Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Surprisingly good"

The first Uncharted may have had its flaws, but it was an extremely great game for the PlayStation 3. Created by the company Naughty Dog who gave us classics such as Crash Bandicoot and Jax/Dexter, making a sequel to Uncharted 1 would've been a big task. Luckily, they were able to pull it off successfully. With improved gameplay tweaks and controls, along with an addictive online multiplayer, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a great step forward in one of the PlayStation 3's finest franchises.

Rejoin Nathan Drake as he ventures through the Himalayas to locate the lost treasure of Marco Polo. This time around, he is always not alone. Elena Fisher, the reporter from the first game is back again along with Victor "Sully" Sullivan. Joining the camp is Chloe (who is a mystery in itself) and Nate's friend Harry Flynn and a new antagonist called Lazaravich who, in my view, is one of the more interesting new characters as the game progresses.

Like the first game, Uncharted 2 is a combination of the platformer, puzzle, action-adventure and third-person shooter genres rolled into one. Nate must jump from Point A to Point B in order to progress in the areas that he's in, solve various puzzles with the help of his journal and on a constant basis, shoot his way through hordes of enemies while avoiding getting shot himself. Control wise, it's virtually unchanged with the great exception of the annoying SIX-AXIS motion controls that have been completely removed altogether, thus making grenade throwing a lot more easier and a lot more fun.

Enjoy (and get use to) shooting people, cause you'll be doing that a lot as the game progresses. Some of the guns from the first game return and a bit more balanced while new heavy artillery make their debut. The FAL shoots three bullets per burst and is a really powerful rifle, the old grenade launcher is replaced with a brand new one and a new pistol with the firepower equivalent of a standard shotgun. Also with a new game comes new enemies. You start off with your standard type of enemies with regular weapons such as pistols and the standard AK-47. However, as the game progresses, they become more tougher, more elite and a lot more dangerous. Some enemies carry riot shields and can only be disposed of with a lot of firepower or a well-placed explosion while others would be padded out head-to-toe with body armor and carrying a shotgun. Others would wield grenade launchers and worst of all, rockets. The biggest issue with rockets is how the enemies wielding would, on a very high occasion, shoot the floor right next to you (even when you are in cover) thus killing you instantly. This right there can lead to a lot of deaths and plenty of frustration especially on Hard and Crushing difficulty. Also, expect some deadly encounters with giants wielding Gatling guns. There is a major horde of enemies here, each with their own strengths and weaknesses to exploit in this near 18-hour long adventure.

Afterwards, if beating Lazaravich for the umpteenth time has gotten old, online would make things even more refreshing. There's plenty of matches to play here and just simply beat the hell out of the opposition to gain points that can be used to unlock costumes, features, abilities and more as you keep playing. Online matches are broken into four parts: standard deathmatch (the first team to reach the goal in terms of kills wins), elimination (the last person standing on a team wins and there are no respawns), plunder (similar to capture the flag, only you have to carry treasure back to your base) and various co-op missions like survival (defeat 10 waves of enemies that become increasingly hard as you complete a wave) and siege (take over 10 points of a certain map while hoarding off enemies). There is so much to do online and with extra DLC from certain aspects in the first game, provides an entertaining yet challenging experience since a good majority of players online are very darn good.




Naughty Dog prevailed in making a worthy sequel to a worthy start of the Uncharted trilogy. Improved gameplay, better guns, precise controls, an out-of-this-world single campaign (which can be frustrating at the start) and an addictive online campaign to boot makes Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a great experience to endure. Either way you look at it, you'll definitely be coming back for more whether it be defeating Lazaravich, or owning your friends in standard deathmatches.