One of my favorite psychological theories is that we remember and assess the things we experience based on their climaxes and their conclusions. Take videogames, for instance: If, at its peak, a game was utterly terrible -- but the ending was pretty good -- we might remember it as "just okay," while a game with a great peak and ending (but that's pretty bad otherwise) might still be remembered as "great." uncharted 2: is full of peaks (both great and annoying) and has a pretty good ending, which is probably why I walked away from it thinking it's fantastic... but not without flaws. Which makes me wonder if perhaps this theory should be expanded, because it seems to me when you play a game with such amazing highs, the annoying parts stand out all the more.
Uncharted 2's storyline is more or less predictable, but excellent delivery adds some life. You once again play Nathan Drake, an adventurer akin to a cruder and more impulsive Indiana Jones. He's on a quest for Marco Polo's treasure, which -- along with some misadventures and treachery along the way -- forces him into a journey that takes him from Borneo to the ruined streets of a Tibetan city. When I put it that way, the story sounds like the premise for a cheesy and easily forgotten novel, but it's saved thanks to wonderful dialogue that brings the characters to life, making them at once believable and fantastic. The quips they make to one another (and to themselves) convey that the amazing nature of what they see -- and how they manage to make it through all this in one piece -- is not lost on them. Even during the more expository portions of the story (especially the cut scenes), the banter between characters is so clever that I sometimes felt like I was watching a pair of old friends giving each other a hard time.
Uncharted 2 also one-ups its predecessor in the way it applies its foundation of exploration and shooting to a variety of environments. Instead of just tromping through a series of jungles and ruins (which is how I tend to remember the first Uncharted), you clamber and shoot your way through moving trains, cars engaged in high-speed chases, and the ruins of a destroyed city. Running through the jungle was cool and all, but using Drake's leaping and climbing abilities to jump between moving vehicles is much more exciting, and makes the pacing more dynamic.
While much of Uncharted 2's appeal comes from exploring the environments and experiencing the story and characters, I was pleasantly surprised by how vastly the gunplay has improved. The first game had tons of firefights, but they were easily the game's biggest weakness. Uncharted 2's shooting feels much more refined, with gun battles no longer feeling like a struggle for accuracy, or the baddies like bullet sponges (with some exceptions). Whereas I found myself blasting through the combat portions of Uncharted just to reach the next platforming segment, I enjoyed Uncharted 2's combat almost as much as I did its exploration. Uncharted 2 offers a much more enjoyable combat experience.
Remember what I said about Uncharted 2's peaks of excellence making the annoying peaks more obvious? Well, that relates to combat as well. Generally, enemies take less damage than they used to, making them easier to kill and less annoying to fight. However, this rule doesn't apply to bosses or certain enemies towards the end, which makes these fights feel frustrating and out of place. Supernatural involvement aside, I don't see why I should ever have to fight someone who can take 100 bullets to the face and laugh it off. Combat generally makes me feel pretty skillful, but devolves into a simple run-'n'-gun versus the occasional enemy who's apparently descended from the Man of Steel.
Enemy AI is also problematic at times. In straight-up gun battles, foes are really fun to go up against -- they're tactical enough to give you a challenge, but not a kick to the groin. But during the game's stealth segments, said enemies are sometimes less attentive than a horse with blinders. Not that I want hyper-realistic foes who smell the cologne I'm wearing as I approach, but it just looks silly when I can sneak up -- to the point of touching an enemy, as long as I'm in cover -- or when an enemy doesn't notice my big ol' head sticking out of a box. Ultimately, the AI foibles and occasional bullet resistance didn't mar my time withbut both feel so out of place when the rest of the game is so good. It's kind of like a scratch on a beautiful car: The thing's wonderful overall, but that one blemish is a constant splinter in your mind.
The multiplayer component.is one thing that most people expected to blemish Uncharted 2, but it actually winds up being far more than a mere afterthought. It's as feature-rich as other multiplayer giants, complete with upgrades, the ability to rank-up (akin to Call of Duty 4), and a host of game modes that cover everything from team deathmatch to cooperative play. And while the competitive modes are a lot of fun (especially team deathmatch when everyone is armed with RPGs), the cooperative missions and survival mode (think Gears of War's Horde Mode or Halo 3: ODST's Firefight mode) make this some of the best multiplayer I've seen this generation. The co-op missions unfold in environments taken from the single-player campaign, but throw you into different (and mostly combat-focused) situations, making them a lot of fun to play with pals. And survival mode affords you substantial freedom to monkey around in the environments, adding an element not present in the other aforementioned franchises. I doubt most people will pick up Uncharted 2 for the multiplayer, but trust me: It's well worth checking out.
Minor complaints aside, Uncharted 2 is the single best PS3-exclusive title to date. I love the voice acting and characters, and I can honestly say that the multiplayer is something I see myself returning to again and again. If you bought a PS3 because you wanted to play games that you couldn't play anywhere else, then your time has arrived -- go forth and buy Uncharted 2.
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