Uncharted 2 Uk Review

[lew86]

10/10. Can't fucking wait for christmas.

Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4 and LittleBigPlanet usually lead discussions of big PS3 exclusives. But Naughty Dog has truly stepped up to the marker with this stunning third-person adventure.

From the very first scene, Uncharted 2 shows off a technical prowess and refined artistic composition that's above everything you've ever seen. The locations, set pieces, camera angles and lifelike animation; it takes everything you'd expect from a third-person adventure and does it better. This is how you make a game.

The opening scene underlines this. No boring tutorial, no slow start before the big bang and no long intro cinematic. Drake appears, clinging for dear life on to the rail of a train carriage that's hanging dangerously over the edge of a snowy cliff. The camera, positioned below looking upwards, gives you a clear view as the train edges precariously closer to the cliff's edge.


In the middle of all this tension the game cuts back and forth to flashbacks of the discussion that got you into this mess; Drake having joined new female character Chloe on a quest to find Marco Polo's lost fleet of treasure-filled ships.

Back to icy reality and you begin the climb to safety. Instantly you see Drake come to life; hands and feet animate perfectly as he carefully grips different parts of the train. You can hear the strain in his voice as he leaps fearlessly from a ledge to a pole hanging in mid air.

Drake swears in frustration as parts of the train break off and narrowly miss him. He yelps as rails snap away from the train and swing outwards as the camera pans out to give you a frightening look at the sheer drop below.

The jaw-dropping visuals totally compliment the experience. You wouldn't identify with Drake's plight nearly as much if he wasn't so lifelike. His interaction and reaction to scenery and situations is phenomenal.

He grips surfaces and objects like they're real. He covers his face with his hands when near fire and twitches when shot at. He goes from calm expression to intense frown as enemies close in. You can even see the concern in his eyes when he's being out-gunned.

And what a difference some clever camera work can make. When you walk out into a new environment the camera pans right out to show you the stunning view; a huge cave full of ancient statues, the top of a snowy mountain or the rooftop of a building in a densely detailed city. It's all gorgeous.


Sometimes it's so well done that you think it's a cutscene, only realising that it's gameplay when you notice Drake standing still, awaiting your control. For in-game cinematics, it's unparalleled. Slightly better, even, than Metal Gear Solid 4.

But U2 isn't just a PS3 tech demo. The first game played superbly and the sequel builds on that foundation. It sticks with the same cover-based combat mechanics but builds on them with stealth sections.

We remember the hoo-ha forumites caused when Naughty Dog first spoke of U2's new stealth focus. Critics will be silenced. The stealth in U2 is some of the most natural in any game and it feels completely unforced.

You'll walk into an ancient monastery full of guards but it's the start of a mission and you have no weapons. Brilliant level design usually means you have a good view of the situation, so you can wait 30 seconds and survey the guards' movements.

Silent takedowns are far easier now. Just tap X when near an unsuspecting enemy and he gets it. These takedowns are great because they're reactive to scenery and character positioning. Drake will intelligently pull enemies over walls and elbow them in the throat, push them over cliffs, slam their heads into walls, or snap their necks depending on the situation. All you have to do is press a button.

After you take out the first guy you have a gun. From there you can just blaze in Gears of War-style. We even reckon the cover system works smoother than Epic's. One point to mention is that grenade throwing is now done entirely with buttons and not rubbish Sixaxis tilt control.

The open set pieces are designed in such a way that you can spend ten minutes sneaking into different parts of any given area. There are even 'Ninja' trophies to be earned for this approach.


While the stealth mechanics are new, the climbing sections of the game will feel similar to the original. But while the same rock-climbing, rope-swinging fun is back, U2 keeps it fresh and exciting with a range of truly spectacular environments.

When you're not hanging over cliff faces, you're scrambling along the side of speeding trains, leaping to grab small poles high over a city street or working your way through Indiana Jones-style temples.

On a negative point - and there clearly aren't many in this game so let's get this out there - it's not always obvious which ledge, rock or incline you have to climb next. On multiple occasions you're thrown into a massive open cave or urban environment full of climbable-looking detail and have to find the ONE ledge that you can actually grab onto to continue the game. It's not always obvious. That's perhaps one downfall of having such detailed environments.

But the game redeems itself with a hint system that detects when you're wandering around like a noddy. With a tap of the d-pad it points you in the right direction. Naughty Dog missed nothing.

The game has plenty of action to break up the familiar climbing sections too - sprinting over crumbling bridges, being chased by missile-firing helicopters or running into the screen as a truck crashes towards you. It's proper edge-of-your-seat stuff. And Drake'll do the swearing for you.

All this is coupled with an incredible soundtrack that's a mix of ancient-style wind instruments and traditional far eastern tones. It's reactive to the on-screen action too, genuinely throwing your emotions around like you're a woman. It incites panic when things get hairy, or has you in awe when you walk out into a huge open vista.

Drake and his world are made even more believable by the brilliant job done by Naughty Dog's scriptwriters and voice talent. And not just in cutscenes. None of the dialogue is cheesy or forced - the characters speak to each other naturally and full of personality.


Drake retains his confident and witty humour, while clearly not acting like your stereotypical hero. He's just an average bloke who finds himself caught up in more trouble than he can be arsed to cope with. His new squeeze, Chloe, and other characters you meet in the game boast equal amounts of flair and wit.

It's good to see that while you spend around 90 percent of the game in the company of an AI helper, they never get in the way. You'd think co-op would be a given but the option isn't there - instead you're limited to three alternative missions in a separate multiplayer mode.

We know what you're thinking: a multiplayer mode for a third-person adventure screams "tacked on". Not in this case. U2's multiplayer is incredibly solid and surprisingly comprehensive.

Competitive game modes include the usual team and non-team-based deathmatch, capture the flag and king of the hill modes. Kills and wins earn you XP and, as with all multiplayer in the post Modern Warfare era, you can buy perks like faster reloading, increased accuracy or more health to boost your chances.


The cover-to-cover system works exactly the same in multiplayer, and is fast yet smooth enough to cope with the chaos of multiplayer gaming. The weapons also perform well, and with the improved grenade controls they play a huge part of the action too.

Then there are co-op modes, which dump you in Firefight/Horde-style battles with increasingly difficult waves of enemies.

You and two others can work your way through three campaign-style missions together, using the co-operative mechanics seen in the single-player game to give each other boosts up to higher platforms, lower ladders or attack shoot outs from different angles. All are excellent, but be warned there's no split-screen play.


It may not have the heritage of pre-PS3 franchises like Metal Gear or Gran Turismo, and Nathan Drake may not be your typical hero with a croaky voice, eye patch, superpowers or pointy blue ears. But in our books he is the exclusive defining star of PS3.

It takes elements from a lot of games - the exploration of Tomb Raider, climbing of Prince of Persia/Assassin's Creed, combat from Gears of War and stealth from Splinter Cell, yet it amalgamates all of these elements perfectly into one package. You can't compare it to any other game.

Verdict
Platform-defining quality from start to finish.
Uppers
Best-looking game ever
Incredible set pieces and cinematics
Extensive multiplayer

Downers
Occasional maze-like path-finding
No split-screen play

[flybyhopkirk]

sounds great

[SuperRickyFuller]

Finally got my hands on the demo and it's absolutely immense!