Arguably the most overrated game ever
Seemingly every game website has dished out torrents of praise for Uncharted 2, to an irritatingly unrestrained degree (X-Play: "The best single-player game ever" ). Those graphics are incredibly beautiful; Uncharted 2 is consistently gorgeous, which is a good thing because everything else is consistently horrible. The praise gamers and press heap upon the story, a National Treasure ripoff (which in itself is an Indiana Jones ripoff) is embarrassing and belies the immaturity of the industry. The script, while sharp for a B-movie, is still just that, a B-movie. Drake fluctuates between the wisecracking moralistic crusader in cutscenes to a mass murdering terminator in gameplay. Why should I care when a gun is pointed at someone in a cutscene? Considering the thousands already murdered mindlessly in gameplay, what’s one more body?
The shooting is still sloppy and awkward just as in the first game; I found the gunfights tiresome by chapter 9 or so and boring by the second half and infuriating torture by the final third. Brad pointed out the enemies no longer soak up millions of bullets anymore, but that is straight bullshit. The armored shotgun dudes that populate the final third require at least a clip to go down, if not two. That's if they don't charge through your bullet storm and kill you in one blast, or if the awkward cover mechanic doesn't position you on the wrong side of a wall. Don't even get me started on the yetis. Compared to a polished shooter like Gears 2 or hell, even Wanted, Uncharted 2's combat is drawn out tedium.
If the shooting sucks, maybe the parkour bits make up for them? No, they don't. Frequently the most boring parts of the game, because the game plays itself while I fall asleep. There's no challenge to the platforming, only boredom when it's straightforward and frustrating when the next handhold is hidden (I got lost looking for the next "platform" at least a dozen times). The game laughably tries to maintain a constant degree of tension with Drake always making the one-handed ledge catch. The game rides this cliche to such a degree it's practically self-parody by the end of the game. The "puzzles" aren't even worth mentioning beyond their patronizing nature (follow the exact steps in the journal.)
Multiplayer is ever-present with the ubiquitous and worn-out leveling structure borrowed from COD4. What most developers fail to realize is COD4 addicted millions with its airtight shooting mechanics and the leveling was an innovative bonus on top, not a replacement for quality gameplay. That gameplay in Uncharted 2 is rotten to the core, so don’t even bother with the multiplayer. Better yet, don’t bother with this game.
