The plastic case for “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” stands out among the other PlayStation 3 games on my shelf.
As the alphabetized end of my library, the game breaks from the line of cases bearing the rigid old red-and-black “PS3” logo with a sleek new black-and-white logo.
But “Uncharted 2” does spectacularly more than sport a new case design to solidify itself as a departure point in the PS3 game catalogue. This blockbuster action game from developer Naughty Dog blends enough accessibility and cinematic bravura into delightful game design to assert itself as one of the system's best exclusive titles.
Protagonist Nathan Drake - part Indiana Jones, part Lara Croft - is enlisted by two former partners in crime to track down a Mongolian lamp that may contain a clue to the fate of Marco Polo's lost fleet of 13 ships. The hunt holds the chance of discovering both the mythic Cintamani Stone and the hidden Asian kingdom of Shambhala. But for Drake, the quest also runs the risk of treachery from his fellow thieves - and wrath from a homicidal war criminal also searching for the stone.
The basic game play formula of “Among Thieves” parallels that of “Drake's Fortune.” Drake's journey through Istanbul, Borneo, Nepal and elsewhere poses both human and environmental hazards.
Several technical improvements to the cover-based gun play make “Thieves'” combat even more enjoyable than that of the first “Uncharted.” Grenades can be tossed with greater ease, without the need to tilt the Sixaxis to map the desired trajectory. Propane canisters scattered throughout the game also make for handy portable explosions when hurled and detonated with a gunshot. The addition of a blindfire reticle eases prompt aiming when an enemy pops up in close quarters or when Drake must gun on the run. Maneuvering from one cover point to another is also made into a slicker process for the player, and in the enormous and nuanced maps of “Among Thieves,” there's never a shortage of spots from which Drake can take a shot.
The improvements to commanding Drake are mirrored by increases in the strength of his enemies. In “Among Thieves,” Drake faces tanks, gunship helicopters, gatling gun-wielding soldiers in heavy armor and subhuman creatures seemingly impervious to arms fire. The game's superb AI means even the most lowly foot soldier also poses a threat by never giving Drake the perfect shot and never letting him breathe when he's on the brink of death.
Stealth attacks, only a rare option in “Drake's Fortune,” grow into a necessity at some points in “Among Thieves.” A questionably placed level toward the beginning of the game requires Drake to sneak around Istanbul and silently dispatch guards from behind - or start all over again if caught. Though the delay of “Among Thieves'” robust shooting play in favor of stealth at the game's start ranks among its few faults, the stealth is made accessible enough to seize the player's attention until the bullets fly.
“Among Thieves” most forcefully trumps its predecessor in the ingenuity of its action set pieces. The sequel features a shoot-out within a collapsing building, where Drake's equilibrium consistently shifts to disrupt his aim. The game also includes a clever level in which Drake must blast his way through a battle while propping up a wounded man with one arm. And it's a shoot-out aboard a moving train that marks perhaps “Among Thieves'” finest moment. Long- and short-distance gunfights erupt between platform challenges where Drake must avoid low bridges and hugging structures on either side of the train in an unrelentingly fun and thrilling sequence.
As they do in the train level, platform segments break up the action of the rest of “Among Thieves” into well-balanced bursts. The platforming of “Uncharted 2” takes a more dynamic twist than its predecessor, as floors collapse, ledges crumble and pipes bend to consistently startle the player and force a new path. Finding that path in the game's expansive city, jungle and pastoral maps can sometimes present a challenge - as can timing each of Drake's jumps, swings and tightrope steps along it. The remarkable photorealism of “Among Thieves” even sparked a flash of vertigo during one odyssey atop the roofs of urban Nepal.
Skillfully maneuvering Drake is also crucial to solving some of the game's many puzzles, which don't force too much head-scratching but still stay far from brainless.
The presentation of “Among Thieves” includes some of the most cinematic voice acting and cutscene animation this side of “Metal Gear Solid 4.” Nolan North returns to enliven Drake with the charisma and sincerity of Indiana Jones, and the rest of the voice cast holds up its dramatic end. Though the game's blockbuster action genre restrains any character from achieving much emotional subtlety, the fun script nonetheless finds real laughs, real disappointment and real thrills at different turns in the story.
The graphic polish of the cutscenes extends to the game itself. The varying geography of “Among Thieves” spans the spectrum in dazzling fashion, from the mossy jungles of Borneo to a ravaged Nepalese city to the iced-over Himalayan mountainside.
The sturdy fundamentals of “Uncharted 2” prove their staying power through the game's online multiplayer modes, which “Drake's Fortune” lacked. Deathmatch and capture-the-flag scenarios, standard to first-person shooter online play, become an altogether different kind of addictive fun in “Among Thieves.” The game's distanced third-person perspective and emphasis on platforming in tiered maps widen the strategic depth of any gunfight.
With each novel feature in “Uncharted 2,” any new ground for the franchise to chart in its third chapter appears to shrink. It'll be hard to top a game that could single-handedly turn the PS3's fortunes around.
David Wilcox
253-5311 ext. 245
david.wilcox@lee.net
If you play.
Game: “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves”
Score: A+
Parental rating: Teen for blood, language, suggestive themes and violence
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Platform: PlayStation 3
Price: $54.99
Play: Single, online multiplayer
The final boss: “Among Thieves” is among few as one of the PlayStation 3's best exclusive games ever.
But “Uncharted 2” does spectacularly more than sport a new case design to solidify itself as a departure point in the PS3 game catalogue. This blockbuster action game from developer Naughty Dog blends enough accessibility and cinematic bravura into delightful game design to assert itself as one of the system's best exclusive titles.
Protagonist Nathan Drake - part Indiana Jones, part Lara Croft - is enlisted by two former partners in crime to track down a Mongolian lamp that may contain a clue to the fate of Marco Polo's lost fleet of 13 ships. The hunt holds the chance of discovering both the mythic Cintamani Stone and the hidden Asian kingdom of Shambhala. But for Drake, the quest also runs the risk of treachery from his fellow thieves - and wrath from a homicidal war criminal also searching for the stone.
The basic game play formula of “Among Thieves” parallels that of “Drake's Fortune.” Drake's journey through Istanbul, Borneo, Nepal and elsewhere poses both human and environmental hazards.
Several technical improvements to the cover-based gun play make “Thieves'” combat even more enjoyable than that of the first “Uncharted.” Grenades can be tossed with greater ease, without the need to tilt the Sixaxis to map the desired trajectory. Propane canisters scattered throughout the game also make for handy portable explosions when hurled and detonated with a gunshot. The addition of a blindfire reticle eases prompt aiming when an enemy pops up in close quarters or when Drake must gun on the run. Maneuvering from one cover point to another is also made into a slicker process for the player, and in the enormous and nuanced maps of “Among Thieves,” there's never a shortage of spots from which Drake can take a shot.
The improvements to commanding Drake are mirrored by increases in the strength of his enemies. In “Among Thieves,” Drake faces tanks, gunship helicopters, gatling gun-wielding soldiers in heavy armor and subhuman creatures seemingly impervious to arms fire. The game's superb AI means even the most lowly foot soldier also poses a threat by never giving Drake the perfect shot and never letting him breathe when he's on the brink of death.
Stealth attacks, only a rare option in “Drake's Fortune,” grow into a necessity at some points in “Among Thieves.” A questionably placed level toward the beginning of the game requires Drake to sneak around Istanbul and silently dispatch guards from behind - or start all over again if caught. Though the delay of “Among Thieves'” robust shooting play in favor of stealth at the game's start ranks among its few faults, the stealth is made accessible enough to seize the player's attention until the bullets fly.
“Among Thieves” most forcefully trumps its predecessor in the ingenuity of its action set pieces. The sequel features a shoot-out within a collapsing building, where Drake's equilibrium consistently shifts to disrupt his aim. The game also includes a clever level in which Drake must blast his way through a battle while propping up a wounded man with one arm. And it's a shoot-out aboard a moving train that marks perhaps “Among Thieves'” finest moment. Long- and short-distance gunfights erupt between platform challenges where Drake must avoid low bridges and hugging structures on either side of the train in an unrelentingly fun and thrilling sequence.
As they do in the train level, platform segments break up the action of the rest of “Among Thieves” into well-balanced bursts. The platforming of “Uncharted 2” takes a more dynamic twist than its predecessor, as floors collapse, ledges crumble and pipes bend to consistently startle the player and force a new path. Finding that path in the game's expansive city, jungle and pastoral maps can sometimes present a challenge - as can timing each of Drake's jumps, swings and tightrope steps along it. The remarkable photorealism of “Among Thieves” even sparked a flash of vertigo during one odyssey atop the roofs of urban Nepal.
Skillfully maneuvering Drake is also crucial to solving some of the game's many puzzles, which don't force too much head-scratching but still stay far from brainless.
The presentation of “Among Thieves” includes some of the most cinematic voice acting and cutscene animation this side of “Metal Gear Solid 4.” Nolan North returns to enliven Drake with the charisma and sincerity of Indiana Jones, and the rest of the voice cast holds up its dramatic end. Though the game's blockbuster action genre restrains any character from achieving much emotional subtlety, the fun script nonetheless finds real laughs, real disappointment and real thrills at different turns in the story.
The graphic polish of the cutscenes extends to the game itself. The varying geography of “Among Thieves” spans the spectrum in dazzling fashion, from the mossy jungles of Borneo to a ravaged Nepalese city to the iced-over Himalayan mountainside.
The sturdy fundamentals of “Uncharted 2” prove their staying power through the game's online multiplayer modes, which “Drake's Fortune” lacked. Deathmatch and capture-the-flag scenarios, standard to first-person shooter online play, become an altogether different kind of addictive fun in “Among Thieves.” The game's distanced third-person perspective and emphasis on platforming in tiered maps widen the strategic depth of any gunfight.
With each novel feature in “Uncharted 2,” any new ground for the franchise to chart in its third chapter appears to shrink. It'll be hard to top a game that could single-handedly turn the PS3's fortunes around.
David Wilcox
253-5311 ext. 245
david.wilcox@lee.net
If you play.
Game: “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves”
Score: A+
Parental rating: Teen for blood, language, suggestive themes and violence
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Platform: PlayStation 3
Price: $54.99
Play: Single, online multiplayer
The final boss: “Among Thieves” is among few as one of the PlayStation 3's best exclusive games ever.
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