Game Review : Uncharted 2

Unlike the first game in the series, to which I was indifferent, I actually liked this one. Again, nothing is innovative with this entry. But as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. That was what Naughty Dog has done with this title. They improved upon the previous game to a somewhat successful degree and as to how they did that, read on...

In terms of graphics, this is one of the best looking last-gen games out there with highly detailed character models and environments. The first game was outstanding and this game went a bit further. In many instances, I stopped playing and glanced at the vistas for a few minutes and then resumed with my gameplay. It was that good! However, the same cannot be said about animations as they are still a bit wonky and cartoonish.

Gameplay, again for the most part, is the same as the first one - third person, stop-and-pop shooter. You are allowed to carry a handgun, a rifle and a set of explosives. The one thing that has been improved slightly is the enemy A.I. With the last game, it was frustrating and cheap. This time it was cheap but not that of a big deal as enemies go down in a few hits on the medium difficulty. Moreover, enemies don't creep up that often so it was definitely an improvement, albeit a slight one. 

Story-wise, it is again 'Indiana Drake'. Nothing new, nothing too innovative. Bad guy wants treasure, good guy wants treasure and in the end good guy obviously wins. There were a few plot-twists which I could see coming from a mile away. The villain, Lazaravic, was a generic military, tough-guy with a scar on his face who speaks with an accent. Chloe is a new character who is added into the mix just as a hot distraction and Harry is the friend of Drake both of whom are similar in that both are A-holes except one is likeable and the other is not. So, nothing out-of-the-box.

The music was actually a bit better than the last game with the original theme returning again. The voice-acting was outstanding as always and the sound effects were along the same lines. So no complaints here.

If you loved the previous game, you have to check this game out. For those that did not try this game, or the series for that matter, I'd suggest the first game. See if you like it and come back to this one after you beat that.

Score - 7/10