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TopicLeonhart Ranks 100 Games with Writeups: The Top 40!
LeonhartFour
02/26/20 12:26:07 PM
#133:


#25. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMATSpXZjDg

That clip describing the origin of one of Nathan Drakes bizarre quips goes a long way to explaining the charm of Uncharted as a whole and why Nolan North was perfect for the role. I think hes at his best here in Uncharted 2, partly because hes constantly changing who hes traveling with and so his style of banter changes. For instance, I love it when hes with Tenzin because Drake still talks at him even though he knows he doesnt understand what hes saying. Theres a constant air of tension and mistrust when hes with Chloe, which results in some great chemistry between them. Drake and Sully are always great together, although its unfortunate that hes only around for the early part of the game.

When you start a game en media res, the goal is to get the player invested in finding out how it got to that point, and Uncharted 2 nails that better than any game Ive played, where you have Nathan Drake bleeding and clinging to the bottom of a train hanging over the edge of a cliff. I think Uncharted 2 is impeccably paced, as the game keeps the action moving from area to area without ever really dragging, while also knowing when to throw in some downtime, like wandering around the village. I never had to force myself to keep playing it because I was always eager to find out what happened next. Thats not to say its a perfect game, but youre willing to overlook its weaknesses because its strengths are so good.

In terms of gameplay, the leap from Uncharted 1 to Uncharted 2 might be one of the biggest improvements from the original to the sequel Ive ever seen. I always dreaded combat in the first game because it was poorly designed and enemies were bullet sponges that took forever to kill. They largely fix those problems here, so it keeps the game moving. The puzzle sections are a lot of fun, too. I always enjoy piecing together the hints from Drakes journal to figure out what to do next (Drakes journal in general is full of great Easter Eggs, too). Overall, the real draw of Uncharted 2 is how amazing the setpieces are. The cinematic presentation is top notch and provide for maximum drama because it feels like natural progression (provided youre not one of those people who deliberately stops to show that the game waits for you to reach a certain point to trigger the next setpiece). I love the entire Borneo sequence, and the train part is also excellent, especially because you know youre closing in on finding out what happened to Drake at the beginning. If you just want some good action, you wont find much of anything better than Uncharted 2.

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