Looking Back: Uncharted 2

When the 4th Indiana Jones film came out, I was very disappointed. Indy was too old, the story was convoluted and incomprehensible and there was too much f*****g Shia LaBeouf. As people tried to repress the thought's of the atrocious movie, they turned to Uncharted 2. AND DEY WERE LIKE OMG!

Uncharted 2 is one of the best PlayStation games and one of the best games ever. It may have only came out in 2009, but it already has a legacy. This game was revolutionary because of it's cinematic story telling, stunning visuals and extremely polished presentation. All those childhood moments of wanting to be in the movies were summed up the moment I started playing this game.

Who could blame her?

Nathan Drake, the treasure-hunting protagonist, wakes up in a train. A train which is hanging off the top of a mountain. The brilliant opening triggers a flashback where he is relaxing on a beach in the Caribbean, and is approached by two fellow treasure hunters, who ask for his help in finding the elusive treasure of Marco Polo.  Drake can't resist, and is wound up in a gripping yarn that spans the entire globe.

While the story is very good, it's how it is told that makes it spectacular. As you're walking along in-game, the characters will start chatting to each other like any normal people would. This simple gesture is what makes this game stand out. Through phenomenal voice acting and sharp writing, the player garners all the character development and little details about the plot, simply by playing along with the game. Add to that spectacular set-pieces such as the stunning train-sequence and a romp through a civil-war stricken city and you have possibly the best story presentation of all time. This is how it's done, people! As Nintendo keep their story paper-thin and Hideo Kojima makes his games have hour-long cut-scenes, the good people at Naughty Dog lead the way in spectacular story-telling for video games.

They used motion-capture for the cutscenes

Words cannot describe how gorgeous this game is. The character models, the level design, the animations, lighting, everything. This is a game that could only be done on the PlayStation 3, and it shows. Just watch it in action (sorry if it's slow to load):

The gameplay is very tight and polished as well. The 3rd person shooting mechanics work well and the camera never falters. The shooting is broken apart by sequences of climbing and puzzles, which are a refreshing break from the norm. But this is where the game falters. The climbing seems to be deliberately stiff and clunky. I know that the mechanics are there to show that the characters are "everyday people like you and me" but the climbing isn't nearly as fun as say, Prince of Persia. The puzzles, while clever, usually involve looking into Drake's diary, offering little independent logic. These are tiny faults, but they stop the game from being perfect. 

Maybe he'd be more agile if he wasn't wearing jeans for the whole game

I've heard that there are plans to make a movie based on the game, but I honestly can't see the point? Uncharted 2 is an interactive movie, and is better than the first game in every regard. The visuals, story, voice acting, music, shooting and basically everything else you can think of is phenomenal. Did I mention everything fantastic about the single-player is translated to the multi-player? This is a game that non-PS3 owners should be jealous about, as it is one of the best games of all time. 

I'm going giggity giggity for a sequel

Thanks for reading!