Review | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

//It’s all in the details
In fact, each and every moment of aural accompaniment is spectacular. The soundtrack can be a gargantuan beast that rolls and rumbles its way into your consciousness during fast paced sections, but it can also be a lilting traditional and authentic melody that hints at underlying emotions. All of this is punctuated with percussive gunshots and explosions as the game plays on. The spectacular music drives the pace of the game, steadily building as the action picks up and fading away as you make it to safety and carry on exploring.

And what a world it is to explore. Most of the game takes place in the Himalayan Republic of Nepal, and the developers at Naughty Dog have used this environment to their advantage, capturing the beauty of the region perfectly. From war-torn and desolate Kathmandu to the snowy peaks of the mountains, each scene is breathtaking. I often found myself looking around, not for hand-holds on the walls or paths through the level, but at the details themselves. Everything, from traditional Buddhist statues and carvings to discarded rubbish on the city streets, brings a sense of life to the area.

This carries through in so many little touches that make such a big difference. The steam from Nathan’s mouth as he exhales in the snow, the way that little puffs of snow kick up around his shoes, the fact that when Drake gets wet, his clothes darken and stick to his flesh… This attention to detail is the little flourish that puts other games to shame. The fact that Naughty Dog took the time to include these realism-heightening features is a treat.

The visual accomplishment doesn’t end at the surroundings. Each character model is wonderfully drawn and animated, and when delivering their great dialogue the characters will accent each line with the required facial expressions to portray their feelings. In fact, even when they aren’t a large part of the scene, you can still see reactions or a roll of the eyes from sidelining cast members. This isn’t just great game acting. This is real acting, conveying emotion with every part of the body, rather than with a stoic voice.

//How to set the scene
While the central theme of Uncharted 2 would seem to be the exploration and escaping to far off corners of the world, the real focus is drama and suspense. Let’s just say it: no other game has delivered a dramatic scene with such enthusiastic style as this. It’s clear from the moment the game opens, with Drake hanging off of a train that’s perilously positioned on the edge of a snowy cliff. The game’s tutorial neatly disguised, you climb as carefully as possible while everything creaks and breaks, pieces falling off and threatening to knock Drake to his demise, all the while on the very edge of your seat.

Of course, as you travel through these lands climbing whatever you can, there are the inevitable – and, dare I say, predictable – moments where Drake will lose his handhold and grab on at the last moment, a slightly tired method of highlighting the pressure he’s under. But these moments are few and far between, with the game relying on genuine moments of panic and, in parts, actually making me jump out of my skin. You’ll likely find more moments of suspense outside of the survival horror genre.

The tension comes in all forms, from the new stealthy approach that can be used in some levels, to moments where you fear you’ll be killed if you so much as stop for a breath. The latter is perhaps at its best while trying to escape from a high-rise building as it’s being destroyed by a helicopter gunship on the lookout for you. Walls will be blown inwards and doorways will be blocked just as you’re running towards them, forcing you to rethink on the fly. With so many such moments, there’ll be times when you finish a level and find yourself taking a few seconds out – not only to appreciate what you’ve just experienced, but to quite literally take a breather.

[Continues...]

Pages: 1 2 3