GAMEFURY

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Review (PS3)

There are many who claim that gaming as a medium has grown since its humble beginnings just over two decades ago, and that it is now ready to come out of the shadow of the movie industry, where it has always been regarded as the unwanted step child of the family. And yet, when one compares the short history of the gaming industry with the nearly hundred years of movies, and follows the evolutions of both, I think one would come to the conclusion that gaming as a storytelling medium is still in its nascent stages. It took twenty years for developers to lay the groundwork- now that the foundations are laid, gaming can finally start working on catching up, and maybe someday, even overtaking movies.

That said, one should also have a look at the cultural impact of movies. Icons like James Bond, Star Wars, Terminator, Spiderman and Indiana Jones have worldwide recognition. How many such icons can gaming claim to have fathered? Mario, for sure, yes. But apart from him? Maybe

Master Chief from Halo, and Pikachu and the gang from Pokemon? The truth is, while gaming’s gameplay mechanisms have evolved dramatically since Mario brought it back from the brink of the dead, as a storytelling medium, gaming has been largely stagnant.

Drake's back, and he's back with a bang.

Something that shall probably change this gen, and thanks, in the most part, to the PS3. The console, which was derided when it was launched as being too powerful and too complex for its own good, has finally come into its own, and how. It’s true power has now been showcased- and not only can the PS3 boast of hosting great gameplay and marvellous visuals- that much is needed for any good game- but it is also perhaps the only console in history which has produced games that can give movies a run for their money.

The latest in this line of games that are bridging the chasm that separates the two mediums is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the sequel to Naughty Dog’s 2007 surprise hit. Following the exploits of gaming’s very own Indiana Jones, Nathan Drake, Uncharted 2 becomes a spectacle, a gorgeous feast for the senses, and a bombardment upon our eyes, and it never relents, from start to finish.

Ah, where do I begin about this game? What do

The graphics, oh, the graphics...

I say that has not already been said, countless times? I suppose that the most obvious place to begin would be the game’s graphics, which finally deliver on Sony’s initial promise and show us all just why HD gaming is needed.

The environments look jaw dropping, the characters look fluid and real, and overall, I think it is safe to claim that Uncharted 2 looks better than most of Pixar’s or DreamWork’s animated movies.

However, I believe that a game’s true graphical prowess can be determined by the finer details, and the attention that has been paid to them- it really wouldn’t do to have water that looks absolutely real to not move at all now, would it?- and Uncharted 2 delivers in spades in that department as well. Every thing, from the way that the trees sway, to how the clothes flutter in the wind, to the sparkling and moving water, to even how detailed gunshots are, boasts of a surprisingly unneeded effort to ensure that, to the extent possible, Uncharted 2 can be passed off as a movie, and not computer generated models.

It is indeed a gift for the eyes to play Uncharted 2, and I could go on and on about how great the graphics really are. But good graphics can only take a game so far, and if a title does not have the gameplay to back its graphics up, then all that effort is wasted. Fortunately, Uncharted 2 looks pretty, and plays better.

The gameplay is solid, and as refined as ever before. One must remember that the engine used in Drake’s Fortune was one of the best we’ve had all this gen, and in this title, it has been honed to perfection. So you’ll have the same platforming sections, stealth areas, fast paced gunfights, mind bending puzzles et al that have become reminiscent of the original Uncharted game, only here, they’ll be tons better.

It’s like playing the Indiana Jones game that we never had- Drake fights natives, has to contend with others who want ancient artefacts for their own unfathomable purposes, goes into ancient temples full of death traps, and meets unforgettable characters. As much as Uncharted 2 looks good, and plays well, its story becomes an inseparable part of the tangle. If ever there was a game where the story manifested itself in the gameplay, and vice versa, so that the two became a symbiotic pair impossible to tell apart, this is it, more even so than Metal Gear Solid 4.

There are times when the story becomes slightly ridiculous, and near the end, it simply abandons all pretence of making any sense, and goes all guns blazing into the realm of absurd fantasy, but that does not detract from the experience at all. Indeed, it almost invokes the old Indiana Jones movies, which would always end in a supernatural encounter of some sort. I said it once, and I’ll say it again: Uncharted 2 is like the Indiana Jones game we never had.

The story is complemented by great characterization. Each character that Drake encounters comes across as real, and each is inherently

Get ready to play what is probably the greatest game this generation.

unpredictable, and motivated by their own desires that are not always necessarily out in the open for all to see. Indeed, many a time, the twists exhibited in each character’s personalities were better and more interesting than the twists in the overall story arch.

What helps their cases more is that they’ve all, without exception, been voiced superbly. Hell, even minor characters that have at the most two lines apiece sound just perfect. All the characters in the game have just the right intonations, the right inflections, and they all sound the part, which make seem so much real than any other video game character ever does.

Great voice acting is given a huge helping hand by the game’s music, which is undoubtedly some of the best ever featured in a western game. It does a great job of building the tension, or forewarning the player of an impending battle, and basically mirroring what is going on in the game. The tunes themselves are catchy, and you’ll often find yourself humming along.

The sound, therefore, is as much a part of the intangible web of storytelling that this game is, as the graphics and the gameplay. And ultimately, all these elements come together remarkably to deliver us with the best storytelling experience found in any game so far.

It lasts long enough to keep you entertained for a healthy amount of time, but not seem as if it’s overstaying its welcome. And just in case you’re left wanting for more, it includes a surprisingly robust multiplayer mode, which you might be tempted to try out. And then again, you might just want to play through the story mode again, just as there are so many movies you watch repeatedly.

Uncharted 2, then, is this year’s best game, hands down. There can be no question about it, no debates, and no discussions. When this generation of gaming is up, and we recount all the significant titles, Uncharted 2 will be one of them. But unlike the other titles on the list, it will be there not because it accomplishes anything significantly new as far as gameplay is concerned. Rather, it will be there because it represents, finally, the coming of age of gaming as a storytelling medium, and it represents the genesis of gameplay and storytelling coming together to form an intangible mesh. As far as gameplay is concerned, Uncharted 2 is an evolution, not a revolution. But when it comes down to the storytelling aspects, Uncharted 2 is nothing short of revolutionary.

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