Naughty Dog delivers a sequel that trumps the original in every way & is one of the best action/adventure games ever
The original 'Uncharted' was a key game for Sony & the PS3. Several of games in the early PS3 lineup either bombed (Folklore, Heavenly Sword) sales-wise or were just plain awful (Lair, Haze) & Sony needed a big hit to help sell the system, other than 'Resistance: Fall Of Man'. Enter Naughty Dog. 'Uncharted' was a huge success, delivering fun gameplay and really showing off what the PS3 could do visually. So how could Naughty Dog top that?
By delivering a game that does everything better and is just such a polished action experience that it starts making you think, "was the original even THAT good?". Yes, the original was a great game, but this sequel curb stomps it into oblivion in some ways.
UC2 looks absolutely amazing. When the game came out in '09, it had the best graphics to be seen on a console & those visuals have aged extremely well over the few years since. They expanded the list of characters & each one of them is very interesting and fun to have around. Sully and Elena return here, with the great addition of Chloe (who provides another love interest, of sorts). And while the original provided a more Bond-villain type of bad guy, this sequel introduces a ruthless tank of a villain that is much more intimidating.
And in, what is now, Uncharted style, we get great, fluid, & humorous dialogue between all of the characters & not just in the cut-scenes. The writing in this series has always been very sharp and UC2 is where it's at it's best. I forgot how many times the game made me chuckle in some conversation Drake and his ally is having while running around. Or just what Drake says to himself as he is getting shot at or someone is trying to blow him to smithereens.
I can't write a review of UC2 without mentioning the incredible action set-pieces that make up a majority of the game. The opening level alone is worth the price of admission. Sure there are only so many times you can see Drake or another character hanging from a ledge one-handed, dangling above death before it gets a bit tiresome, but it's all in great fun. This is like playing an summer blockbuster action movie that actually has great characters, dialogue, & some of the best voice acting in the business.
I really love the relationship between Drake & Elena & UC2 provides the two characters with some great material. With the addition of Chloe, we get even more depth to the character of Nathan Drake. And, of course, Sully is still one of my favorite characters in gaming today. Without spoiling anything, the ending to UC2 is one of my favorite end scenes in a game in many years. It's very touching, humorous & well written.
One of the main problems I had with the first game was the combat. It was annoying that every enemy took about 78 bullets to the chest and wouldn't die. Drake, on the other hand, would die if the wind blew the wrong direction. Thankfully, Naughty Dog fixed all of that for UC2 and the game is MUCH more enjoyable when in combat. And there is a lot of combat, so it's a good thing they improved on that.
The game does start to drag a bit towards the end & could have actually benefited from being a bit shorter. A great example of this is the chapter called, 'Heart Of ice'. This is an all platforming chapter & it goes on for WAY too long dragging the pacing of the game down quite a bit. And like I mentioned earlier, seeing Drake jumping for his life only to reach a platform dangling one handed during some big action scene for the tenth time makes it lose a bit of the tension surrounding the action.
UC2 is, easily, one of the best games of this entire console generation & is a must-play for anyone with a PS3. In fact, it is probably the pinnacle exclusive title in Sony's library and if you didn't own a PS3 before this game came out, you should have purchsed one for this game. This is action/adventure gaming at it's best will go down as one of best of it's genre......ever.