My Uncharted 2 quick review: Mostly spoiler Free
I wrote this review on the 11th for my clan The Syndicate, so keep that in mind. The MP reviewed here is from the beta, but now that I have played a lot of the retail version's MP, I mostly stand by what I said then. I hope you enjoy it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me start off with a proclamation:
I fully agree with Adam Sessler... this is the best single player experience of my life.
Digested that? Aiite, lets move on.
Uncharted 2 takes everything which the first game did well and turns it to 11... and improves on every aspect of the first one which wasnt up to par. The controls are silky smooth, the puzzles are more intensive, the platforming is out of this world and the gunplay is hugely satisfying. There really isnt any facet of the gameplay which I can find fault with.
Recognition of the fact that this game is going to be something special comes very quickly in the first level itself! The 'tutorial' (if you can call it that) takes place under the most harrowing circumstances, and every step you take will fill you with dread. It is truly one of the best opening sequences of all time. Soon the game will take you on an epic adventure all over the world, and trust me, you wont be lost for a second. At all times, the game does a good job of letting you know exactly what your motivations are and why you are doing whatever it is you are doing. Naughty Dog have also done an excellent job of familiarizing the player with the stealth mechanic. I was a little skeptical about stealth because I thought it was being shoehorned into the game, but it works flawlessly. There were multiple occasions when I would crouch in a corner before entering an area full of enemies, studying the pattern of the guards and plotting how to silently pick them off one by one. The treasures are hard to find and are often hidden in hard to find places in the middle of huge puzzle-platforming set pieces. Uncharted 2's blending of stealth, puzzles, platforming and action is far superior to any other game I can think of right now.
There is nothing I can say which can explain just how good the graphics are. It was impossible for many of us to believe that Killzone 2 would be surpassed within a year of its launch, but Naughty Dog have done it. The game is beautiful to a ridiculous degree, so much that it can actually be quite a distraction. I was caught a couple of times staring into the horizon, gawking at the vistas while soldiers sneaked up on me and shot me to death. The checkpoint system does a good job of making sure you dont backtrack a lot, so its a small price to pay for enjoying such gorgeous views. The water shimmers, the leaves on the trees wave gently while a breeze wafts through the environment, the caves are dark and foreboding, with an amazing lighting engine making shadows truly pop... There is a particular level towards the end where a slight rain begins to fall and the whole environment is lit up by flashes of lightning. I was meleeing an enemy and lightning struck right behind him. The depth of field effect, plus the lightning reflecting from the puddles on the floor, his face and my profile... Wow. It has to be seen to be believed. There are things going on with the graphics which will make you believe in God. Naughty God.
The storyline is much improved this time around as well. Lets just say the tagline 'Among Thieves' is extremely apt. There are double crosses galore, the story takes some incredible twists and turns, and the ending is truly fitting. I was drained after the game just due to the intensity of the action and the revelations which come at you at break neck speed. The cutscenes, the ambient noises (the jungle noises are crazy good), the voice acting and the camera angle... the presentation is top notch throughout. I am comfortable saying that this game has the best looking snow, the best looking water, the best looking jungle foliage and the best animation of ANY game on ANY console. If any of you know hindi/nepali, you can actually read the street signs in the urban environment, thats how detailed the environments are. This game truly raises the bar for production values far beyond anything we have seen till now.
I wont comment on the Multiplayer because I havent been able to play too many games in the retail version (not too many people have the retail game) but the beta/demo was awesome. I am sure a lot of you have played it and so you know how fun and entertaining the MP is. Lets just say I am 100% in support of adding Uncharted 2 MP to our clan and I can foresee epic games of chain reaction and plunder amongst us!
Uncharted 2 is one of the best games of this generation and will go down in history as a genuine classic. It is a new benchmark for immersive entertainment. If you like games, you need to play Uncharted 2, its that simple. I cannot recommend it enough. If you are on the fence, buy it... you will thank me later.
