Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has finally introduced a Multiplayer mode, which most fans like myself were hoping for. Uncharted: Drakes Fortune was really good, but this one had me jumping off of my seat due to it's awesome storyline, gameplay, voice acting, music, and more. New characters are introduced such as Chloe Frazer, Zoran Lazarevic and Harry Flynn
Plot. Our story begins in medias res, with a wounded Nate waking up finding himself in a train hanging off a cliff. Then the story is explained through flashbacks, where Nate was approached by Harry Flynn and old girlfriend Chloe Frazer for a job to steal a Mongolian oil lamp in an Istanbul museum. There he discovers a map which leads to the lost fleet of Marco Polo, but then he is double-crossed by Flynn and is arrested. Three months later, his old friend Victor "Sully" Sullivan secures his release with the help of Chloe, who had no idea of Flynn's treachery. Then their journey takes them to Borneo, in pursuit of Flynn who is working with a merciless war criminal, Zoran Lazarevic, who was thought to be dead. When they find a dagger, they discover that their next clue is in Nepal to search for the Cintamani Stone.
Multiplayer. Uncharted 2's Multiplayer mode features both competitive and co-operative gameplay, where gamers can either duke it out or team up with one another. The co-op multiplayer allows a maximum of three players to take the roles of Nate, Elena, Sully, and Chloe and features missions involving gunfights, platforming, and teamwork-based objectives. Players will also need to assist their comrades should they become critically injured or be grabbed by an enemy. The competitive multiplayer will allow a maximum of ten players to play against each other. Four competitive modes are included: 'Deathmatch', 'Plunder', 'Elimination', and 'Chain Reaction'. Deathmatch features two teams of five, with one team acting as 'heroes' and the other as 'villains'. Plunder is similar to a capture the flag type of game. 'Elimination' has two teams of five players against each other with the objective of killing everyone on the other team. Eliminate out the other guys three out of five times, and the team still standing wins. 'Chain Reaction' has the player capturing flags, but the player must do them in a specific order - one team works out from their base needing to capture 1 through 5 while the other team starts out from their home and needs to snag 5 through 1.
Concept. In Single Player mode, players must guide Drake from Istanbul to the jungles of Borneo and it's war-torn city. After getting a dagger, which is a key to a hidden treasure, players then head to Tibet in order to search for the lost city. Players can also play in Multiplayer if they want to take a break from Single Player mode. The Multiplayer mode allows players to play with either friends, family or other people from around the world.
Design. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has the most astounding graphics that I've seen. Naughty Dog intended to maximize the utilization of Cell's SPUs, as their estimates for utilization in the first game were of 30%. As a result, the game looks more realistic than the first Uncharted game. Uncharted 2 uses Naughty Dog Game Engine 2.0, a revamped and optimized version of the original engine that has allowed the game to have real-time moving environments, more realistic textures, and animations. The Naughty Dog Game Engine 2.0 also works in harmony with Havok Physics. Great job Naughty Dog!
Voice Acting and Characters. Nolan North (Nathan Drake), Emily Rose (Elena Fisher), and Richard McGonagle (Victor Sullivan) reprise their roles as their respective characters once again. Also, new characters are introduced such as Chloe Black, Harry Flynn, Zoran Lazarevic and Tenzin. Chloe Black was motion captured by Australian actress Claudia Black, Zoran was modeled and voiced by Graham McTavish, Harry Flynn was voiced and modeled by Scottish actor Steve Valentine. Tenzin was the only character who did not spoke English, he was motion captured by Robin Atkin Downes and voiced by Pema Dhondup.
Music and Sound. Greg Edmonson was the composer of the game's music, and he did an amazing job. Most of the theme songs are so epic and catchy during various memorable scenes in the game. Sound effects were also very well done, and I truly liked how the developers put so much hard work into it that I have to give it the highest of credibility and respect.
Rantings. Okay, so even the greatest of games can have some flaws to rant about. The yeti-like creatures were so tough and they can't be killed no matter how many times you shot them. Also, there were some weapons that I didn't like at all, like the crossbow for example. The soldiers with gatling guns were the ones that gave you most trouble, especially in the highest difficulty.
Good Aspects. Graphics, storyline, music and gameplay were excellently done. Also, I happened to like this game a lot more than the first one. The PlayStation Network reality show "The Tester" actually inspired me heavily to play this award winning masterpiece. The multiplayer and single player give Uncharted 2 a sky high replay value that makes you want to play it over and over again. DLCs for the multiplayer were a great addition as well, which makes this game even more interesting than it already is.
Overall. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the best games of 2009 that I have ever played along Assassin's Creed II, Arkham Asylum, Street Fighter IV, and God of War III. This game gets a 10 out of 10.