Conflicted

 In case you didn't see this coming, I have decided that Uncharted and it's sequel have officially defined what a truly great modern franchise should be. I'll try to keep the review short, but before I say anything, I have to say that the game is completely worth your money. Any criticism I put upon this series is to be taken with a grain of salt, since nothing in the games are broken or less than impressive. Even the so-so parts of the games manage to be better than elements of most A+ titles on the market.

 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has improved on it's predecessor in every way possible, and it is the second time I've played a game and said "Wow, this is like playing a movie." and meant it as a compliment. Unlike Metal Gear Solid 4 or some parts of Final Fantasy games after VI where you were separated from gameplay a little way too long, I could honestly say that even when cutscenes were happening, I was still playing the game and having fun. This would be the first improvement over the first.

 In the original Uncharted, Naughty Dog gave a basic story that works well for gamers. There were no cheap cop-outs on the plot. Everything moved forward with no loose ends, a bit of tension between characters, and a good solid MacGuffin with a solid narrative to make it important enough to chase. Never did you get the feeling that an hour was about to pass before you could pick up the controller again. Within a minute, you were usually back in the action and playing the game. What impressed me the most was that even when I was doing basic platforming, the characters still oozed personality. That made for great immersion, and thankfully the voice acting was terrific.

 The second game improves upon these ideas even more. Same solid storytelling +1. There is even more personality and chatter coming from the characters, which is great, and there seems to be more cutscenes. Normally, this is a bad thing, but the cutscenes are so quick to happen and so quick to end that it really never separates you from the experience of playing. I can't remember how many times I was just eating nachos, thinking that I should enjoy the cutscene, only to throw down my plate and wipe my hands on my jeans in a hurry to respond to the game being right back in my hands.

 There are a few other notable improvements, the first being the obligatory graphical upgrade. The first game had amazing visuals, so comparing gorgeous game to gorgeous game makes it hard to say "wow". Yet, you still get a lot of moments close to that, failing to cross that "wow" line only because we were generally spoiled with the first game. Everything is a little more detailed and a lot more varied. Uncharted 2's jungle stage is twice as lush as the one in the first. When the game invites you to take a look at the distance, look.

 This game also gets my "I see what you did there" award for making me truly smile at its game design. The game is truly linear, but the game does a great job at convincing you otherwise. There was a particular urban level where, upon completion, I turned around and thought about the actual distance I needed to travel. It turned out that the start and end points of the segment were about fifty yards apart, and I could have drawn the straight line on the screen and never hit an obstacle. This was funny to me, because I ended up throwing Drake across the rooftops in a complete circle and it felt like that was what I was naturally supposed to be doing. Looking again, I saw a ground path circling the area as well. Depending on what kind of gamer you are, there seems to be a good amount of choice in how to approach certain areas. This actually made me give up treasure hunting for my first playthrough, because the playground Naughty Dog has given us contains so many layers that it it would be a shame to break up the story to go explore it all. I can replay this again.

 Multi-player is a given, so skipping that, I have to mention that the combat is a little more fine tuned this time around, and the Sixaxis gimmick was removed. Though, I actually miss that for grenade lobbing. You now have a little more control over hand-to-hand combat, and the weapons are a lot more grounded. No longer will you be able to pick and choose when you'll get a headshot. Instead, you'll have to deal with the natural unsteadiness of an intense firefight. To compensate, scoped vision is now integrated.

 The most glaring bit of improvement is something of a mixed bag, but an improvement nonetheless. Treasure hunting is much more in depth this time, and it shows that Naughty Dog was listening to players and their experience with the original. Treasures are no longer limited to the ground. Instead, Drake must put his acrobatics to use more often (as mentioned above), and you'll find yourself pulling a Leon Kennedy here and there, shooting treasures off of high perches. The sequel also adds an extra 20 treasures to find. Ultimately, this achieves a very unique outcome.

 There is a movie that is meant to be played, and it's a good movie and a damn good game. Never does the game stick you in the back seat, and it is even a little less linear in its approach. Throw in the treasure hunting, and the elements I wanted more of in the first game are actually there this time around. A little bit more exploration and platforming is how you get most of the treasures this time around, and that's almost a completely different way of playing the same game. With the multiplayer addition, you can argue that there may be three truly unique and entertaining games under one roof. That's a lot of replay value, not to mention monetary value. Easily, Uncharted 2's supposed 10 hour storyline becomes something you can sink 40 hours into while keeping the experience fresh. That's just rare.

 As the title would suggest, I am a bit conflicted. This is a game that still doesn't quite have the exploration aspect completely there. I hesitate to use the word "dungeon", but this is a game that makes me want that freedom to discover, solve puzzles, and get lost in. Tomb Raider and its clones could be an absolute pain in the ass to control sometimes, and the camera schemes didn't help. Uncharted 2 makes me truly believe that the pain could be removed from that. I want that game made, and Uncharted 2 is not that game.

 Yet, the credit goes out to Naughty Dog. It's a playable movie, sure. No, there are no dungeons to solve and no real opportunities for gritty exploration outside of the treasures. They truly have perfected a style of game that is truly unique. The success of the sequel may ultimately coin the phrase "blockbuster game", because that's what this is. It's a game that pulls no punches and throws a story out there for you to experience, not just watch. Everything is as it should be. Sure, there are things missing, but those things are for a completely different game. What Naughty Dog wanted to achieve from this game, it pulled off with flying colors, even going the extra mile to give players replay value when it didn't have to.

 Props to ya, Naughty Dog. Digg It Stumble it ! Reddit