Note: Although I don't spoil anything related to plot, I do say some things that you might not want to know before playing the game.
Naughty Dog’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune received much acclaim from critics when it was released late 2007 – not a surprise given the developer’s pedigree. However, when I myself tried it in early 2009, I found myself slightly underwhelmed. Part of it had to do with expectations – I had in mind an exploration-based action game with a hint of gunplay, but got the opposite. Looking back, however, I believe the larger issue was with the pacing. And really that is what Uncharted 2: Among Thieves does so, so well which lets it soar above its predecessor by such a degree.
In Drake’s Fortune, the platforming and puzzles seemed frontloaded. You did quite a bit of jumping, climbing, and level pushing as you started the game. But eventually, you found yourself shooting wave after wave of enemy without really anything to break it up. Among Thieves fixes this by carefully controlling the platforming and shooting sequences of the game to create a fine-tuned wave of tension and calm. Much like the elevators in Mirror’s Edge which gave you a chance to breath after a long sequence of complex aerobatics, Uncharted 2 takes you from chaotic firefights and, once done, rewards you with peace as you slowly and carefully navigate beautifully constructed environments with stunning architecture and lush colours. My biggest complaint about the graphics of Gears of War was that you were never able to take the chance to really look around due to the constantly forward moving action and size of character. Naughty Dog seems to recognize that their visual beauty comes from the vibrant surroundings the game takes place in and gives you ample room to take it all in.
This is not to say that this is a slow paced game. Quite the contrary, the platforming bits make up quite a few of the setpieces that Uncharted 2 will no doubt be defined by in the future. Although they’re all scripted events which start as you pass invisible triggers, you can’t help but feel anxious as move Drake’s hands from one conveniently located ledge to another. There were at least two occasions where I thought my errors had actually created the pre-set situation I was put into. Coincidence? Or a result of clever level design? Hell if I know, and that’s the magic of this game.
Deep inside, you know most of the platforming you’re doing doesn’t need to be meticulously planned. Drake makes impossible jumps with ease and climbing mountains is a simple task of pushing the control stick in the right direction with the occasional “X” press. However, unlike 2008’s Prince of Persia, you never feel like the game is playing itself for you. Naughty Dog has designed this game in a way that makes you believe you’re accomplishing feats of extraordinary skill when you are in fact not. Small input, large output. The golden rule of interaction design is put into effect in every aspect of the game.
The complicated looking, yet simple, platforming is still complimented by the shooting aspects of the game. The melee combat is now a simple task of mashing the square button with a large window of opportunity to dodge. Again an example of “small input, large output” mindset which makes this game such an invigorating experience. The addition of the stealth mechanic was something I much appreciated as well. I tried to create as few disturbances as I could throughout the game and found it fun to kill enemies in such a relaxed setting. Unlike the Metal Gear Solid games, the AI wasn’t the brightest. This isn’t an actual stealth game so I could be a bit riskier with my movements and still not get caught. As far as the actual gunplay goes, it’s quite easy to make comparisons to another third person shooter which seems to alternate years with Uncharted – Epic Games’ Gears of War. Uncharted’s shooting segments feel like a version of Gears of War where, instead of Marcus Fenix, you control a character that doesn’t have the personality and agility of a brick wall.
To say that the voice work in Uncharted is great would be an understatement. The outstanding work of Nolan North, Emily Rose, Claudia Black, et al is what makes this game’s tale worth telling. If all video game voice acting was of this caliber, there wouldn’t be a need for “Japanese” as an option. Of course, not even the best voice actor can do much without a well-written script and Amy Hennig hit a home run with Among Thieves. The dialog is incredibly natural and plays well off the characters’ personalities. Nothing seems even a little bit forced. The acting in them is also to a standard not often seen in games, which as I found out later was because the voice actors themselves performed the motion capture as they read their lines. This extra attention to detail is something more and more games will hopefully insist on doing as it really does make a difference.
At five times the length of the average action flick, Uncharted needs a narrative that can hold your interest. Fortunately, Hennig and her crew have created a story with perfect pacing. Absolutely nothing feels like filler content thrown in to pad the length of the game. By the time the game actually ended, I wasn’t looking for more and I hadn’t grown tired of it yet. It’s an impressive task for a ten hour action game. The quality of the actual cutscenes which break up the gameplay segments are to be commended as well. They last the perfect length and seamlessly transition into and out of the playable portions of the game – the mark of a very talented editor.
In addition to the pre-rendered non-interactive cutscenes, Uncharted 2 features what Naughty Dog is calling Active Cinematic Experiences – essentially, interactive setpieces. With clever camera work and usage of the forgiving platforming mechanics, the game puts you into situation after situation which makes you feel as if you’re actually playing a cutscene. It’s always disheartening to know that the coolest actions in a video game usually take place during a time when you aren’t playing – Uncharted 2 aims to fix that and succeeds at doing so.
Although I used the word “perfect” more than once while describing the game, there were some small, minor quibbles I had with it. The difficulty seems to ramp up as you get closer to the end of the game. Some firefights feel a little “cheap” and some of the newer enemy types that appear near the end of the game are anything but fair. It seemed like they wanted you to kill them to get their weapon – which they themselves were weak to – so you could try and frantically take down the others, but I think it ended up giving me a feeling of frustration more than anything else.
Between Drake’s Fortune and Among Theives, the one thing I felt the latter did worse was leading the player to the next location. Maybe it was a result of the visuals being too detailed, but I found it much harder this time around to figure out where the path to the next target was. Although some areas had little planks of wood with snow glistening or vines on a bare cliffside, a lot of the times I could not find any hints as to how to proceed. More visual or audio cues as to how to progress would have helped a lot in those cases.
All in all, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves ranks amongst my favourite video game experiences this generation – up there with Bioshock, Tales of Vesperia, and Mirror’s Edge. Naughty Dog has fine-tuned an experience that manipulates the player into always being in a state of flow. Constantly moving forward, it really is a hard game to put down. It’s a game which shows why we have sequels. If you have a PlayStation 3, you should be buying this game.
[ Note: I did not play the multiplayer portion of this game. ]
