Uncharted 2: Among Thieves review

UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES


(release) 10/13/09
(developer) Naughty Dog
(publisher) Sony Computer Entertainment
(platform) PS3

As I said before, I wasn’t crazy about the original Uncharted. It had a lot of great ideas and it did a lot of things well, but in the end it was buried by a frustrating mix of messy combat and clumsy platforming. You could tell that Naughty Dog was onto something though, and with a few more great ideas and some polish on the existing parts, a truly great sequel would be just a matter of time. I can tell you now, without a shadow of doubt, they delivered on every single problem I had with the first game and created one of the most fun and captivating experiences I've ever had. From start to finish, Uncharted 2 will sink its talons in you and never let go, and you’ll cherish every second of it. It’s that amazing. Really.

Everyone’s favorite treasure hunting troublemaker Nathan Drake is back and better than ever. Roughly a year after the events of the first game, Drake meets up with some old acquaintances who tell him of a plan to steal a Mongolian oil lamp from a Turkish museum. This is no ordinary oil lamp, however, and when Drake learns that it could lead to the discovery of Marco Polo’s lost fleet and the unimaginable treasure that lies within, the hunt is on. While the story is still standard Uncharted fare, it still does a great job of keeping you interested in what's going to happen next. You'll feel more connected to the characters though, thanks to an exceptional leap in the quality of the writing. Drake’s interactions with his companions feel more human, helping to flesh out more realistic and emotional character development. There’s no wasted dialog. Every scene (other than some light comedic relief) has importance purpose. That’s not to say the game is 100% serious at all times, it just seems more focused and keeps you tuned into what’s important. That’s the keyword: important. There’s a lot more riding on the actions of Drake and company this time, and it really shows. While the story and writing may be great, it's not without its flaws. The main bad guy is too cliched at points and segments towards the end wind up being a bit too over the top and unbelievable. Don’t let these even begin to be a deterrent. Naughty Dog stepped up their game like almost no other developer has and presented the audience with a truly engaging experience, the likes of which I’ve never played before in this genre.

Combat was one of the things I and many others had major complaints with in Uncharted 1. Naughty Dog definitely listened to what their fans had to say because the combat was a total blast (no pun intended) throughout the course of the entire game. All of the problems I had, from the later game enemies taking absurd amounts of shots to put down, or to enemies throwing grenades at walls right in front of them, have all but vanished. Hit detection is also fixed, improving the overall feel immensely. The core of the combat hasn't really changed; the gun-play just feels much tighter and more refined. You’ll still be using pistols and AKs (among a few new weapons, but nothing really worth mentioning), but you won’t be swearing at the TV anymore while doing so. Perhaps my favorite new addition, however, is the smarter design of the combat and the larger emphasis on stealth play. Many of the firefights (especially towards the end) take place in huge, multi-tiered open environments, leaving you free to take on the enemy in whatever way suits you. Take the high ground to gain advantage in a gunfight or take cover and eliminate the enemy silently. The latter reminds me of games like Metal Gear Solid or Deus Ex: Human Revolution at times, just not as in depth stealth-wise. Plotting out how you are going to take out a room full of baddies never gets old, and is a welcomed addition to the series. If done right, you’ll have at least half the room cleared before the bullets start flying. Uncharted 1’s repetitive, narrow corridor shootouts are a thing of the past. Hand to hand fighting is still an option and it’s been simplified by getting rid of the out-of-place combo system. to just having you mash the square button for punches and the triangle button for the occasional duck. It’s faster and more satisfying for sure, but I wouldn’t rely on it in tough situations. Guns and stealth are a Drake’s best friend.

Subtle changes have also been made to the platforming mechanics making them a little more straight forward.   The next ledge or brick is usually color coded allowing you to easily see where you need to go, even if that's exactly where the game wants. It's limited in terms of exploration, but it's just as fun making crazy leaps and blind jumps as it ever was. You won’t be stuck on the same ‘grab the vine and swing’ segments that occurred too often in Drake’s first outing, either (I can't stress enough how awesome this is, in particular). I also felt a much bigger influence from Assassin’s Creed in the way Drake can traverse certain objects. You don’t have nearly that much freedom, but it can really help when you’re under fire and you need to get to a new vantage point as quickly as possible. All in all it’s still very linear in terms of where you can and can’t go, but it feels more open at the same time. Please tell me that makes sense. The shooting and platforming segments are also helped by an excellent checkpoint system. You'll never have to start more than a minute or two from your last death. Excellent!

Graphically the game is on a level all alone. Nothing clever to say here. Simply put, the game is head and shoulders above anything you’ll see this generation. From the dense jungles of the games beginning, to the vast snow-capped mountain ranges or Tibet, the game never fails drop jaws at every turn. It’s not only the quality of the visuals that will have you drooling, but the sheer amount of detail Naughty Dog has put into their environments. The locations you visit feel more vibrant and alive than before and you can easily tell how much research and effort went into their creation. Speaking about the environments brings me to my next point: the varied locations in the game. The first Uncharted took place deep in jungles and ancient ruins. It was nice too look at for a while, but it retrospect, it got dull rather quickly. Drake decided enough was enough, grabbed a map, and headed to several beautiful locations across the globe (Priceline?). Drake’s travels will take him to locations such as the jungles of Borneo, museums in Istanbul, urban Nepal, Tibetan mountain villages, and many others. I can’t emphasize enough how this helps to keep things fresh and exciting throughout the course of the game. Throw in an expertly crafted and more varied score (the music takes its roots from the areas of the world Drake visits), and you have the most complete presentation on the PS3.

The ultimate amalgamation of these new improvements would no doubt be the insane set pieces scattered throughout the game. Being chased by an attack chopper through the bombed out buildings of an entire city? Battling across the length of a train as it barrels along at high speed, shooting enemies and dodging incoming railway signs at every turn?  How about the chase scenes where Drake is running towards the camera (a throwback to a certain Naughty Dog game from the PS1 era), jumping over obstacles and blindly firing at certain death only feet behind? These are amazingly well done and are far and away the highlights of the entire game. I don’t remember a single section of Uncharted 1 that got my heart pounding like these segments did. Bravo, guys. Bravo.

New to the franchise is multiplayer. It’s always tricky to pull off multiplayer in a single player franchise, but Naughty Dog hit a homerun with their first attempt in the series. Team deathmatch, elimination, zone control, and capture the treasure are all included. They’re not that different from anything you’ve seen before, but they look and feel just like the fantastic shootouts from the single player campaign, leaving you to play in whatever style you want. The developer has also included co-operative and survival modes into the mix.  Survival follows the trend set by Gears of War's Horde mode and Halo's Firefight: survive wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies. There is also a co-op mode where you and some friends can complete objectives loosely based on single player levels. This had the most appeal for myself because I’m getting old and bitter and deathmatch isn’t as fun as it used to be. While playing, you’ll start ranking up and earning money which can be spent on unlockable perks. Among them are increased accuracy, faster movement with large weapons, and faster reloading. Unlock several of them and you’ll be able to customize your character to your preferred play style. All in all its a superb addition to the franchise, and one that you’ll want to revisit over and over again.

So far everything sounds perfect, right? Not quite. There are a few nagging little issues I had, but trust me: it doesn’t affect your overall enjoyment at all. For as fun as the story can be, it can also be a little unoriginal. Especially the third act, which falls a bit short with its emphasis on the stereotypical and unoriginal villain. Puzzles are too simple, offering little real challenge whatsoever. That might not be a bad thing for everyone though, considering over complex puzzles can mess with a game's pacing and turn off some gamers. As for the game's length, I clocked in at right about 10 hours. Not too short for the tone of the game, really, but  you’ll have so much fun playing it that it's over before you know it. Lastly, I thought there were a few too many big shootouts towards the end of the game. I know that games tend to get more difficult near the end, but when you are so interested in the final moments of the story, you end up getting into a gunfight at every corner. Again, the game was still an absolute joy from start to finish, but I felt inclined to point out a few of the shortcomings.

FINAL WORDS:

What else is there to say? Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is simply the best action adventure game I’ve ever played. Maybe even the best ever. From the open and varied combat, Hollywood level presentation, and amazing locations in every chapter, I cannot recommend this game enough. To anyone with a PS3 (if you don’t have one, sell a kidney!) this is perhaps the most unmissable game for the system, and more than likely for the generation. It has no equal.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine review

WARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE


(release) 9/6/11
(developer) Relic Entertainement
(publisher) THQ
(platform) Xbox 360, PS3 (reviewed on), PC, Onlive

The realm of Warhammer seems a bit odd on consoles. It hasn’t differed too much from its real time strategy origins, so when a new console game is announced in the Warhammer 40K universe that isn’t a PC exclusive, it tends to generate some buzz. This has been tried before, with entries on the Sega Saturn/PS1 (1996’s Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels) and the PS2 (2003’s Fire Warrior). These games were met with very little commercial or critical success. Maybe it was because they were much more action oriented than their PC cousins. People were used to real time strategy, not mediocre first person shooting. However, there is still hope. With advances in technology and game design, did Space Marine mark a triumphant return for Warhammer fans? In short......erm......no.

First, some bad news. I’m not an expert in Warhammer 40K lore, and in my experience with the game it doesn’t do much to help bring you up to speed. It feels tailor-made for Warhammer fans, like a movie you’re thrown in the middle of where you know none of the characters or storylines. When you do get the feel for the story, you’ll find it’s not very enthralling or interesting in the least. You play as Captain Titus, the leader of a group of space marines called the Ultra Marines. You’re tasked with eliminating as massive force or Orks hellbent on destroying and conquering everything in their path. This is about as generic as it comes, especially if you’re one of the many who can’t relate to the narrative. You and your small band of fellow marines trudge through one area to the next, massacring every ork unlucky enough to get in your way. And that’s about.......it. Really. There is hardly any deviation from that formula. Cutscenes are there to help develop the story but they appear too often and break up the flow of the game. Yes, there are a few parts of the game that offer decent entertainment, but it’s all been done before. Much better, in fact.

Here’s some, albeit short lived, good news! At its core, Space Marine is all about the combat, and it’s the best part of the game (but that’s not really saying much). It’s a mix of over the shoulder shooting mechanics and the frenzied melee combat of God of War or Dante’s Inferno. There isn’t a cover system, but I don’t mind that because it forces you to stay on your toes and be alert at all times. You can’ just hide behind cover taking out one enemy at a time. Along the way you’ll find several different guns, from your standard pistol and machine gun, to chargeable plasma rifles and sniper rifles. You can switch between them at anytime with the d-pad. I found myself using mostly the pistol as it had decent stopping power and infinite ammo. You can use any of them to your hearts desire though because ammo is fairly plentiful throughout the course of the game. Titus can only carry one melee weapon at a time and these aren’t quite as diverse. He starts with the chainsaw sword, and can upgrade to power axes or huge, glowing hammers. Unfortunately, There really isn’t much of a difference between the melee weapons. Some may be faster than others, but I never noticed myself favoring one over the other. They all feel basically identical, and this isn’t helped by the fact that the combos are really barebones. You have a weak and heavy attack and a slew of button combinations between them, however when you upgrade to a new weapon you don’t unlock any more moves. The combos don’t change whatsoever. It’s just really lazy game design on the developer's part. Hell, there isn’t even a block button. Eventually you’ll acquire the jetpack for limited amounts of time and begin raining down hammer strikes from above, killing dozens of orks at a time. It makes combat a lot more fun and dynamic for a while, but it doesn’t happen often enough.

Things don’t get much better in terms of presentation and design. While the graphics aren’t necessarily bad, they don’t do anything to stand out from the crowd. Characters are modeled fairly well but won’t have you admiring them and the level design meets the same fate. Industrial, rust covered battlefields and uninspired corridors seem to endlessly repeat themselves until the credits roll. There is no exploration at all (unless you count an odd room tacked on to the side of a hallway with an audio log collectible). You are funneled from one fight to the next, with nothing to do in between. I really did have to force myself to continue playing the game at points, that’s how disinterested I became.

One of my biggest complaints though, is the lack of enemy variety. You really do fight the same 3 or 4 enemies the entire game. That means you get stuck in the same old routine of fighting styles, never having to switch anything up. Shoot>melee>repeat. It gets old, fast. The whole thing feels uninspired and lazy. Nobody put their soul into the development of this game, and it shows. It’s unfortunate that the only time the game decides to try anything different, it ends 5 minutes later.



FINAL WORDS:

All in all, there’s not much to say about Space Marine. It feels shallow and dull, like a movie licensed game that only garners interest from the most rabid of fanboys. It doesn’t offer anything that other franchises don’t do much, much better. I’ll go as far as to say that any other game in this genre will run circles around this mess. It’s unfortunate, though, because the subject matter is somewhat interesting and some of the gameplay was fun at certain times. In the hands of a different developer, someone with a fresh take on things, this could have been a worthwhile endeavor. That’s not the case here, however, and I really think that even the most diehard Warhammer fans should think twice about picking this one up. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.