Uncharted 2

[Asher]

Uncharted 2 is getting unanimously high reviews. Looks to be amazing.

I recently picked up Uncharted (1), which is now a $29.99 "Greatest Hits" title and it was immensely enjoyable. Looking very much forward to this.

Eurogamer gives it 10/10: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/un...thieves-review

It's currently at an astounding 98/100 on Metacritic: http://www.metacritic.com/games/plat...=uncharted%202

IGN gave it 9.5/10:

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/102/1026373p1.html

It's very, very good. It's easily one of the best games on the system, blending fantastic presentation and visuals with gameplay that is practically second to none. And then there's the stellar multiplayer which you'll probably be playing until Uncharted 3 ships. No, Uncharted 2 is not perfect, but it's closer than pretty much any other game out there these days.

[DrSpike]

Hmm, with this, Killzone 2 and GT5 now on the horizon ( ) I might have to get a PS3.

[Asher]

I've picked up Killzone 2 now that it's $20 off its original price. I haven't played it yet. Wasn't too crazy about the demo though, the controls are slightly laggy compared to what I'm used to. It's the only big-name shooter that disconnected the input loop from the rendering loop completely, so it feels kind of weird...

GT5 isn't out til next year officially, now.

[Asher]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/09/standing-up-to-expectation-the-first-hours-of-uncharted-2.ars

Standing up to expectations: the first hours of Uncharted 2
We've begun the journey through the single-player portion of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and bowing to the pressure we're spilling the (very limited) beans on what we saw. Is it as good as they say? We have some thoughts on the matter.

Don't go into Uncharted 2: Honor Among Thieves expecting to play the game of the year; no title deserves that level of expectation. Go into it quietly, and try to dial down the noise about how great the game is. Invite some friends over if they're interested; I played the first five chapters with one of the my best friends and his wife watching, and at different times we all remarked that the game was better scripted and acted than most action films we've seen in recent years. This is also one of the few games where the dialog is laugh-out-loud funny.

In other words, get ready to enjoy something rare and worthy of respect: a game that moves its entire genre forward. Looking at it through the lens of other games or as a weapon in a console war is just going to diminish your enjoyment of the game.

Also, if you're new to the PlayStation 3 and want to play the first game, do so now. It's a great title that still stands up now, almost two years later, but if you try to play it after you pick up this game you're going to feel like you took a step back instead of a wonderful jump up. Because no matter how good you thought Uncharted was—and we thought it was pretty damn wonderful—Uncharted 2 is much, much better.

The less said, the better
It's going to be hard to do the full review of the game without giving away plot elements or talking about the characters; this is an experience that you'll enjoy much more if you go into it as blind as possible. We'll go deeper in-depth with the game as we get closer to launch, but for now it's worth the time to talk about how Uncharted 2 begins so strongly and keeps the pacing going through the first five chapters. The vocal talent is way above average, but even better, the writing, pacing, and flow of the story and the gameplay is maintained to perfection.

The game opens with a short scene explaining the controls, and even this is breathtaking, and takes place in a life or death struggle. The game doesn't require any knowledge of its predecessor; all you need to know is that Nathan Drake is a man who has bad things happen to him. To be fair, he puts himself in these situations, but that's beside the point. The character of Nathan Drake is one you've seen before: he's Indiana Jones, he's Han Solo, he's whoever Nicholas Cage plays in those National Treasure films. A lovable rogue with just enough charm and luck to get out of the last scrape and into the next one.

What's interesting is that so far there isn't much new here. You've seen gunfights like this before, you've thrown grenades like this before, and the climbing and jumping mechanics almost feel like Prince of Persia in places. What elevates Uncharted 2 above its peers is how well everything works together to create a whole. While the levels are linear, many areas offer multiple ways to pass through them. It's not all wine and roses, however; one early section where you have to sneak past a set of guards is way more trial and error than skill—does anyone enjoy forced stealth sections in games?—but after that the action picks up dramatically and never settles back down.

What works?
The controls are smoother, the animations are more polished, and the graphics are simply... well, better. I'll remind you of what I asked in the first paragraph; for a game with such high expectations I was a little disappointed in the graphics for the first few moments, but the level of detail and beauty spread throughout the game is hard to describe. There are so many little moments that make you realize just how bland and poor most other games look in comparison.


The mark of a truly great game is the ability to make you wonder why other games aren't better, and this is something Uncharted 2, so far, has accomplished. The mixture of story scenes, action set pieces, and exploration is blended in such a way that there hasn't been a down portion of the game, and it was incredibly hard to put the controller down and walk away.

It's hard to block out the deafening amount of noise and chatter about this game on the forums and the blogs and the gaming sites, but once you're able to sit down and experience it for yourself you'll see something amazing: a game that truly loves both its characters and the gameplay elements used to tell their story. If things are this good after the first five chapters, I can't imagine what the next 21 are going to be like.

We'll be running our feature-length review of the game closer to launch, so keep your eyes peeled. Uncharted 2 comes out exclusively for the PlayStation 3 on October 13.

[DrSpike]

It sounds good. I'll probably wait until GT5 though, which given its history could mean a fair wait yet. Should be well timed for the first major slim PS3 price cut.

[Wiglaf]

No one cares about when you will buy consoles. Please stop telling us and grinning as if anyone wants to hear you spewing your twitteresque self aggrandizing bull****.

Thread starter, you posted a thread just like this for Gears of War 2 and look how that turned out. You have a tendency to exaggerate things, as when in political debates you try too hard to prove to everyone that you're a conservative. I'm surprised you haven't realized this by now

[Asher]

Gears of War 2 was a fantastic game.

When do I pretend I'm a conservative?

[Wiglaf]

You had that thread where you complained about how bad your health care was. It was either you or me but I don't think I'd make a thread like that and you live in Canada so it must have been you. You kept talking about not having health care, and having a lottery determine your chances, Michael Moore is wrong, etc etc. It was all true but way over the top

And let's get one thing straight -- every game with a budget gets a 95 on Metacritic. Spore, Black and White, Project Gotham Racing (which you also liked before you realized it sucked), Wii Blowjob. You know better

[Asher]

I like you better when you're off your meds like this.

[Wiglaf]

If I'm off my meds now then I don't ever want to be on them lest I turn into some sort of overgrown economist douchebag rambling to anyone who will listen about how this most recent gaming announcement makes me mildly more likely to buy a particular console but then again I am holding out because of some other crappy racing game that I have been waiting years of my mid 30s on that is about to be released : : OH HELLO Fancy seeing you there.. At least I'm not pretending to be what I'm not.

[DrSpike]

I think so, depending on whose DL you are.

[Wiglaf]

I'd like to bend you over

[DrSpike]

I think I'll pass, thanks.

[UnOrthOdOx]

The degeneration of this thread serves as a reminder why I rarely stop in here these days...One could be bothered to report, but one gets the distinct impression few around here give a damn anymore.



Back to the dark recesses of the interweb I have slunk off to. (not "the other site", more areas suited to my hobbies)

[DrSpike]

Not that I disagree generally, but this forum get moderated, on the few days there is actually something to moderate.

I didn't edit Wiglaf's posts because everyone knows you don't take Wiglaf seriously, and besides he only insulted me (and to a lesser extent Asher), and I know we will both just run with the joke.