times, as this game forces the player to use the environment a lot more. Sometimes, the environment can act as a hindrance from allowing you to complete your task of focusing your complete attention on taking out the opposition. Not to say this is a problem. In fact, it’s the exact opposite, as it gives a new dynamic to the combat itself. Also, don’t be surprised if you find that you can predict where some of the skirmishes will take place.

The gunfights themselves are also more intense because of the enemy A.I.’s actions. In Drake’s Fortune, the enemies were mostly smart about how they wanted to take you out, but some of them occasionally got the bright idea of trying to shoot you while standing in a wide open space, which is pretty much an invite to shoot them for an easy target. That rarely happens this time around, as your targets will use much smarter tactics to work together and stick behind the cover to try and bring you out of hiding. Usually with a grenade. Though there will still be a few times when a regular opponent will come to try and attack you headfirst while you’re wielding a shotgun, but those instances are surprisingly minimal. This is also not helpful for them since your more devastating melee attacks are much easier to perform than in the first game.

Unlike the first game, this one also has some stealth sections. And they’re surprisingly good! Usually, when a game whose expertise isn’t stealth, the sections involving that will be arbitrary and frustrating experiences due to the controls not being designed around that (see The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Beyond Good & Evil for good examples). But here, they’re actually well designed whenever they come up, and you can also choose to eliminate your enemies silently if you don’t feel like, or don’t have enough ammo to, engage in a gun fight.

You’ll also occasionally have help when fighting a bunch of enemies. While your companions are nowhere near as effective as you – they’ll never use anything other than a pistol, never melee attack, and never use grenades — they can still hold their own. And, unlike you, they can’t die in battle (they’ll only be stunned temporarily by explosions), so they’ll be there for the long run.

The story is also very well told, and definitely bests the first game’s in making it feel even more Indiana Jones-inspired than it was originally. This time around, Nathan Drake, along with new character Chloe Frazer and other returning companions, are out to find the secrets to what befell the lost fleet of Marco Polo. There is definitely treasure involved, which is the logical explanation as to why there are a bunch of other guys chasing you down for it.

Something that helps with the game’s vivacity is how the characters interact in and out of cut scenes. There’s always been a looming fear of the uncanny valley in newer games for a while, but this game manages to avoid it due to how well the characters emote through animation and voice. The voice acting present outside of cut scenes also really makes you feel like you’re part of an adventure. You might be surprised with how much this immerses you in the game; it actually does a better job at this than the first game.

Speaking of the voice talent, it’s exceptionally good and well delivered. Though Nolan North has received far, far more exposure since the time he voiced Drake in the first game, this is still where he fits best. (Not to say the guy isn’t capable of vocal range.) Anyone who voiced specific characters in the first game returns for this game, and Australian actress Claudia Black (of Farscape fame) does a great job as Chloe. The story itself is right on the same level as a fun-yet-suspenseful action movie. Yeah, it’s totally brainless, but who needs that when the resulting work is perfectly enjoyable?

The music is also pretty good, whenever it decides to play – or if you can even hear it amidst the ensuing chaos – or even if it decides to grab a few of its tracks from Drake’s Fortune. Similar to the story, the soundtrack is on par with your usual action movie; it’s pleasant to listen to, but it knows when to become more upbeat. There’s a track to match every situation, and it helps in making exploration and puzzles a memorable experience.

Better pacing means there’s a good balance of every element the game offers – that’s adventuring, exposition, and shooting. This means that if anyone labels this as a shooter, you shouldn’t listen to that person (which people who should know better have been saying). It’s during all of these elements that you realize how good this game looks. As of right now, it’s seriously the best looking console game on the market, perhaps besting Metal Gear Solid 4. I’m sure that victory won’t last long, though.

Uncharted 2 is, more or less, exactly what fans Uncharted and Naughty Dog in general wanted. It’s also precisely what a sequel should be: something that doesn’t undo what the original achieved (like Naughty Dog’s last franchise), and it’s something that not
only refines the mechanics established in the franchise, but enhances them so that any developer who intends to make an adventure game should take note. It definitely deserves the accolade it’s received this year, and if you own a PS3…well, you’ve already played it, right?