Uncharted 2

 

Now here's a gem that got released as a PS3 exclusive. Since it's released it has been receiving well received reviews. And unstandibly so.

 

The concept of the story is they have stumbled upon clues of Marco Polo finding the path to Shamballah, aka Shangri-La. The treasure hunt is pretty genuine and the scenes they have picked are very well designed. The fighting is very clean, the music is good, it sets the mood, and the puzzles aren't overly complicated but well done. Now for the good parts of it:

 

Easily one of THE most, well designed tutorials I have ever played. It doesn't flow away from the story to teach you how to duck and shoot or throw a punch. It's very linear and keeps you in the game.  And also a good amount of practice and repetition so that what you just learned gets embedded into your flow that you don't forget it immediately or have to look up the move again.

And secondly, one of the strong points of the game, the script. Very well written, like the first one. The main hero, Nathan Drake, is a smart ass, humorous, very charismatic and knows how to talk to the ladies.

 

The weapons have unique difference which lets you expand on choices based on what the current situation warrants. You can get away with using the 357 Mag, but, only 6 bullets and way bigger kick back. You can use the .45 which has a higher ammo clip and easier to group your shots, but, of course, less stopping power. And of course this applies to the bigger guns, like AK47s and shotguns. You can only carry one big gun, one sidearm, and grenades all with limited ammo cache. So even though it is kind of a survival/adventure because you have to ration your bullets, but you can pick up the other weapons your dead targets have dropped, and then your limited to how much ammo that newly acquired gun can carry. And a good addition is you can pick up the riot shields enemies carry. How many times have you encountered someone with a bullet proof shield and you can't pick it up for yourself? And to add more realism, the harder hitting weapons knock you off balance a bit more when your hiding behind the shield.

 

This is a solidly made game by the makers of Crash Bandicoot and also gives me faith in their next installment of Ratchet And Clank.

 

For PS3 owners, this is a recommended game.

 



 

 

Update: After putting in more hours, the music gets a lot better when more tense battles begin. The puzzle solving gets a little bit trickier but there is a good hint system so you dont get stuck forever. And there is an addition on here that is ideal. Uncharted 2 can access your twitter account and sent out tweets that update your progress in the game. I didn't let it access because I didn't feel the need to tweet my achievements, but it is a unique and cool idea for a modern social site.

 

The multiplayer I am hearing is a lot of fun and the co-op runs pretty well. But one thing I came across is the fact that your partner in certain situations does engage in firearm combat. Another woman with a gun shooting at enemies, sound sort of frightening because of shellshock from Sheva of Resident Evil 5? Need not worry, this sidekick (Chloe) already knows what to do. She doesn't walk in the path of your shot, and will actually make a decent kill. And this actually happens, she will kill someone that is firing upon you if you get stuck in the crossfire of two opponents. And since she uses her own ammo and gun, you dont have to supply her with anything. How ideal is that!?