Review #72: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

 This is how you do a sequel.

 Uncharted 1 was awful. The production values were there, but the gameplay just didn't live up to it. Uncharted 2 fixes most of Uncharted 1's issues while expanding on ever redeeming quality Uncharted 1 had. The end result is a vastly superior game.
 Among Thieves takes up a little while after Uncharted 1, although there are no references to it what so ever. The game starts you up right about the middle of the story, with a wounded Drake being in a perilous situation, as he gets through it he recounts how he got there. Basically, there's an artifact, a dagger, that is said to be the key to opening Shambala, a hidden land, and the bad guy, who happens to have an accent like Uncharted 1's villain, wants it. There are plenty of similarities to Uncharted 1's story, a moment when Drake wants to call it quits, an ally in need of rescuing, a villain with an accent that learns how to get to the item he needs through Nathan, former humans turned inhuman enemies and a few others. The story is much better told this time, though, and there are many more supporting characters than in Uncharted 1, and they are all as likeable as the cast from UC1 were. Heck, most of the game, Drake will have at least one companion, and the exchanges between both are pure gold.

 My biggest gripe with Uncharted 1's gameplay was it's control, well, that's gone. Mostly. Movement has been tightened quite nicely, and doesn't feel as floaty. It's still not perfect, as a couple of jumps will make you feel as if it was the controls fault. And it probably was. The exploring segments are much better as well, Nathan will no longer prompt you towards deadly jumps, so if you mess up, it's completely your fault. There are a couple of puzzles too, and they are much more engaging and involved than Uncharted 1's, they are still pretty easy, but they are more fun. Attention to detail has been paid even to Drake's journal, as you can flip through the pages(When looking for hints for the puzzle) and see Nate's hilarious notes. Lastly, treasures return, and it's 100 instead of 60 now, although the game is just as linear as it used to be. Not that being linear is a bad thing.
 Combat is also better. Drake takes cover in a much smarter manner, and getting in and out of cover is much tighter as well. Enemies don't soak up as much damage as they used to be, at least not early in the game, and later when they do, it's at least explained by them having tons of armor on top. Every weapon returns alongside a couple of new ones. There are also special weapons, like a Riot Shield, a Minigun and gasoline tanks that you can throw and shoot them in the air to make them explode. Another complaint I had was that the game felt like you were going from shooting arena to shooting arena. While there are still a couple of those, they are not as heavy populated as before. The best feature, however, is that grenade distance is no longer controlled by motion controls, thank god. Even blindfire was enhanced, now you get a reticule so it's easier to aim at an area while doing so. I take it back, the best feature are the new set pieces. Many a times the game mixes the platforming with the shooting sections, making them much more exciting and fun. The train level is probably the standout moment of the game, but there are many more, like the car chase when you need to jump from car to car as you shoot your enemies, who are also on cars, really cool stuff.

 Presentation is downright fantastic. Gone is the plastic look that skin had in Uncharted 1, and everything is even more detailed. And details are everywhere, Drake and allies getting covered in snow while rolling around on it, getting wet too. There are physics applied to everything, so if you walk across it, Drake's body will push it. The soundtrack and voice acting is on par with Uncharted 1, and that's not a bad thing at all. Series newcomers are voiced just as well. What makes it even better is the dialogue, especially every character that gets to accompany Nathan, as the banter is fantastic.
 After you are done with the game, there are a multitude of stuff to unlock, from alternate skins for Nathan, to get-certain-weapon-whenever-you-want to even alternate filters or modes(Mirror World and Flip world are back). There's also a multiplayer component, but I had a bit of trouble finding matches. Regardless, Multiplayer is surprisingly fun, getting the acrobatics a gunplay into multiplayer arenas actually works quite well.
 Uncharted 1 is awful, it's just very hard to like. Uncharted 2 takes the redeeming qualities from it's predecessor and fixes everything that was wrong with it, ending up with an all around great game.
 8 out of 10.