Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

The train clackety-clacks through a dense jungle. Every fifty metres or so it bursts through the foliage to reveal an Eden-esque oasis, all misty waterfalls, shocking pink flamingoes and sun-dappled rocks. Not that you have much time to admire the picture postcard Nepalese scenery. Nathan Drake, the Boy’s Own hero of Sony’s most impressive matinee blockbuster, is hanging from the train for dear life, inching his way along the outside of its carriages, trying to evade the notice of the shotgun-toting guards patrolling their roofs.

Five minutes later the train climbs out of the forest, circling the outside of a giant mountain as it pulls itself wearily into the Himalayas. Here you’ll fight a vicious attack chopper, before being betrayed by the girl you’ve come to rescue, taking a bullet to the stomach and being left for dead in the snowy wreckage of a train crash. And not once during the white knuckle 20 minute sequence does the scenery that backdrops your journey repeat itself.

Uncharted 2 is the closest a videogame has ever come to replicating the rhythm and peril of an action movie. Its pacing is relentless, leaving you breathless and spent, save for those few moments of respite that occasionally interrupt the assault on your senses. While Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune may have felt like a more action-oriented take on Tomb Raider, this sequel steps fully into the role of Hollywood yarn; a rollercoaster ride of artifact hunting, Gears of War-style shootouts with goons and rooftop chases all set to a bombastic orchestral soundtrack.

The game is indisputably the best-looking title for the PlayStation 3, its saturated colours providing a pleasant counterpoint to the usual de-saturated greens and browns of most next-gen titles. But the cinematic sheen is in no small part thanks to the brilliant script and its equally laudable voice actors. Drake quips his way through every situation that befalls him, throwing out one-liners with an easygoing style. Cutscenes flow seamlessly into the action, and as Drake is nearly always accompanied by another character, be it one of the sassy girls or gruff alpha males he seems to associate with, there’s never a shortage of opportunities for character building and engaging interactions.

Exploration is kept to a minimum (although there are 100 secret artifacts to collect for those who keep their eyes open) so the game could reasonably be accused of being too corridored. But therein also lies its strength. There’s barely any room to breathe or get lost, or to be unsure of what you’re meant to be doing. The purpose is always clear, the objectives are always compelling and the promise of spectacle around every corner is simply irresistible. With a fully-featured and consistent multiplayer game that genuinely feels like a natural extension of the rhythms that drive the single-player story, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the best games for the console – not to mention the decade.

5 out of 5