Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a PS3 game developed by Naughty Dog and published by SCEA and is a modern action adventure game released on Oct 13, 2009. The Multiplayer Demo for the game was released September 15, 2009. The game is rated T (Teen) by ESRB for Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence and Language. Uncharted 2 supports up to 10 gamers on its online multiplayer mode. The game starts off about a year or so after the events of the first game and begins with Nate and a few fellow thieves working on finding Marco Polo’s lost treasure fleet. The game takes them on to a much grander adventure, one that takes them half-way around the world. Uncharted 2 changes locales frequently over the course of the adventure and results in a faster pace of game play. The storytelling also binds the cast together well, with almost everyone with more than two lines of dialogue has an interesting reason for doing what they’re doing and the way that everyone interacts with one another is realistic and interesting. Uncharted 2 features new functionality including the ability to remain with friends while matchmaking; map customization and the pooling funds gathered in different modes for use in unlocking content and upgrades; game world layout that allows players to take an aggressive or new stealth approach to combat and free-flowing “traversal gunplay” that adds a vertical element to standard 3rd-person shooting mechanics. The game also features a cinematic storytelling, incorporating new and familiar characters, as well as all new and varied play environments and a wide array of gameplay modes including a robust single player campaign and franchise first online multiplayer modes including competitive and cooperative play options. For competitive play, gamers are provided with a variety of modes including team deathmatch, elimination, capture the flag (or treasure in this case), a zone control mode and more. Gamers can gain ranks, which then in turn allow one to buy perks such as the ability to hold more ammo or reload faster with money earned while playing. Levels here are scenes adapted from the single-player game. For the cooperative mode several options are available. There is the survival mode where gamers and a couple friends hole up in a spot and take out wave after wave of enemies that get progressively tougher for as long as they can. Like the single player mode where gamers jump into the action to save a character or grab a treasures, the co-operative mode adds to the excitement as enemies come from everywhere, quickly and in large numbers. Communication is key here (using a headset is key to winning) and gamers have to constantly check their surroundings lest they get shot in the back of the head with a shotgun. Stealth plays a prominent role in the game, and it’s a useful tactic to take advantage of when one approaches a situation. A gamer can take down four or five enemies before the gunfire starts thus improving chances of survival. Huge big gunfights can even be avoided entirely if one can clear an area of enemies silently (if stealthy takeovers are the preferred mode). Except for a sequence near the start of the game where gamers have to be stealthy as they are not allowed to be seen or outright kill anyone, one can go into the firefight guns a blazing.
Reviews:
“Among Thieves on day one. Really, you just wanted to know how good it is, and fortunately I can say that it’s very, very good. It’s easily one of the best games on the system, blending fantastic presentation and visuals with gameplay that is practically second to none. And then there’s the stellar multiplayer which you’ll probably be playing until Uncharted 3 ships. No, Uncharted 2 is not perfect, but it’s closer than pretty much any other game out there these days.”- (IGN, 2009)
“With an exhilarating campaign, intense cooperative mode, and addictive multiplayer competition, Uncharted 2 is a complete game that is completely awesome.” – (GameSpot)
