Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)

Finished on Very Easy -- played via PS Now streaming service

Thoughts: Awesome movie experience! 3/5 very average gunplay, but 5/5 in terms of presentation, charming and memorable characters, and incredibly well-done cinematic moments. At least you ACTUALLY had to run and play through most of the scripted sequences in comparison to most of modern gaming's "Press X to do anything".

The second one's gameplay was far better than the first. There were more climbing and more "puzzles". The game play dynamic and the switch between the shooting, platforming, and climbing were so much better than the first.

The whole game was so much smoother. There weren't too many references to the first game, so totally skip the first if you are thinking about it.

SPOILER ALERT WTF. I got so mad knowing that Nate and Elena were no longer a thing, he likes and slept with Chloe, but then still love Elena?!!!?!? I'm sorry but I'm salty af for that. After knowing that, I literally wanted to stop playing this game lmao. I was tilted.

Uncharted 2 used to be my favorite game in the series, but playing through it recenty was a very frustrating experience. So many cheap deaths. You're still vulnerable during long animations (like this one) and what's obviously meant to be purely cinematic moments (like running from the tank), and enemies aren't hesitant to take advantage. If the third game handles combat better, I may have to rethink my ranking of these games.

• Characters were fun, Nathan's quips never really got old.
• Climbing was pretty fun, some moments in the game had difficult to find ledges to progress, had to wait around for a hint.
• Gunplay was ok, not the game's strength. The cover system got wonky at times as well.
• Story was fun, wish there was a little more focus on the resistance fighters in Nepal.
• Final boss was insanely annoying, having to wait for him to walk by a sap, then shoot, then run as he's shooting you, having to run with the camera backwards and the awkward parkour meant you would sometimes grab onto a ledge you didn't mean to and get killed.

Overall recommendable, holds up fairly well. Looking forward to the next one.

I didn't really like the first Uncharted so I didn't have very high expectations for this one. But, having finally got around to playing it, I really enjoyed it. It still looks great and the set pieces were excellent and the train and tank levels were a lot of fun. The story was silly but enjoyable and I liked the main characters, Drake in particular seemed a lot more fleshed out this time around. The combat was fun though a bit repetitive and the platforming was too easy but made a nice break from the shooting.

Other than the fact that the puzzles were insultingly easy, there wasn't anything I disliked. It was short, fast-paced and enjoyable but there was nothing I loved about it and if it had been longer I would have got tired of it. I can see why people love it so much and if I liked shooters more I might agree. Still I do plan to play the third one in a few months and I will be happy if it is much the same as this one.

Uncharted 2 offers the same blockbuster action movie fun as the rest of the series. The story felt a bit jarring coming straight off Uncharted but kinda half fills in the blanks later on although its not really important. The settings in this game were probably my least favourite in the series as well. Just a bit plain I guess but that could just be a matter of taste.

Where Uncharted 2 really steps up its game is with its superb gun play and fantastic action packed set pieces offering the best game play of the original series by far. Everything felt fluid and natural playing through this game whether it was fighting back hordes of enemies, running from a collapsing bridge or scaling the walls of ruined building.

The only exception to this was the final boss fight which was a bit of pain and just didn't feel quite right.

Rispetto al primo episodio, i passi avanti dal punto di vista tecnologico e di convinzione nel creare un certo tipo di esperienza sono clamorosi. Roba come la parte sul treno o lo scenario di Shangri-La fa ancora una discreta impressione, il senso del ritmo e della varietà sono clamorosi e tutto sommato, anche per me che amo le esperienze più brevi, la durata è quella giusta, anche se sulla distanza ho un po' patito l'eccesso di sparatorie interminabili e il boss finale osceno. La scrittura è senza dubbio adeguata per il genere di storia e capisco che in ambito videoludico sia di buon livello (specie per quegli anni), però, insomma, calma: è comunque un'avventuretta banalotta, piena di cliché, stra-prevedibile negli sviluppi e con un umorismo simpatico ma parecchio derivativo. E tutta la faccenda di Drake che si fa problemi a uccidere una guardia cinque minuti prima di iniziare un massacro di centinaia di soldati che si facevano gli affari loro, e di farlo per soldi, su, è ridicola. Maluccio anche la gestione del tedesco, introdotto di sfuggita e poi trattato come se fosse un amico di vecchia data. Ma insomma, per carità, complessivamente - e, ripeto, per gli standard di quel periodo - è scritto bene. Ah, è un gioco splendido per quel che vuole essere, ovvero un'esperienza dal taglio cinematografico che fa tante cose assieme, ma se lo si considera come sparatutto in terza persona e basta mi sembra meno riuscito del primo episodio. D'altra parte, sono talmente diversi che forse non ha nemmeno troppo senso confrontarli.

P.S. Morisse chi ha ideato il sistema di lancio delle bombe a mano. Nove su dieci si incastrano nelle coperture.

Uncharted 2 definitely improves on many of the aspects that Uncharted 1 didn't do very well. The enemies still came at you wave by wave, but Naughty Dog was able to even it out with a captivating story, and lovable characters. Nathan was also much more comedic, and didn't fail to make each intense scene a little less serious with some sort or wisecrack statement or a weird noise that never failed to make me laugh. Before playing any Uncharted game, I was unaware of the fantasy elements that are presented and I was taken aback for a moment, but after thinking about it, having those elements are definitely needed in an Indy-esque universe. Overall, Uncharted 2 was a great experience that I would definitely recommend!

Played on PS4

I honestly do not have any complaints in this game. Besides not having a lot of replay-ability as well as a trophy system. The graphics are really good for this time. Lip-syncing is on spot. Me personally did not experience any glitches. Not to say there isn't, but there does not seem to be any game breaking ones. But my favorite part of this game is the voice acting. Nolan North in particular. The fact that the voice actors also did the motion capture animation is just one of the things that show how passionate the team at Naughty Dog is for their games.

These are definitely the types of games that shine in my opinion. You can always see when a game is made out of passion. Now here is the the negatives. I like the games that have a "trophy" system. Like in the Batman Arkham series. I love looking in every nook and cranny to find things that en-richen the world. Like interview tapes, artwork, and stuff like that. However I do know not most people do that. I am a completionist. Not everyone is. However is that a game-breaker for me? Absolutely not. This game is definitely on the list of games you need to play before you die.

Really liked this game, wanted to see through the end, was amazed by its cinematography, the little touches likes the spoken audios that trigger on certain events, kept drooling over the beautiful graphics, etc, etc.

But it will not rank among my all time favorites. Why?

Still not sure. Maybe was that it did not surprise me, I was bothered again by the wave after wave of enemies, the story did not spark in me much interest. Still need to think more on the whys.

Anyway, I think it is a worthy addition to my library and will be glad to show and play again with my kids when the time comes.

On to Uncharted 3...