Games of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

By Jennifer Allen

This week, we’re looking back on 2009 and writing about our favourite games of the past 12 months.  Today: it bagged one of just three 10/10 scores this year, and rightly so according to Jennifer…

I didn’t actually expect Uncharted 2 to be quite so good. I suspect it was a mixture of stubbornness and cynicism, but I point-blank refused to believe, after all the hype, that it really would be that enjoyable. Daft really, considering its predecessor was one of the reasons why I bought a PlayStation 3. I was, of course, wrong to be so cynical. Uncharted 2 was a wonderful experience, and one for which I can honestly say, without any hint of poetic hyperbole, that I savoured every last morsel of it.

Much of its wonder is down to its sense of accidental adventure. Sure, Lara Croft had trodden a similar path before, but none of her tales really hooked me. It all felt just a little bit too routine and orchestrated. Lara seemed to know what was coming too frequently and felt all too comfortable in strange surroundings. This wasn’t the case with Nathan Drake; throughout Uncharted 2, he really didn’t want to be there. He just wanted the easy life, but instead was caught up in trouble and had to stick it out. He was immediately reminiscent of Broken Sword’s chief protagonist George Stobbart, an innocent man who just happens to get caught up in a complete mess. Both characters are flawed and sometimes vulnerable, which is what makes them both so captivating – you can identify with them to an impressive extent. Drake may not have been as innocent as Stobbart, but he certainly got caught up in a hell of a mess. I mean, the poor bloke even starts the game shot to pieces and perilously hanging from a cliff via a train carriage. This guy is not having a good time at all.

Throughout Uncharted 2 there are countless heart-stopping, adrenaline-pumping (cliché overload, but true) set-pieces that show that poor old Drake never really gets a chance to stop and mull over his situation – he’s too busy either running or smacking into the side of buildings with a wincingly loud crunch. But oh, was it fun for me. I watched as poor Drake exclaimed “oh, crap!” at the realisation that yet another tank and militia army was out to get him, and I enjoyed every second of it.

Uncharted 2 sparked off the debate of games being like films yet again, but it’s really not the case. Uncharted 2 might have provided a cinematic musical score, a compelling but ultimately linear storyline and an emotional connection with its characters, but it’s like comparing apples to oranges. If nothing else, since when in a film does the hero screw up and have to restart again five minutes earlier? Yeah. Exactly.

It might have been no great innovation in the gaming world, simply building upon previous successes such as Tomb Raider and Gears of War. But Uncharted 2 has taken these ideas and combined them into a truly fantastic experience, making it without a doubt one of the most memorable and exciting games I’ve played in recent years.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

//Batman: Arkham Asylum (Review – 9/10)
I wasn’t a big Batman fan before this, other than watching the films, so it was a true testament to Arkham Asylum that as soon as I completed it, I rushed out to buy as many graphic novels as I could find. It was brilliant. So many other games based on superheroes had tried and failed to capture the ambience of the world they inhabited; this wasn’t the case for Arkham Asylum. It offered fantastic level design and narrative to keep you hooked, but the true beauty was the inclusion of those interview tapes. More than just collectibles, they unveiled more and more of the story, tidbit by tidbit. A glorious experience.

//Dragon Age: Origins (Review – 8/10)
The game I’ve put the most time in all year despite only having owned the thing for a matter of weeks, Dragon Age: Origins is an absolutely wonderful fantasy RPG. At times it feels almost never ending, with so many different twists and turns that can be taken, not to mention a near countless collection of side quests. It might not appear as open as the likes of Oblivion, but under the surface it offers so much more. A sublime experience that no RPG fan dare miss.

//Shatter (Review – 9/10)
Despite having a pile of other PS3 games I could have played on my shiny new console at the time, it was the simple, unadulterated pleasure of Shatter that captured my attention the most. Harking back to the arcade days of Arkanoid and Breakout while still adding some unique twists, Shatter’s mechanics were as perfect as will ever matter. It wasn’t about story or career progression; this was simply about beating your friends’ high scores. Simple, block-busting brilliance.