Can this build on the first outing?
Due out in October, Uncharted 2 is the follow up to the hugely successful action romp on the PS3, we managed to get a hands-off with one of the levels of the game to see where or not you should start to get excited.
We say hands-off because we weren’t actually allowed to grab the controller from the games assistant producer Caley Roberts as he walked us through the new game, but that didn’t stop as asking plenty of questions, seeing the new moves and features up close (it was a big TV) and basically getting a good feel for the game enough to give you our first look impressions here.
If, and we say if, the game lives up to what we saw for our 30 minute run through, the game looks likely to appease Uncharted fans and newcomers alike.
You’re back, just like Indiana Jones, for another installment of treasure hunting, bad guys and cheeky comments to your female sidekick. Sully and Elena from the first outing are sill present, but are this time more sideline characters. Instead this time you get some other chick, called Chloe, that isn’t really that important as you can’t play her in the single player levels anyway.
As before it’s all about the treasure and this time it s set in the Far East searching for some lost treasure of Marco Polo’s while the lead bad guy gets his goons in on the action in an attempt to get their first.
If it sounds familiar that’s because it is, the first Uncharted featured a female sidekick and a lead bad guy with a bunch of goons that see you racing to beat to get to some lost treasure as if you are Lara Croft.
So what have you got to do? Evade the goons, find the treasure and well probably kiss the girl.
Get pass the storyline, which to be honest we weren’t able to experience as much as we would have liked, (were told there are plenty of twists and turns, but no aliens or crystal skulls though), and it’s the gameplay that’s been the main focus for the new release.
Jumping is still the main focus, however it has been improved. Drake can now climb up ladders for example without having to pretend to leap to everyone as if his life depends on it.
There is also a greater emphasis on puzzle solving with the puzzles being notably harder and less of a call to action when you enter a room with a puzzle in it. You can still access the book to help you out, but it won’t open automatically when you enter a room that requires any thought.
Get pass the jumping and the puzzle solving and the fighting and shooting modes have been improved as well. Grenade throwing is no longer on the six-axis with assistant producer Roberts telling us that feedback from the first Uncharted suggested it was too confusing. “We did it because we could,” he explained. In Uncharted 2 there isn’t any six-axis support with grenades going to one of the shoulder buttons.
In our walkthrough we noticed Roberts was clearly a fan of the new button location, those bad guys didn’t know what hit them.
But grenades aren’t going to cut it in the long haul – we always seemed to run out in the first version anyway – so in a move that follows the brilliant Bourne Ultimatium, melee moves have now been increased. It’s not as intense or as in-depth as the Bourne game, but you can swashbuckle your way out of trouble countering the odd fist you come into rather than having to result in whipping out your weapon every time.
It’s a welcomed addition and one that fits in nicely with another new feature; stealth mode. Yep, Splinter Cell has come to the world of tomb raiding and there are levels that you can complete without getting out your gun at all. There is more than one way to complete a level.
With around 12 – 15 hours of gameplay for the single player levels this isn’t like Uncharted likely to last you that long, enjoyable as it probably will be.
So as a backup there are a number of multiplayer and co-op options available including the ability to play a three man co-op game online with your mates.
The co-op levels aren’t just a rehash of the single player levels with more baddies, and that gives us hope in getting longer longevity out of any online mode.
There is of course the usual capture the flag, five on five multiplayer stuff as well.
Verdict:
From what we’ve seen of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, it looks to be very much the same as Uncharted but with an improved gameplay.
Grumbles you might have, as we are sure any Uncharted fan will tell you (including us) that’s alright by me.
We enjoyed the first one very much, with half of the pocket-lint team playing it through to the end, so the notion of more jumping, more puzzle solving, more fending off goons sounds appealing. very appealing.
If, though you tried the first one and weren’t impressed, the follow up isn’t like to do it for you either.
Still we look forward to getting a full hands-on with the new title when it hits the PS3 in October.
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Gaming PS3 Sony First Look
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – PS3 – First Look originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:09:47 +0100
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