Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review
- Posted October 23rd, 2009 at 11:18 EDT by Adam Dolge
- 67 Comments
Review Score
- PSU Review Score
- 10.0
- Avg. user review score:
- 9.6
Summary
With Among Thieves, Naughty Dog has shattered the proverbial bar it created with the 2007 original. This is quite possibly the best game to have graced the PS3, and without a doubt one of the greatest titles ever conceived.
We like
- The stunning visuals that draw you into the complex and engrossing story
- The strategic, fast-paced combat and superb multiplayer component
- The breathtaking experience that is created by a marriage of stellar gameplay, beautiful graphics, and exciting action
We dislike
- The occasional hiccup with the controls
- Having to wait for Uncharted 3!
See PSU's review on Metacritic & GameRankings
With the release of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Naughty Dog has created an epic game that rivals the storytelling of Hollywood’s finest feature films, with seamless gameplay that sets a new benchmark for future releases. The stunning graphics and fluent cut-scenes deliver the ultimate visual presentation, while the tight action, puzzle, and navigation mechanics ultimately cement Among Thieves as one of the greatest titles to grace any current generation platform to date. The world comes alive right from the opening sequence through the numerous chapters that take you from snowy cliff-side towns, dilapidated cities, and onboard speeding trains; the action is intense, yet manageable; and the story is strong enough to keep you on the edge of your seat through the entire single-player campaign. Without hesitation, Among Thieves has solidified its spot high atop the best games this year, and quite possibly one of the best games of all time.
Among Thieves has already received unanimous praise among reviewers and gamers alike, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that we love this game and have great admiration for Naughty Dog and the team that created this enormous spectacle. We gave Among Thieves a perfect score not because every aspect of the game was spot-on, but because the overall experience felt so far ahead of virtually anything else we've played this year that we were willing to forgive its minor flaws. After spending many hours playing through the single and multiplayer modes, we were left with our jaws dropped and our eyes open wide. Ironically enough, it’s the fact that Among Thieves proved such an enjoyable experience that it ultimately left us feeling slightly frustrated at the prospect of having to wait until the inevitable sequel turns up—still, there’s no doubt that the game will keep us busy for a long, long time.
Nathan Drake first strolled onto the PlayStation 3 with the release of 2007’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. This arrogant treasure hunter could do just about everything—he could solve complex puzzles, scale across rooftops, climb stone walls, take down a small army of foes single-handily, stealthily dispatch lone goons, and of course, charm the pants off of the opposite sex. In Among Thieves, everything we loved about the original game was back, but tweaked just enough to make the controls tighter, the story deeper, the world bigger, the scenery more lush, and the action faster and more intense. While many sequels seem to rest on the laurels of what the original game did right, without beefing up new elements, Among Thieves has the ideal balance of familiar gameplay with a healthy coat of polish.
Since many (if not all) of you have played the game, the multiplayer demo, or the original, we won’t get too technical with the actual gameplay mechanics. The basic duck and cover combat strategy returns in the sequel, along with numerous puzzles required to pass various obstacles, and vast environments for Drake to traverse. Among Thieves takes all of these core elements and ultimately makes them tighter and easier to use.
Combat in Among Thieves comes in different forms; it can be a fast-paced gun battle or a strategic affair where you use the game’s settings to your advantage—hiding behind partially blown up walls, high on rooftops, or clinging to the side of a building. The duck and cover mechanic usually works great, but it’s not without its problems. Occasionally you’ll get stuck covering behind the wrong side of an object, or carelessly jumping to your death as you try to climb down a ladder. Despite the mild frustration, these minor issues do little to hinder the overall experience.
The game picks up about a year or so after Drake’s Fortune. Without giving too much away, the basic story once again follows Nate, who this time around is searching for the remnants of Marco Polo’s expedition in search of Shangri La and the elusive Cintamani Stone. The game opens (sort of) with a British guy named Flynn, who, with the help of the seductive Chloe, tries to convince Drake to track down an old oil lamp from a Turkish museum. This lamp is believed to hold secrets to Polo’s lost expedition. Through a series of very unfortunate betrayals, Drake is set off to ... (continued on next page)
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Comments
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VintageElise
- 6:19am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 1
IMO PSU will become alot better once you start doing video reviews.
Good review all the same though.
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netherdragon
- 6:32am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 3
Chose my game of this month to be borderlands so this will have to wait till christmas, I really want it now though :P
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higgos22
- 6:32am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 4
@1 that's a great idea
and Yeh this game i expected it would rank highly
I wonder if that would be considered as an actual review on like the uncharted 2 or metacritic sites?
Anyways it is definetly fun
and At bad points Play Uncharted 2 until Uncharted 3 ;)
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lordAlucard |
sympozium_666- 6:47am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 6
easily predictable, the game looks soo good I don't know whether to go for Uncharted 2 or Borderlands?
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AmorBavian
- 7:09am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 9
A great game no doubt but I would not give it a top score as PSU and many others. PSU is right on many of the coments but some of the issues in the game are a big enough minus which should not make it a perfect score.
The biggest minus are the boss-fights. They are so uninspiring, boring and just generally badly made. Naughty Dog should learn something from God Of War and MGS4 for Uncharted 3 boss-fights. That minus already brings the game to a 9.0.
Another minus is combined between the small flaws in the single player controls and the bad multiplayer experience. The playing experience is interesting enough but I just do not understand how PSU can praise the multiplayer experience that much when the servers are apparantely crap. It usually takes more time to access a game than to play a match (and it is NOT my internet connection). Furthermore, you mostly have to go back to start, to matchmaking, after each match. Why? 'Cause everybody else does! A big minus on that one which has almost made me forget the multiplayer completely (except co-op).
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a_stray_bullet10
- 7:09am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 10
finally PSU got a score dead right :D better than 9.3 ;) haha well done
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ToonAssassin
- 7:27am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 13
10/10 for me, took all the great stuff from Drake's Fortune and added heaps more cool stuff on top, it is everything i had hoped for and more, a perfect sequel !
roll on U3 :-)
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chilledbreeze7
- 7:34am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 14
That was good timing, I've literally just finsihed the game not 15 minutes ago. Uncharted 2 definitely has to be game of the year for me and fully deserves PSU's 10 out of 10 rating. It is an absolute Masterpiece of a game! I cannot fault this game in any way, the graphics are stunning, the storyline is very well thought out, the game play is fantastic, you just can't put this game down from start to finish. I'm simply amazed at how long the game is too, just when you think the game might be reaching the end theres another whole new level to play and my god, how stunning is Shambhala when you see it for the first time! If you own a ps3 then you must simply must buy a copy of this game, it is truly epic!
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regissreg
- 7:39am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 16
I agree with the Review. I would have gave this game a 10 if it didnt take so many bullets to kill players on Team Deathmatch online. The story mode is unbelievable, one of the best graphics Ive seen so far. I would put this in one of my Best top 10 games ever.
As for Boderlands, its a little to slow for me.
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TETNUS
- 7:54am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 18
This game is awesome but nothing is perfect though this is probably the closest any game has been. The multiplayer is awesome any of you that are having connection problems I feel bad for. I have had very little problems with it. I agree with #9 it isn't a 10. It is close though.
I have enjoyed the boss fights I have had so far but im not done yet. I take my time and have a ton of other games to play. This game is so epic i mean mid chapter its just so amazing that it has to be hard to top it with boss fights. I would say this is one of the best single player experiences ever right up there with Metal Gear. So far this is game of the year for me all the way.
I would give this a 9.9 because what is perffect. That being said if you go back and measure GTA to this standard GTA is an 8 at best.
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Acid-Hippie2007
- 8:11am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 19
I would also give this game a 10, not many games can reach this but this game does it !!
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masonmcglasson
- 8:19am EDT - October 23rd, 2009
- 20
What hiccup with controls? I have yet to have any problems with the controls. Even behind cover in tight areas (that GameSpot knocked Uncharted 2 down for).
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