Uncharted 2 lives up to the hype

Fortune hunter Nathan Drake makes his return to the PS3 in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and he doesn't disappoint. The story picks up approximately two years after Uncharted 1 as Drake teams up with some new characters to solve the mystery of Marco Polo's lost fleet.

The original Uncharted, which was released in November of 2007, blew me away with beautiful graphics, a great story and some of the best voice acting I have ever heard in a video game. The depth of the characters in Uncharted left me wanting more and Uncharted 2 turned it up a notch combining the great cut scenes with some of the best action I have ever experienced in a game.

Jacob Minkoff is one of the game designers for Uncharted 2 and he said that one the main goals for the team at Naughty Dog was to combine all these elements. "That was our really big thing - to make a playable Hollywood blockbuster," Minkoff said. "Character makes action meaningful. We had great character moments in Uncharted 1 but they were separate from the moments of climbing, puzzle solving and combat. In Uncharted 2 we blended them all together. It's seamless where one moment you're fighting an enemy and the next moment the character next to you is explaining the story."

This is perfectly displayed in the chapter when Drake is reunited with investigative journalist Elena Fisher. Elena's cameraman is shot by terrorist leader Zoran Lazarevic and Drake must carry the cameraman through the war-torn city while several of Lazarevic's men try and hunt you down. You'll carry the cameraman from building to building with one arm and use your pistol to fight off enemies with the other. Once you reach certain points throughout the town the game will trigger one of Uncharted's cinematic scenes where either Elena, or new character Chloe Frazer, will direct you where to go next. And you're often thrown into the next moment after an explosion of some sort. There are times when you can't tell whether you're supposed to start moving or listen to what your companions have to say. The transitions are that smooth.

Uncharted 2 introduces some new characters, but you'll interact the most with Chloe. Chloe adds an interesting dynamic to the game, especially when she deals with Elena. In the same chapter when you try to save the wounded cameraman Chloe wants to leave him behind so they can save themselves, while Elena refuses to leave her co-worker behind to die.

"When push comes to shove she is about self-preservation," Minkoff says about Chloe. "She is in it for herself and for the money." But as the game progresses you'll start to see a bit of a transformation as Chloe shows more and more compassion.

All of Drake's companions add something to the story and that is what makes Uncharted a great game. But there are some points in the game where you'll be on your own as Drake. And one of those chapters, my personal favorite, is the train chapter. The action on this level is non-stop as you jump from train car to train car fighting off members of Lazarevic's army. This chapter requires you to quickly make use of Drake's climbing abilities as you'll have to hang from the train cars to avoid getting killed by the passing signals. You can also hang from the sides and use the square button to grab an unknowing enemy and throw him from the train. Using these stealth moves will help you a great deal as it won't alert the other enemies to your presence.

Those stealth moves are also something that makes Uncharted 2's multiplayer unique. While Uncharted 2's story would be worth it on its own, multiplayer is a welcomed addition that will keep you coming back. A majority of online team deathmatch-type games I've played you basically run, shoot and look for cover. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing but Drake's climbing abilities add a different type of feel to your typical team deathmatch or capture the flag-type matches online. Being able to leap from building to building, hang from a window sill and shoot your enemies or hang from a ledge and throw your opponent off without him even knowing that you were there makes Uncharted 2's multiplayer different from the rest. And all the options you'd have in the single-player campaign are in the multiplayer modes.

"We didn't have to sacrifice anything about the single-player campaign to make a co-op campaign," Minkoff says. "There's an enormous amount that people can delve into. There are thousands of hours of multiplayer content once you're done with the single-player campaign."

Uncharted 2's terrific story combined with the addition of online play makes this a must-have for PS3 owners. And while Uncharted 2 can be played without having played Uncharted 1, I would highly recommend playing through the first game just so you can get a feel for the characters and their background. Just like Halo defined the first Xbox and Mario defines Nintendo, I feel Uncharted will be the franchise that defines the PS3 - it's just that good.