Released in the US on October 13th, 2009, Uncharted 2 is still widely considered as the best adventure in its spelunking, adrenaline-filled series. The game starts with thrills and chills right off the bat as the hero, Nathan Drake, awakens wounded on a dangling train cart threatening to fall off a snowy mountain. With this exciting and eye-popping intro, the intrigue and tone is set, and we then dive back several months before this event has occurred. But the game never loses pace in this intrigue. Through museum heists to war torn cities to fights with helicopters and wild train escapades, the momentum continually builds with higher stakes and excitement to be found. The experience can be so engrossing at times, you'll forget you're playing a game. Aside from the stellar action sequences, this immersion is furthered by superb motion-captured animation and very talented voice acting / writing. The wit and charm of each character in the game is so engaging and natural feeling, you can't help but to get invested into their absurd adventure.
When you're not sitting back and enjoying the cinematic narrative experience, the gameplay cycles between bouts of exploration, light puzzles, and many shoot-outs. If this game and series can be faulted for one thing, is that there can be an over-reliant abundance of shoot-outs to fill out the bulk of the game. But at least thanks to this particular game's varied range of environments, these bouts can be a little diverse and feel more fresh. It also does a fantastic job of adjusting the pace of action with chase scenes and new enemy types that require different tactics. On top of that, it allows for a variety of gameplay styles in certain sections, such as if players want to attempt a more stealthy approach in sneaking past guards and taking them down one by one. In these moments, the environments become a much more interesting puzzle in how to navigate and approach the situation.
Uncharted 2 is a game that has received quite a bit of universal acclaim, winning over 200 Game of the Year awards and some publications calling it one of the greatest games of all time when released. While I may not go that far, its praise and positive reception cannot be denied for what a thrilling and exceptionally narrative experience this game delivers.
Fun (Painful) Fact: Nathan Drake survives many a debacle in the game that would kill most any other normal human. Part of the reason Nathan's painful animations look so convincing is actor Nolan North actually motioned-captured some animations while suffering broken ribs. Talk about dedication to the art.
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