Uncharted 2: The only action-adventure game gamers will need all year

Erik Kubik Says Despite its tiny flaws, Uncharted 2 is easily one of the best pieces of gaming for the Playstation 3. I was thinking Infamous could be Game of the Year until Uncharted 2 came along and dethroned the “king.”

I could go on and on about Uncharted 2, covering the plot, the multiplayer, the trophies and the characters, but by now, I am sure most gamers have read at least two reviews where the writers smothered this game with love and raved about how great it is. Instead of rehashing others’ opinions, I would rather focus on why I found this game so addicting!

One of the best things about Uncharted 2 is the way the game flows. First off, there are no obvious plot holes. I have to agree, from start to finish, Uncharted 2 feels like a movie. Cut screens move the game play along and seamlessly shift from game play to watching and back again. There are some plot twists but nothing the average gamer cannot handle. Old and new friends integrate into the game well. The game has plenty of variety as Drake climbs over ledges, dangles from cliffs, melee grapples with foes, and guns down those who stand in his way.

Uncharted 2 sucks gamers in, and will become their life for the next 20-40 hours. For some reason Metal Gear Solid 4 (MGS4) comes to mind as a good comparison of consuming my life while attempting to create a balanced game. In quick reference, MGS 4 was the first Metal Gear game I had played and I was confused by the plot and most of the characters’ relationships. Metal Gear Solid’s in-game cinemas were lengthy and hindered the overall flow of the game.

To go along with the great rhythm, Uncharted 2 has solid controls. There are a few instances when Drake needs to move and he either jumps in the wrong direction or struggles to find cover; these are irritable flaws that are easily overlooked. There is nothing complicated about the controls, nothing has changed from Uncharted 1. I do wish Drake could climb more of the environment like Altaïr in Assassin’s Creed.

In regards to graphics, reviewers agree Uncharted 1 has some of the best graphics on the Playstation 3. Infamous is another Playstation 3 title which secretes graphical goodness. Uncharted 2 blows past other ps3 titles. The immense amount of detail in the characters and their animations are enough to make anyone stare aimlessly.

Drake’s clothing reflects his interactions with the environment from jungle rivers to the snowy cliffs of Nepal. Drake’s clothing gets soaked to the bone in rivers and the chilling snow causes his face and hands to cake with white. The scenery in Uncharted 2 is breathtaking from the urban landscape to the mountains. There is one point in the game where I simply stared at my TV in awe for at least two minutes. When you find yourself on the rooftop in Borneo, stop for a minute and look around. Everything in the distance is alive; you can see water flowing and trees rippling with the wind. There is smoke from several fires. Uncharted 2 does not have the painted, boring backgrounds that so many next generation games have.

At this point, some reviewers would launch into a three paragraph summary of the plot. Because most fans already know what happens, I am going to summarize the plot in one long run-on sentence! Drake is chasing a girl named Chloe who may or may not have betrayed him, to get the Cintamani Stone with Elena and Sully at his side (two of those old friends from Uncharted 1) while trying to stop a guy named Zoran Lazarević as they all race across exotic landscapes, each more fun than the last. Although like Uncharted 1, the ending of the game was a little disappointing.

In addition to the epic single player, there are strong multiplayer fundamentals as well. Red Faction or Grand Theft Auto IV, as non-fps games might be the closest comparisons to Uncharted 2’s multiplayer. But both GTA IV and Red Faction lack the complete experience of Uncharted 2. Those two games fall short in other crucial areas including a driven single player story, exciting characters, and gorgeous settings.

Concerning multiplayer, not only is there the standard Deathmatch variation, but there are also objective-based games such as Plunder (similar to CTF) and Chain Reaction. The latter is similar to Call of Duty World at War’s multiplayer mode where a player has to grab and hold points in a specific order. In Uncharted 2, I loved the Rockets-Only and Sniper-Pistol Deathmatch options. These are the little things keeping the multiplayer from becoming stale: something GTA IV suffered from. The ability to upgrade your weapons and skills as the game progresses also keeps things appealing.

Uncharted 2 also has co-op multiplayer. While Uncharted 2 lacks the customization of Red Faction multiplayer, the co-op modes are easily one of the best I have played in my 20+ years of gaming. Co-op centers on objective game play, featuring Nate and two other champions. There are platform and strategy objectives mixed in with some nasty gunfights. Co-op requires gamers to work together to achieve the end goal. Outside of single player, the co-op game play drove me to stay up to 4 am multiple nights I had to wake up for work at 8 am.

Usually, I blaze through a new game as fast as possible. But I could not put Uncharted 2 down. From start to finish, it is such a polished piece of work. I had to watch every cut screen at least twice. I know I will play through the game at least twice. It is easily worth the $60, and with 300,000 copies sold on the first day, gamers know this fantastic game is destined for great things. If I had to give the game a review score, I’d go with 10 Goozex Eggs.

Uncharted 2 | First Impressions

Erik Kubik Says Uncharted 2 came out last week on October 13th, and managed to sell 300,000 on its release day. That is an incredible number! So ask yourself why don’t you have it? This game is incredible, but words alone cannot describe the experience.

When I loaded up Uncharted for the first time, I was coming off a 10-hour day at work and was literary [sic] frothing at the mouth to play. The load screen on my 60 GB ps3 could not move fast enough. After playing the demo and the earlier Beta I was expecting something great. What I did not know, was that I was getting something close to godliness.

Just like the Sony commercials, Uncharted 2 plays like a movie. The game play flows seamlessly between real-time action and in-game cut screens. In the beginning. you are tromping through a battered and broken train about to plunge off a cliff with Nate Drake, a distant relative of Sir Francis Drake and the star of the first Uncharted game. The graphics are great, and within the first few hours of play I discovered the characters are likable and have a certain feel to them. The plot is interesting and took at least two twists in the two hours I played. The action and platform bits work well together like peanut butter and jelly.

Currently, I have just blasted my way through chapter 7 and I am having a heck of a time putting the game down. I think about it at work, I think about it when I sleep, and Uncharted 2 forces its way into my brain when I am playing other Playstation 3 games. I cannot wait to finish the game.

Future Releases Worth Your Purchase

Cole Burton Says As all of us gamers know, there are very many great and popular games coming out this year and the next. That is why I am going to give my opinions on some of the games that I am most hyped for.

Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2

I used to be a huge Halo fan, but after 5 minutes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, all that changed. There are 3 editions of Modern Warfare 2: Normal, Hardened, and Prestige edition. I currently have the prestige edition pre-ordered for $150.00, that’s how much I like Call of Duty.

This game will have a great campaign and multiplayer by the looks of it. Not only that, it will also have the new, two-player special ops missions.

In addition, there are many improvements, such as in-game host finding and the ability to throw your knife.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 is a game that I plan on getting from The New Goozex Exchange day 1. I loved Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and I was lucky enough to get a beta code from GameTrailers to play the first level cooperatively and play the multiplayer, I was blown away.

There is so much suspense for this game just from the trailers alone. This is my second-most hyped game for the year, right behind Modern Warfare 2. For those of you looking to push your luck, there will be a limited, and I do mean limited, edition of the game. The only way to get it, will be to win it. Check the Playstation blog for more info.

Saw: The Video Game
In my opinion, Saw the video game hasn’t been getting enough attention. If you have seen the movies, this is a must get, if you haven’t seen the movies, watch the first two and you will be hooked. The game places you in the position of Detective Tapp from Saw 1 and it fills the gap between the first and second movies. Another cool thing about this Saw entry is that it will be produced by the original creators of Saw.

M.A.G.

M.A.G. might be one of the best PS3 exclusives of the year. It looks like it will have a great multiplayer with 256 players per match. Some people are worried about lag issues, but this game wouldn’t be made if that were a fact. No one would play a 256-man lag match. There are three teams you can choose from, at least one should fit your fps personality.

Halo ODST

Although I do not play Halo that much anymore, I still plan on getting ODST for old-time sake and to complete my collection.

Assassin’s Creed 2

I enjoyed Assassin’s Creed a lot until I finished the game, then it had right next to zero replay value. However, I am sure the sequel will not have this problem, but, if it does, at least the first play through will be great.

This time, you don’t play as Altair, you play as Ezio. There will also be more weapons and vehicles. In addition, you will have friends that have their own abilities to help you out.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

I played the demo of BF:BC and did not like it. I eventually got it on goozex with some spare points and was amazed. Apparently, the demo sucked but the real game was great!

In addition, the multiplayer was great. I cannot wait to add this game to my collection March 2010. The destructible environments were what separated bad company from other mindless fps games and it look like it will do the same again.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about some of the games I am most hyped for this year and next. Remember to keep that wallet fat for these, or do the smart thing and get them from Goozex.com!

Revisiting Uncharted

Kube00 Says: Uncharted is by far one of the best new IPs to come out for the PS3. It is also one of the best looking games on the PS3, to this date. Following its release in 2007 I ignored it in favor of Assassin’s Creed due to the fact that I saw Uncharted as no more than another Tomb Raider clone. So instead using my shrewd bargaining skills, I traded in a bunch of PS2 games and using credit at my local Hastings Entertainment Store, I snagged Assassin’s Creed. Big mistake, although Assassin’s Creed had been super hyped by Ubisoft and looked cool, after about five hours I was beyond bored and it was tossed aside like yesterday’s trash. About a month later, I traded someone on craigslist for my copy of Assassin’s Creed for their copy of Uncharted. I soon discovered I got the better deal and I sat down and played straight through the game, which is rare for me to do.

Uncharted was developed by Naughty God, the guys behind the Jax and Daxter series. Uncharted is as much of an action/adventure game as Tomb Raider is, minus the girl, the bad controls, and the complicated puzzles. The game revolves around small puzzles, gorgeous environments with vivid color jungle/temple/cavern/ruins/water effects, and a twisting plot. The killing system, which features your fists and firepower, doesn’t get old. The action is simple: duck-and-cover, blast, sneak up on your enemies; or better yet, hit them with a brutal melee combo while gunfire peppers the ruins around you.

Throughout your adventure things get tossed in the mixed, there’s a rail shooter opportunity in a jeep, as well as a frantic splashdown jetski ride. The puzzles are never more then pull this, push this, or destroy this; most of them take about 30 seconds to do. I would say the game forces more on the action, and the story, which is told through very good looking in-game cinematics. Speaking of which, the associated wiki has this to say about the story, “… the game charts the journey of protagonist Nathan Drake, supposed descendant of the explorer Sir Francis Drake, as he seeks the lost treasure of El Dorado, with the help of friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan and journalist Elena Fisher...” Bit of a spoiler for fun: Sully ends up betraying you later in the game; oh the things some of us will do for money.

Although the game is short, you can beat it in 8-10 hrs, it’s worth at least 2 replays for the stuff one can unlock; new weapons, costumes for Drake and for the enemies, color tints, artworks, cinematics, etc. With the recent addition of trophies there are at least a few reasons to get back into the game.

The sequel was announced earlier this year and it looks even better with more action. It’s titled Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. It looks to hit shelves in fall of 2009. Although Uncharted is worth 750 Goozex points, and the line is long, do yourself a favor and get this game. It is a must have for PS3 owners everywhere.

Multiplayer or Single Player?

Andrew Weymes (aka MrWeymes) Says: The Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube era was primarily focused on single player gaming. Of course, Socom and Halo had many online players, but the majority of gamers were still playing games for the single player experience. However, it is apparent that multiplayer gaming is on the rise over the past few years and much has changed within the current generation.

Many games that have a solid single player experience—but no multiplayer—are often slammed for this alleged short coming; and even have points deducted in their review on gaming websites. An example of this is Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. While Uncharted didn't receive terrible scores, the inclusion of a multiplayer experience akin to Gears of War would probably have helped.

There are many gamers who don't enjoy multiplayer, and are concerned with this growing trend in the industry. Single player campaigns are getting shorter and shorter. While the quality of the campaigns is high, it's hard for a single player gamer to spend $60 on a six-hour experience; especially when developers focus their efforts on making the online run smoothly, having a good amount of maps, as well as weapons, and having a good selection of game modes. It's almost as if the single player experience has become secondary, which is backwards compared to previous consoles. Treyarch provided a prime example of this trend by releasing a Beta version of the multiplayer for Call of Duty: World at War as compared to a demo of the single player.

This generation is also seeing a rise in multiplayer-only games such as Warhawk, Socom: Confrontation, and to a lesser extent Left 4 Dead. While you can play Left 4 Dead by yourself, it's clearly made for cooperative play. If games like this become top games in the industry, developers will start to look at single player games differently. There is no sense in making an epic single player experience if it's not going to played by 1/3 as many people as this months multiplayer game.

There are pros to playing single player games, as well as multiplayer games.

Single Player Pros:

• Storylines can draw you in, and make you feel for the character.
• A good amount of single player games have a solid frame rate throughout the game.
• Texturing and lighting effects are always better in single player campaigns.
• Scripted moments that are shocking during your first playthrough.
• The feeling of beating a boss by yourself.
• Exploration.
• A good soundtrack.
  

Multiplayer Pros:

• Playing with people you know is usually fun. For people that live far way from each other, it's nice to socialize again.
• If there is no lag, competing fairly against people from all around the world, or just competing against your friends can be thrilling.
• Talking to real people during cooperative gaming brings a new level of strategy to the table when compared to AI team members.
• Replayability. Many people only play the single player experience of a game once. Multiplayer gives you a lot more hours for the money you spent on a game.
• Winning. It's always fun to beat someone else.
  

It's obvious that multiplayer is now a vital part of the video game industry. If you were to ask the average male, age 10-25 what Call of Duty is, he would probably know the answer, regardless of whether or not he plays that particular game, or video games in general. If you were to ask that same man what Lost Odyssey is, or Dead Space, or Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, he probably wouldn't know. The question is, what do gamers that spend their days playing video games, and talking about them on message boards think? Which kind of games brings you more satisfaction, single player or multiplayer? Which is more fun to play? Most importantly, where is the video game industry heading? Will single player campaigns become secondary to their multiplayer? Have they already?