Uncharted 2

Admittedly it has been a while since my last post, but I have excuses. Firstly, uni just started so I've had lots of coffee to drink and things to be intellectual about. Also, I'm notoriously lazy. But never fear as in my time since the last post I have had a chance to play through Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Let me just start by saying that Uncharted 2 is quite good and well worth playing. The gameplay is simple yet rewarding, the storyline...well the storyline is...well, the storyline is like the special kid in your primary school class. He is nice enough, but you don't really want to be associated with him. Trust me, that will make more sense later on. I even had a chance to play the online part of the game which was also quite good.

The gameplay is like I said simple, you have a gun, and you point it at bad guys and bullets come out killing them. You can take cover so that when they point their guns at you, you don't die. That is about as complex as the combat gets, but it is surprisingly fun.

What makes it fun is that Uncharted 2 managed to do what Assassin's Creed 2 came so close to doing but failed miserably at. It managed to find a balance between stealth gameplay and straight out action. In Uncharted 2 you often are given an option to run through enemy compounds unnoticed taking guards out one at a time.

What is so great about it, is that the combat can be so challenging at times that the only possible way to get through compounds is with stealth. And when you are spotted, combat can be quite harrowing, making stealth, atleast to thin enemy ranks almost an imperative.

Moving back to the actual combat, it works because unlike almost every game, you're main character isn't some sort of invincible death machine. Getting hit by bullets hurts, and enemies will fight back in melee combat, meaning that a level of stratergy is involved.

So, if you want a game just for gameplay then this one is the game for you. However, we now move into the storyline, which was...well, it was intresting.

The storyline was about as cliched as a french men in a stripey shirt, smoking a ciggerate while eating cheese on top of the Eiffel Tower. One instance that really got me down, was when you were captured by the big boss guy, he didn't shoot you straight out because he "wanted you to see the treasure before you died" and maybe sit down for this bit as the innovation may make you pass out...you escape.

The writing, was also a bit iffy. It's been said that it is very similar to a Joss Whedon sort of script, which is very true. It consists of snarky, cynical heroines, smart talking chisled heros, and some bald russian. What's intresting is that the writing actually won an award at the American Writers Guild. Which I guess is a reflection of Video Games becoming a more accepted medium, but also a sign that people have shit taste.

The dialogue, was corny, overwritten and cliched. But then again maybe it was self aware? which makes it okay? I'm not sure if the game was taking the piss or not, but if so, then maybe it does deserve that award.

The online was also a lot of fun, it did just suffer from the age old problem of people on the internet being assholes.

For instance at one point I was doing a co-op mission, and I needed my teammate, to come stand near me and press Triangle for the mission to proceed. His character did a laughing animation for 10 seconds, threw a grenade at me, and then quit.

That is what we call internet faggotry. And if you're out there reading this Slordin234...I'll get you.

But all in all, get Uncharted 2. It was fun.