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| Source // PlayStation |
Two things are true with regards to this post: you really should have played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves by now, and no, I couldn't tell you which spectacular set pieces are in this one rather than in the other games of the series.
Yes, my memories of Uncharted are a little hazy, but I blame that on the fact that all of them are worthy of your time, taking you on adventures across the world, through myth, and mystery, and the exciting life in general of modern-day explorer/treasure hunter/thief Nathan Drake.
Pistols at the ready, wise-cracks and wit sharpened to a point... we've got some adventuring to do.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Fun Times
Among Thieves opens with a climbing tutorial set in a train car dangling over the edge of a cliff, and our protagonist, Nate, has a rather large stab wound in his gut. Do we have the determination to survive despite the odds so clearly stacked against us? You bet we do, we're adventurers! A little stab wound and a derailed train aren't going to stop us. Not when we've come this far.
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| Source // PlayStation |
How far have we come? After engaging in a criminal heist with fellow adventurous thieves Harry Flynn and Chloe Frazer to steal something related to Marco Polo, we've found ourselves in a Turkish prison with little to do but stare at the walls and wonder where it all went wrong - probably the 'being a criminal' bit, if I had to guess.
Released by mentor Sully and presumably new love interest Chloe, we're free to get back to work and seek out the fortunes that await us, and we'll be doing that in many more environments that the first Uncharted let us roam around in.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Harry, the bastard traitor who put us in this mess in the first place, is working with a Serbian war criminal by the name of Zoran Lazarević, and is currently out in the jungles of Borneo, so our adventure does start (sort of) with some familiar territory.
Wading through the water, seeing the sun streaking through the leaves, sneaking up to enemies and knocking them out with a stealth kill before a frantic gunfight as they engage you from multiple locations.
It's not long before we're heading to Nepal, where yet more colours are put in front of our eyes for us to gaze upon.
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| Source // PlayStation |
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| Source // PlayStation |
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| Source // PlayStation |
Uncharted was a good looking game. A tad too green, it must be said, but it was a sight to behold. Uncharted 2 might as well be from another console generation, the improvements are that impressive. The war-torn streets are orange and brown but colourful despite all the devastation.
Zoran's men patrol them, and won't hesitate to fight back should you open fire yourself, and so it's nice to see that, fundamentally, nothing much is different from the first game. You can clamber around the environment in a bid to get into a better position or hunker down into cover and blind fire until you've formed a better plan.
If you see a weapon on the floor, you can pick it up in no time at all, again swapping it out for whatever similar weapon is currently in your limited inventory, but there are quite a few firearms to choose from, from pistols to explosives and even riot shields.
If the weapons don't work, getting your fists out results in more cinematic slow-motion heroics, as Nate powers through the obstacles in his way in whatever means he can.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Just like that first game, when you're not in a fight, or working out how to navigate the environment, you're probably solving an elaborate ancient puzzle that has been left untouched and unused for hundreds, if not thousands of years, and will inevitably break the second you finish using it, and which point Nate will quip something and make light of the terrible situation that he finds himself in.
Cue the train level, which I'll leave for you all to enjoy on your own.
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| Source // PlayStation |
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| Source // PlayStation |
Too much colour for you? Uncharted 2 has a load of white snow and blue ice for you to traverse too, as you hunt for a way into Shambala, a spiritual kingdom that surely doesn't actually exist, does it?
In a game like Uncharted, it definitely does, and rarely, if ever, are you the only person looking for it. As you take the exploratory approach and problem solve your way through ancient doors, your enemies will use explosives instead.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Why are the heroes lucky to get a jeep, and their opposition is some sort of military force with more funds available to them than a small country? How did they get a tank all the way into the Himalaya's? Why go to all this effort just to stop me?
It does, of course, make for another action-packed set-piece, as you sprint through the village while it gets reduced to rubble. What hell have you brought these peaceful people, you monster?
Truth be told, I can't remember the story details of Uncharted 2, so I couldn't tell you. All I know is that it plays much like the first game, but looks, sounds, and is, so much better. Even when the ending gets a little weird too, just like the first Uncharted.
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| Source // PlayStation |
Final Word
I'm sorry to say I've done it again. I've utterly failed to capture what it means to actually play Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, because by this point in my Uncharted story arc, I've played them all multiple times across multiple console generations and they've merged into the essence of Uncharted.
An Uncharted game has the same parts. A grand adventure centred around a real-world mystery, a cast of motion-captured characters with voice artists who care about their portrayal, a story that keeps you playing like a good book will keep you turning its pages, comfortable controls and gameplay that turns you into the heroic action-adventure film star you want to be, incredible visuals full of details you're definitely going to miss on your first viewing...
In short, you're going to get a damn good game that'll keep you going for a good few hours of enjoyment, and one full of challenge and distractions. I just don't quite know how to separate them these days.
Uncharted 2 is better than Uncharted in pretty much every way, but it's not as memorable as the later games. It introduced multiplayer to the series, but I didn't play a single minute of it. It introduced new characters that have stuck around, but they're not up there with Sully and Elena.
What Uncharted 2 does is make a statement that this is what video games can do for storytelling, and the work behind the scenes has set the standard going forward. Video gaming can be as good as cinema, and novels, and art. They can be about running, gunning, and loving - in the same game, if you need them to be.
I've had some issues with sequels not doing enough to justify their place on this 1001 list or sequels that do something so well that the first game in the series isn't necessary. Just because I am terrible at separating Uncharted 2 from other Uncharted games, doesn't mean that's the case. I know it looks quite a lot like the case, but I swear it's not the case.
Uncharted 2 is as necessary to play as every other Uncharted game. The gameplay might be samey for you, but it hasn't put a foot wrong across multiple entries, and when you've got solid gameplay from the start, you get to flex all the other muscles you've built up over the years.
Graphics. Sound. Music. Story. Uncharted 2 has got you covered. But you probably knew that already.
Fun Facts
I don't know what's counted or how they're counted, but Drake's Fortune had 80 in-game cinematic animations, and Among Thieves has 564. So, uh, big improvement? Must-play game.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, developed by Naughty Dog, first released in 2009.
Version played: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, PlayStation 3, 2009, via memory.
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, PlayStation 4, 2015, via memory.