So where's the Uncharted 2 thread?
 

I was kinda hoping somebody else would start a conversation about Uncharted 2 before me, mostly because of 2 reasons.

1: I absolutely suck at game reviews, and...
2: I've got 3 individual download code for a Navarro skin (each code can be used once & is for on-line play)

See, I was trying to determine which board I gave the codes too, based on which posted first... Well nevermind, I'll talk about the codes later.

Now for the review, and as mentioned, this isn't my strong suit...

Story:
Story is a fantastic mix of betrayal, intrigue & mystery. Its fast-paced & involved enough that you won't ever feel like the story is getting in the way of the gameplay, and at the same time the story makes the gameplay work.

The only thing you might complain about, is the fact that the basic plot is very similar to that of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (IE - race the bad guy to the fantastic relic), only adding in various sub-plot elements.

But hey, it work for Indiana Jones...

Gameplay:
This is where the game really shines. It retains the stop & pop (finding cover & shooting) abilities of the first game. However, it adds onto this by mixing it up with stealth kills.

Wait... This isn't as bad as it sounds, far from it. First, stealth killing is a real challenge. You've got to pay really close attention to enemy movement patterns & have to find all the possible paths & cover that you can manage.

If you succeed, you can get bonus stealth weapons (usually grenades & better weapons) & you'll get by an area without having to confront a swarm of enemies.

But did I mention how hard this is to accomplish? On regular difficulty, I managed to pass only 1 area using this method.


Oh, and you know how I mentioned when the baddies swarm? Well if anything, they're smarter than they were in Drake's Fortune. Bad guys take better advantage of cover, they bob & weave, preventing too many headshots, & they advance on you position in a smart & deadly manner. (Even sneaking up from behind.)

Some even wear pretty effective armor, which makes for even more of a challenge.


Weapons are also expanded. I can't tell you how many more there are, from the 20 or so there were in Drake's Fortune, but I'll name-drop a few of my new favorites. Mini-gun, riot shield & a new type of grenade launcher.

Each weapons has its good points & bad points. Dispite the varitey of weapons, no two seem exactly the same. You get a real feel of which has the better stopping power. (Well, at least most of the time.)


Unfortuantly, I've got to leave my review here... But I'll pick it up later, I've just got a limited lunch break, and I can only mention so much about the game.

...

As for those codes? Don't PM me, as that will NOT get you anywhere. If you can think of a fair way for me to award them, share it in this thread.

SWB

Give one to the first person who posts?

Oh come on, just post the codes and do first come, first serve. They're not exactly Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets.

Alright, fine. But I'm giving them out to people who already own the game, or at least tell me they do. (Mostly because the code only works until sometime in December.)

So following this post, the first 3 posts will get the code. (Admittedly, if B-Real or Meister state they've got the game, they might count as the first 2.)

And yeah, this isn't anything spectacular. Navarro isn't even wearling anything all that great, just a dirty white cotton T-shirt & jeans (which look really out of place in the snow laden battlefield area).

So don't feel too bad if you miss out.

SWB

Sadly I am out of work and I haven't played the original, so this isn't that high on my 'to buy' list. However, your description does make it out to be an enjoyable experience.

Lack of a PS3. Otherwise I'd be all over this like Wal-Mart Security.

As soon as my ps3 comes back (hopefully working this time) I will be all over this. Loved the first game, really looking forward to this one too. Everything I've seen looks great so far. Just wish my console hadn't crapped out again.

Now see, this is also where me and Meister can be dicks about it and claim we have the game, get the code, and turn right back around and sell it to number's 4 and 5 as opposed to giving it out for free...

But I'm going to not be a dick (and i'm not implying that Meister is, or trying to, so please don't misinterpret), and will rightfully say, I DO NOT own a copy of this game. So...I am no longer number 1.

It is, as is the first game. This is everything the first game was, plus more environments (first game had a number of different environments, but pretty much all of them were located on this one island, U2 globe trots), better AI, and improved hand-to-hand combat. Also, there are occasional boss-like battles, that are haphazardly placed into the game.

However, owning the 1st Uncharted isn't a must. Yes, you might get a little more understanding behind the returning characters, but it isn't the kind of story that will totally lose you if you've never played Uncharted 1. For instance, a female ally that you had in Uncharted 1, introduces herself as last year's model to your current female cohort. Which pretty much sums all you need to know about her.


The only additional thing I should discuss is the on-line gaming portion, which admittedly, I really don't have much to say about. The reason being, I haven't gotten around to playing it much.

Yeah, I played the heck out of the beta that was offered with InFamous, but the final version, not-so-much. However, I did play it a very tiny bit, and can confirm its pretty much like the game, and tends to use semi-modified game areas as arenas. You can pretty much do everything you could do in the real game, and there's a lot of fun to be had.

Aside from Deathmatches, I spotted a co-op, where you & another player can face off a bunch of AI troops. There was also a treasure hunting game of sorts, but I don't know anything about it.

Here's a good review by X-Play. Plus, you gotta love the Uncharted 2 commercial.

SWB
- Sorry to hear about the lack of work Nikose. Have you tried temp work at least? Thanks to temping, I have my current job of 6 years. And at least with temping, you can still bring some cash in. I had best results with Spherion, but that just might be my local area.

I know a bit about the treasure hunting bit of the multiplayer. It's a bit like CTF, basically there's a single piece of treasure that appears on the map and the team who gets it back to their base scores a point. First to so many points yada yada. What's interesting about that though is that you actually have to carry it, so you can't shoot and it slows you down, so it'd probably be quite fun to play that, with both sides basically tug-o-warring the loot.