During the year 2009, the Playstation 3 was already gaining its own identity as being more than just a more powerful PS2; it was a strong system that had several unique games, with new franchises coming up while older franchises from the PS1 and PS2 eras would see worthy follow ups. Metal Gear Solid 4 was wowing audiences with its high level of detail, wide variety of weapons, and a story that actually made sense. But gamers were keeping their eye on the new franchise called Uncharted, and were wondering just how Naughty Dog could improve on the stellar first entry. Well..Naughty Dog showed the world how with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.
Uncharted 2 starts off with Nathan Drake sitting in a train wreck in a pool of blood. "That's my blood, that's a LOT of my blood," he says as he's gasping for air. He tries to get up, but the train car shakes. The car is dangling from a cliff, about to fall. Drake manages to escape the train car, only to find himself in the blistering cold. He's being hunted down by thugs, and he's poorly dressed for the climate, with nothing but jeans and a T shirt...
It all began many months ago, when an old friend of Nate's, Harry Flynn, shows Nate a treasure: an oil lamp, rumored to have belonged to Marco Polo. Specifically, Flynn states that the lamp might contain the secret to Marco Polo's lost treasure. Nate agrees, coerced by ex-flame Chloe Frazer (the sexiest thing since sex, I swear) to go along. To gain the lamp, the trio must stake out a museum in Istanbul, sneaking past many security guards and escaping via the sewers. However, at the last minute, Flynn betrays Drake, leaving him to be caught by the guards after they acquire the map that points to the next location: Borneo.
Three months later, Nate is rescued by Sully and Chloe, who swears she had nothing to do with Flynn's betrayal. When Nate is informed that, in spite of his three month head start, Flynn has found next to nothing in Borneo. He sees this as his chance at uncovering the fate of Marco Polo's famed expedition to Persia, from which 13 of his 14 ships had vanished without a trace, carrying untold riches within them.
However, a snag appears: Flynn is not acting alone, as he's employed by Lazarevic, a ruthless Serbian warlord. A simple quest to find a lost treasure then becomes a race against time to stop a power hungry mad man from finding a truly horrifying power...
Uncharted 2 is one of those sequels that simply blow the previous entry completely out of the water. It's to Uncharted 1 what The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is to A Fistful of Dollars. More than that, though, the game is what I like to call a "system definer," a game that utterly defines the system. Every system has one; the original Playstation has Metal Gear Solid, the Playstation 2 has GTA San Andreas.
Now, how does Uncharted 2 surpass the original? To answer that question, we need to take a look at what each game does, bit by bit.
Both games start off with an element of danger, with Nathan Drake surrounded, outnumbered, but not outgunned. He has to rely on his smarts, his aim, and his quick thinking to get him out of whatever scrapes he finds himself in. Uncharted 2 ups the ante, however, by starting Nate off severely injured, in a hostile environment for which he is severely under dressed, and of course hunted down by mercenaries wanting to kill him. The danger level, already quite high in Uncharted 1, has gone up in Uncharted 2's introductory level.
Following the introductory level, both games diverge in palpable ways. Whereas Uncharted 1 gets you into that platforming action from the word go, Uncharted 2 props the player into a stealth mission. The player is barred from killing enemies at this moment, and if an enemy spots the player, it's Game Over, do it again. This, combined with the typical platforming elements from the first game, makes for a tutorial level that sends a clear cut message to the player: in this game, you need to be aware of your surroundings.
There's also a greater variety of environments present in the game. In the original, you had lush jungles, old ruins, and an old U-boat. In this game, you have lush jungles, urban environments, a museum, a sewer, mountain tops, old temple ruins, ice caves, and a train. There are also many unforgettable sequences, perhaps the best one being where Nate is being pinned by enemy fire from not just many mercenaries, but also a helicopter, all while riding a train.
Regarding character development, Uncharted 2 outshines the original in a few fields. Sully, for example, comes off as a mature, level headed, passionate man with a taste for adventure. His appearances are few in this game, compared to the first, but it's not quantity, it's quality. In his few appearances, Sully proves himself to be:
In the original, Sully comes off as a bit of a fool (gambling problems, plus blabbing about treasures to a rival), which really hurt the player's impression of him. In this game, Sully comes off as the more mature member of the Nate and Sully duo, with Nate being the more impulsive one.
Speaking of, this game does wonders for Nate's character as well, Very little that's new is revealed regarding Nate's past, besides an apparent association with Flynn and a romance with Chloe that he himself ended. No further explanations are offered regarding either facts, which I think is to the game's advantage, as it keeps the player informed but focused on what's important. Further, the game narrative makes excellent use of brevity to inform the player of both character's relationship to Nate.
When Flynn is first introduced, he sneaks up on Nate at a Beach Bar and asks him "Buy me a drink, sailor?" From this exchange, we can tell that Flynn is an old associate of Nate's with whom he has/had an easygoing relationship with. Their friendship is deep enough that Flynn can tease Nate, whereas Nate expresses joy in seeing him again. Come the end of the next chapter, where Flynn thoughtlessly leaves Nate behind, and we're informed that, yeah, Flynn's a bad guy who cannot be trusted, and Nate shouldn't have either. The best part is that the player could see Flynn's betrayal coming a mile away of they were paying attention; Flynn has Nate do ALL the dirty work while barely ever lifting a finger to help.
Chloe, on the other hand, is also brilliantly executed as a character. From her first appearance, in less than five minutes, we learn the following:
Uncharted 2 is one of those sequels that simply blow the previous entry completely out of the water. It's to Uncharted 1 what The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is to A Fistful of Dollars. More than that, though, the game is what I like to call a "system definer," a game that utterly defines the system. Every system has one; the original Playstation has Metal Gear Solid, the Playstation 2 has GTA San Andreas.
Now, how does Uncharted 2 surpass the original? To answer that question, we need to take a look at what each game does, bit by bit.
Both games start off with an element of danger, with Nathan Drake surrounded, outnumbered, but not outgunned. He has to rely on his smarts, his aim, and his quick thinking to get him out of whatever scrapes he finds himself in. Uncharted 2 ups the ante, however, by starting Nate off severely injured, in a hostile environment for which he is severely under dressed, and of course hunted down by mercenaries wanting to kill him. The danger level, already quite high in Uncharted 1, has gone up in Uncharted 2's introductory level.
Following the introductory level, both games diverge in palpable ways. Whereas Uncharted 1 gets you into that platforming action from the word go, Uncharted 2 props the player into a stealth mission. The player is barred from killing enemies at this moment, and if an enemy spots the player, it's Game Over, do it again. This, combined with the typical platforming elements from the first game, makes for a tutorial level that sends a clear cut message to the player: in this game, you need to be aware of your surroundings.
There's also a greater variety of environments present in the game. In the original, you had lush jungles, old ruins, and an old U-boat. In this game, you have lush jungles, urban environments, a museum, a sewer, mountain tops, old temple ruins, ice caves, and a train. There are also many unforgettable sequences, perhaps the best one being where Nate is being pinned by enemy fire from not just many mercenaries, but also a helicopter, all while riding a train.
Regarding character development, Uncharted 2 outshines the original in a few fields. Sully, for example, comes off as a mature, level headed, passionate man with a taste for adventure. His appearances are few in this game, compared to the first, but it's not quantity, it's quality. In his few appearances, Sully proves himself to be:
- Someone who's very dear to Nate, almost a father figure.
- Someone Nate can depend on in a sticky situation.
- A man who understands and SHARES Nate's passion for history and treasure hunting.
- A capable pilot.
- A good shot.
- A man who knows his limits.
- A charmer who loves the ladies.
In the original, Sully comes off as a bit of a fool (gambling problems, plus blabbing about treasures to a rival), which really hurt the player's impression of him. In this game, Sully comes off as the more mature member of the Nate and Sully duo, with Nate being the more impulsive one.
Speaking of, this game does wonders for Nate's character as well, Very little that's new is revealed regarding Nate's past, besides an apparent association with Flynn and a romance with Chloe that he himself ended. No further explanations are offered regarding either facts, which I think is to the game's advantage, as it keeps the player informed but focused on what's important. Further, the game narrative makes excellent use of brevity to inform the player of both character's relationship to Nate.
When Flynn is first introduced, he sneaks up on Nate at a Beach Bar and asks him "Buy me a drink, sailor?" From this exchange, we can tell that Flynn is an old associate of Nate's with whom he has/had an easygoing relationship with. Their friendship is deep enough that Flynn can tease Nate, whereas Nate expresses joy in seeing him again. Come the end of the next chapter, where Flynn thoughtlessly leaves Nate behind, and we're informed that, yeah, Flynn's a bad guy who cannot be trusted, and Nate shouldn't have either. The best part is that the player could see Flynn's betrayal coming a mile away of they were paying attention; Flynn has Nate do ALL the dirty work while barely ever lifting a finger to help.
Chloe, on the other hand, is also brilliantly executed as a character. From her first appearance, in less than five minutes, we learn the following:
- She knows Flynn and is an associate of his.
- She's flirtatious.
- She keeps secrets away from her associates by not informing Flynn of her past with Nate.
- She and Nate had a relationship.
- Nate, not her, ended that relationship.
- There's still a spark between Nate and Chloe.
- Chloe is just as knowledgeable of history as Nate.
That Chloe is then shown to zig zag between an protagonist and antagonist, constantly working with and against Nate, keeps the player on their toes regarding her. One minute she's kissing Nate, the next she's pointing a gun at him so Lazarevic and Flynn won't know she's been helping him out. Ultimately, Chloe proves herself to be a smart, capable woman who knows how to use her charms to get what she needs.
The relationship with Chloe and Drake is also one that demands a look. Chloe loved Nate, let's not mince words here. Both clearly like each other, but there's always that ONE thing that keeps them separated. Whatever caused Nathan Drake to leave her in the past, it couldn't have been anything minor. It also couldn't have been anything terrible, as not only does Chloe not reprimand Nate about it, but she seems all too eager to get back in bed with him, and even seems to have hopes of rekindling their romance. Once Elena enters the picture and it becomes clear just how much Nate cares for her, Chloe chooses to back away; she knows a happy man in love when she sees one.
Regarding Elena, the game does a fantastic job characterizing her. She's introduced in a WAR ZONE, a cameraman trailing her, and a microphone in hand. That alone says all you need to know about who and what she is: she's a reporter and she has more balls than most men and women do. She introduces herself to Chloe as "last year's model," showing not only her jealousy towards the other women (as she first sees her in Nate's arms) but it also shows off her sharp tongue and wit.
The game doesn't let up from this initial characterization, either. Elena continues being a tough woman for the rest of the game, easily standing up to guys better armed than her, getting into gunfights and, unlike the previous game, actually pulling her weight in them, and even assisting Nathan in a few high speed chases, But she's not invincible; when she gets caught in a shrapnel blast, she's crying in pain. Sure she survived, but it hurts like hell. She also cares for others as well; when her cameraman gets murdered, she doesn't brush it off at all, unlike Chloe. It's this subtle difference that shows which woman is better suited for Nathan, who also is disturbed at the cameraman's death.
THIS is how you do a strong female character, people!
The villain? Now THIS is a villain. Lazarevic is a murderous psychopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and he wants to become immortal. There is not one scene of his where he doesn't come off as intimidating and dangerous, be it from threatening to kill innocent civilians, to actually killing an innocent civilian. The fact that he's the final boss of the game, and that he actually requires clever use of the environment to beat him, makes Lazarevic one of the best villains of the PS3 era, natch.
Uncharted 2 is a masterpiece, and it's one of those games that justifies owning a Playstation 3. I'd even dare call it flawless! It's Naughty Dog's crowning achievement, Their Mona Lisa, their Ninth Symphony, their Magnum Opus. Truly a wonderful game that takes complete advantage of the technology of the Playstation 3, one that has solidified itself as one of said system's greatest games.
But, once you achieve perfection, does that mean that it's all downhill from here? Does the series begin to falter in quality starting from this entry? Well...let's talk about that next week!
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