LogFAQs > #897049532

16. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Dragon66116)


Starting the story in media res is a fairly common technique in many games, but I feel like few have done it as effectively as Uncharted 2, where you have Nathan Drake hanging from the back of a train that's dangling off of a cliff (as seen in the image above). The entire time you're playing this game, that moment is in the back of your mind, and you absolutely cannot wait to get there to figure out how exactly he got into that situation and how he's going to get out of it. Now it was a tough decision for me about which Uncharted game is my favorite, but I went with this one because I think it has the best setpieces in the series. Borneo is fantastic all the way through, and the train sequence is what the game builds up to, as I mentioned before. The resolution to that part of the game is just amazing.

I believe Uncharted 2's greatest strength may be its pacing. When it's time for action, it goes all in and it's super intense, but they also know when to pull back a bit and give you a breather. The one segment in particular that comes to mind is Nate just taking a leisurely stroll through the small village in Nepal in between two high tension action sequences. The dialogue and the character interaction have always been a strength of the series from the beginning, and it's great here, of course. The introduction of Chloe Frazer as Nate's new love interest was a pretty surprising move to me because it seemed like they went all in with Elena in the first game, and now she was nowhere to be found. As an aside, I'm kind of bummed that all of their relationship troubles happen offscreen, and they never really discuss them that much during the games. It was great when the two of them finally meet, and she introduces herself as, "Elena Fisher, last year's model." Flynn is an unlikable punk, but I think that's what he's supposed to be. I actually kind of like Lazarevic, even if he is stereotypically evil. For some reason, I'll find myself randomly shouting, "Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!" the way that he does from time to time. Regardless, Nate is such a good character and a great talker that he can work well with anybody, even Tenzin, who doesn't even speak English. The only real issue is the distinct lack of Sully, who largely disappears after the opening act of the game.

Now the first Uncharted was kind of rough (which seemed to be pretty typical for most series that started in the PS3/Xbox 360 generation for whatever the reason), particularly when it came to combat. The enemies were bullet sponges, and I just dreaded every time I got into a firefight. Uncharted 2 was a big step up in that department. It's still not something I look forward to doing, but at least it's manageable now. They made melee a lot more viable (complete with Nate talking smack to enemies as he takes them down, which is awesome), and it didn't take forever to win firefights. The appeal of the series will always be the setpieces and the parkour though. That's what you're here for (and the banter), so the best thing they can do is make it as painless as possible to get from one to the next. Uncharted 2 was a move in the right direction. I'm not sure if it's the biggest leap up in quality from the first game to the second (as I said, a lot of PS3/Xbox 360 series are in contention here), but it's pretty close.

Bonus Question: What is your favorite Western franchise?

No exact hits, but Roba, kateee, and LotM were all only one off!
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