Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

So often hailed as the greatest game in the franchise, I have to say that while Uncharted 2 does a lot of things brilliantly, it lets itself down quite badly on two counts.

The first is that absolute curse of gaming - the final boss fight. If anybody can provide me with a legitimate reason why a game like this needs one, please do, because to me it feels like they slammed one in just for the sake of it, and did it pretty poorly as well. It's a really tedious, drawn out, fiddly fight that adds nothing to the game and detracts plenty, leaving you with a bitter aftertaste on a game that otherwise flies by at great pace. I understand why these climactic confrontations were important 10 or 15 years ago, when there was only so much information you could stick in a game, but consoles, designers, and writers have come on so much since then that there's no longer any need to have this kind of pay-off, not when we're capable to putting as much information into a story as we are now. Why spend the whole game chasing down one villain in an era a game can, and often will, give you multiple antagonists? And even if that's a decision you've taken for creative reasons rather than because you're reverting to type (and I do think the former is the case here, in fairness), why make that boss fight an exercise in running around in circles, occasionally looking over your shoulder, occasionally making sure you don't get caught out by that one bit of floor that's missing for some reason?

The other problem is a snowball effect from that fight. In the effort to build up to that scene properly, the plot of Uncharted 2 gets very silly very quickly towards its conclusion, with one particular conversation leading you to believe that you're fighting Nazi zombies. Seriously. It's not true, but it's a bit of a mood breaker when a game unintentionally makes you burst out laughing at it, and this is a prime example. The actual deus ex machina the plot throws at you is the sap from the tree of life....which doesn't actually seem a whole lot better when you see it written down, does it? That sap turns people into superhumans and then they live around the tree and dress up as yeti and....yeah. The storyline is actually quite sensible and easy to follow up to a point, but describing its last quarter as batshit mental is probably a bit unfair on guano, which has done little to deserve the comparison.

It's a shame, because in just about every other respect, the argument that this is the best Uncharted, at least of the original trilogy, holds water. The in media res opening is one of the most stunning moments of its console generation, a possible contender for gaming's greatest ever opening sequence, and Drake's character and history continues its development nicely. I mean, he'll never be truly three-dimensional, but he's just about the best damn two-dimensional action hero this side of Kurt Russell in Big Trouble in Little China. (Nathan Drake has always reminded me of that film, weirdly. I assume that's just me.) It's not as dark or brooding as Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception gets at times (which ensures that the two games retain different appeals from one another), some of the larger set-pieces in the storyline are stunning, and the gameplay is as smooth and enjoyable as any shooter I've ever played, with a set of difficulty options that actually reflect their names accurately. So basically it's 10 hours of a belter and 2 hours of kook, but hey, that's a pretty good ratio, right?

Naughty Dog paved the way for the cinematic capabilities of video games, something that had not yet been demonstrated at the time. But the game is more than naturalistic voice acting and the Indiana Jones plot. It's got that signature pacing, the levels are memorable and the train is an exhilarating setpiece of interactive action. It's brilliant and fun, a clear milestone in video game storytelling.

It's just cool to hate, an easy target for self-proclaimend guardians of "gaming". They'd suffer through the nonsense of Demon's Souls but they'd be annoyed at the trifle in Uncharted. Because, in a way, this game upholds videogames inferiority complex with film, and "gamers" hate that more than anything. In their minds the greatest stories of mankind are told in some obscure jrpg.

Uncharted 2 prides itself on its classicism and that's what makes it so fresh, despite some minor dated naïvity in tone and design. It sets the rules for others to follow or break.

Talvez eu tenha jogado na época errada, mas as cutscenes supostamente empolgantes e a história supostamente comovente e engajante nem de longe me impressionam, e o gameplay é só suportável - isso porque evoluiu horrores em relação ao antecessor nesse quesito.

Dito isso, é facilmente o melhor da trilogia original. Não é mais do mesmo e entregou algo relativamente único para 2009.

Chapter 1: A Rock and a Hard Place - What an opening. A gripping start interlaced with expositional flashbacks. Drake's movements here can be slow and hindered but it is still hooks you in. 9/10

Chapter 2: Breaking and Entering - to be honest, a slog to get through. The banter between Flynn and Nate is entertaining enough to make it somewhat interesting but the stealth mechanics were just so underdeveloped that it becomes a chore. The twist at the end was predictable as well. 6/10

Chapter 3: Borneo - Nate and Sully's jungle adventures continue Great dialogue and a gorgeous jungle setting. Some of the arenas are a bit too all over the place but overall a great chapter. 8/10

Chapter 4: Aside from the drawn out firefight at the start of the chapter, this is a nice slow down of pace. The gunfight at the start is fine to start with but then just ends up lasting way too long - almost like an endless survival wave based mode. The combat is not that interesting to justify a fight this long. This is an issue especially the final chapters suffer from massively. The underground tomb section is great, the dialogue and atmosphere are excellent. 7/10

Chapter 5: Urban Warfare - Now starts the excellent streak of chapters that is 5,6,7,8, 9 and 10. War torn Nepal is a gorgeous setting. This chapter is just a pure combat chapter with no banter as Nate is alone, and no puzzles however it remains interesting thanks to the setting alone. Some tom foolery with a fake stealth section that has to end in combat but overall a great start to the Nepal section. 8/10

Chapter 6: Desperate Times - Arguably one of the best chapters in the whole franchise, Desperate Times was used as the E3 Game Demo prior to the games release and rightfully so. The visuals are stunning. Nate and Chloe bounce of each other with fantastic dialogue. The combat sections are enjoyable and the helicopter boss fight is a spectacle. Truly a perfect chapter. 10/10

Chapter 7: They're Coming With Us - Take Chapter 6 and add Elena (forget about Jeff). The triangular banter between Nate, Chloe and Elena are great. Nothing more to say really. The car jumping section is annoying on replays but the overall chapter is great. 8/10

Chapter 8: The City's Secret - The inner temple is gorgeous. The puzzles is more a climbing exercise than actually anything mental stimulating but still entertaining thanks to the scale of the temple and the flirtatious chatter between Nate and Chloe. 9/10

Chapter 9: Path of Light - Akin to Chapter 8, the inner sanctum is stunning. The scale of the climbing part is impressive. Very short chapter however and could have easily been merged with Chapter 8. 8/10

Chapter 10: Only One Way Out - Fighting back through the temple is a fun way of rehashing the layout. A purely combat based chapter, it is still enjoyable making gunning your way through the tunnels and chambers. 8/10

Chapter 11: Keep Moving - The worst chapter in the game without a doubt. So tedious it is impossible to enjoy. Jeff is such a boring throw away character that I wish he was just killed off at the start of the chapter. Nate moves infuriatingly slow whilst carrying him that on higher difficulties the chapter is almost impossible to get through without dying at last three times. Seeing Elena and Chloe take scripted rockets to the face and still be fine is comedy gold. Uncharted has always been an on rails game but this is just too much. You have to follow such a strict path that anything of course, you are dead. Only merit is seeing Jeff get wrecked at the end. 2/10

Chapter 12: A Train To Catch - The cutscene with Nate and Elena at the start is great. The combat through the city is not however. The segment where you have to flip back and forth over a sign whilst shooting enemies is ridiculous. The train fight at the end is fine, but like the Borneo camp fight, this goes on way to long. Fortunately the following chapter is a masterpieces in game design. 4/10

Chapter 13: Locomotion - How they managed to get this chapter working in 2009 is absolutely baffling. But that is Naughty Dog, they seem to make games that look like they are from 5 years into the future. It is just magnificent. 10/10

Chapter 14: Tunnel Vision - The first half is great but the boss fights both the helicopter and Lt Draza fights are just terrible and frustrating on higher difficulties. Still a gorgeous level. 7/10

Chapter 15: Train Wreck - The chapter is aided by the fast track at the start saving players having to relieve the opening again animation for animation however like with most chapters, that survival wave mode comes back into play with a too long fight in the snow. 6/10

Chapter 16: Where Am I? - A nice change of pace from the constant action that has been the last few chapters. Interacting with the village people is a nice distraction.

Chapter 17: Mountaineering - A fantastic chapter. The language barrier between Nate and Tenzin adds a nice change in the dialogue of the game and these segments are visually gorgeous. The yeti fight is fine, can go on too long before Tenzin ends it. 8/10

Chapter 18: Heart of Ice - Some interesting platforming segments here but due to some of the jank that is Nate's directional jumping, it can become quite frustrating when Nate either misses the jump completely or grabs onto something far from what you intended. Still a nice chapter with a decent climax. 7/10

Chapter 19: Siege - A nightmare of a level on crushing. Just your standard shoot and cover chapter, nothing special, nothing standout. 7/10

Chapter 20: Cat and Mouse - The addition of the tank is intense and great until you realise how on rails it actually is. Depending on where Nate is, the tank can just sit there doing nothing if you don't move. It's fine. Nothing to scream about. 6/10

Chapter 21: Convoy - A memorable chapter. The first convoy mission to spawn a pattern in the following games. Whilst this is the worst of all the convoy chapters in the franchise, it is still brilliant. The dynamic movement of jumping from car to truck to car is great. Memorable for sure. 9/10

Chapter 22: The Monastery - A long chapter, exploring the Monastery with Elena is great and the two have good dialogue. Some of the combat scenarios thrown at you are so annoying however and on crushing, be prepared to die a lot. 7/10

Chapter 23: Reunion - A really difficult chapter with several Mini Gun enemies to tackle. Frustratingly tough on Crushing. The puzzle is easy though. The cutscene at the end is fine. You really do find Lazaravic barely intimidating as he has made several threats to kill Elena and Chloe and never proceeds for no reason whatsoever. 6/10

Chapter 24: Road To Shambala - It is good to have more banter with Flynn - he and Drake bounce of each other great. The yeti fight at the end is ridiculous as is the big reveal. Likewise with the reveal of Shambala. No-one could see this open sky city from the air? 7/10

Chapter 25: Broken Paradise - The inhabitants of Shambala are pain to fight if you do not have a crossbow. But the dynamic between Nate, Chloe and Elena is great here and visually the level is stunning. 8/10

Chapter 26: Tree of Life - Uncharted has always been terrible at boss fights. Lazaravic is definitely better than the UC1 fights but it is still so frustratingly bad. It is so boring. Round and round you after look behind you wrestling with the camera whilst navigating the uneven terrain. Could have been better.

Overall, not as good as UC4 or UCLL, but it is still great and remains one of my all time favourites.

When I first played this on the PS3 that belonged to my roommate at the time, it was super random. I thought I'd give it a shot. At the beginning of the game, I sort of got bored with all the sneaking up on enemies. I almost quit. Boy am I glad I didn't. I had an absolute blast. There are so many memorable moments in this game.

Uncharted 2 is a huge improvement over the 1st game and I remember playing it with my friend not too long after it came out. I was amazed by how much they improved and how much smoother and more cinematic this felt. Uncharted 2 is a big, epic adventure with tons of platforming and shootout segments, and it has a good variety of locations. I felt Uncharted 2 rarely grew stale and had enough variety and brought back the same characters we love from the 1st game. There were some annoying things, the final boss in this game is just as annoying and there are some frustrating platforming segments that can be failed easily. But the checkpoints in this game are pretty forgivable. I really can't criticize much since its a fairly well paced game that mixed platforming with action well and I felt the humor and story were stronger in this game. The game does go a little downhill at the end when they throw more annoying tough enemies at you but that really is only for the final 2 hours.