That’s not the game’s fault. I enjoyed Uncharted 2 a lot and will be giving it a pretty solid review – like a 9 or 9.5 out of 10. I loved going on adventures with Nate Drake and meeting the colourful cast of loveable rogues and scoundrels. Also, my crush on Elena continues. So, me not writing a review isn’t because I hated the game or whatever. Let’s get that out there. I’m just having trouble putting things down in a nicely set out, review form.
I’m going to use this entry as a way to organize my thoughts and maybe come up with some bon mots etc.
Here’s what’s good about the game:
- The controls are a lot tighter this time around. The amount of times where you die a frustrating death chalked up to a camera or controller glitch is almost nil. Well done, Naughty Dog. Also, I loved that grenades have their own button now, instead of having to switch between your guns to get to them as in the original. It keeps things simple and that’s what you want in combat.
- Everything is BIGGER! The story. The action. The fun. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune had a ton of thrills and spills, don’t get me wrong, but Among Thieves tops them all by taking a gaming experience and turning it into something beyond by fusing pulse-pounding action movie cinematic techniques. There are a bunch of set pieces that I just sat there and shook my head about how awesome they were – and there was at least one that made me exclaim (yes, out loud) “I always wanted to do this in a game…”
- The voice acting and use of it is exceptional. Some of the best out there.
- Great characterization. One of the things I loved about Drake’s Fortune was that it created this believable and interesting character, Nathan Drake. You want to learn more about him and his adventures and, thanks to the franchise, you’re probably going to now.
One bad thing about the game:
- Well, it’s not bad, so much as a complaint. The difference in difficulty at “Normal” between Drake’s Fortune and Among Thieves is very noticeable. What I really liked about the first game was that firefights were excruciating and you never really had that much ammo, so you always felt like your back was against the wall and often, you’d be forced to do crazy things to stay alive. It gave Nate and the game this ragged feel, sort of like Indiana Jones in Raiders. In Among Thieves, I don’t remember once getting close to running out of ammo. Also, most gunfights were short by standards of the original game. The pulled punches sort of continue in other aspects of the game, with a lot of hand holding and the like. Things are so lightweight sometimes that when you do face a heftier challenge, you’re pretty surprised by it.
Quibbles aside, I highly recommend the game. It delivers a high flying, enjoyable kick to the face – and you’ll be smiling through the whole thing.
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