Rating: 9.5 Out of 10

Uncharted 2 has finally arrived for the Playstation 3. (I know, I am a little late…) This game brings everything from the first game and improves upon it tremendously. It is a brilliantly paced adventure with excellent varied combat. The graphics and audio are amazing and provide a great feeling of depth and perception of the areas you are located in. The game also has some great acrobatics and exploration. If you think that was all it gets better. Not only has the single player been overhauled in having 26 chapters but there is now multiplayer. This multiplayer system uses money for each kill or objective you finish as well as the awards in the campaign you receive. The money is used to unlock character skins, game tweaks, visual displays, weapons, as well as perks. The multiplayer mode comes in a big variety where you can play either cooperatively or competitively. There are a few problems, but nothing really major. The platforming sections limit what you can climb on and the cover system can be a little clumsy in tight spaces. Overall, this game has improved significantly from its original and I recommend that if you have a PS3, that you get this game.

Pros:

+ Exciting, brilliantly paced adventure

+ Excellent, varied combat

+ Thrilling acrobatics and exploration

+ Fun and intense co-op

+ Joyous multiplayer complete with a perks system

Cons:

- Clumsy cover system in tight spaces

- Platforming sections limit exactly what you can climb on

Extras:

# Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Cheat Codes

# Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Trophies

Aproveitando o período do feriado de Ação de Graças, a produtora Naughty Dog reservou uma surpresa especial aos jogadores de “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves”.

Chega nesta sexta-feira (27/11) o primeiro conteúdo extra para o título. A novidade incluirá o mapa The Fort, baseado em um cenário de “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune”, para as partidas multiplayer. A boa notícia: o extra é gratuito.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Além disso, quando o conteúdo estiver no ar, o estúdio prometeu iniciar uma semana especial de experiência dobrada. Ou seja, os jogadores poderão angariar mais pontos de experiência ao eliminar inimigos e cumprir as tarefas do modo multiplayer online.

Os participantes contarão também com dois novos visuais para os personagens: Doughnut Drake para os Heróis e Doughnut Lazarevic pelo lado dos Vilões. São espécies de versões “gordinhas” dos icônicos personagens.

Lançado em 13 de outubro, a continuação de “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune” entra novamente no clima de filmes de ação com exploradores, como “Indiana Jones”, mas a produtora afirma que melhorou o sistema de combate, principalmente no de corpo-a-corpo. Se o primeiro jogo era essencialmente single-player, a continuação também investe em modalidades multiplayer, para até dez jogadores na opção competitiva e três na cooperativa.

Naughty Dog ha confirmado la llegada de un nuevo DLC para Uncharted 2: Among Thieves completamente gratuito. Se trata de un mapa llamado “El Fuerte”, y la compañía lo describe como un mapa grande y abierto, perfecto para flanquear. Llegará éste Viernes, junto con un fin de semana de dinero doble por ser el día de acción de gracias, tal y como pasó en Halloween.

El resto de compañías deberían de tomar ejemplo. Nada de contenido de pago que te viene tras haber salido el videojuego. Cosas así siempre serán bienvenidas, y encima los extras para subir más rápido de nivel se agradecen, y ya van dos éste año. Probablemente no se descarte alguno más para Navidad o Año Nuevo.

Actualizado: Éste fin de semana, al igual que los esqueletos Vs zombies del pasado Halloween, el Día de Acción de Gracias se celebrará con solo un personaje héroe y un personaje villano. La gracia es que ambos son la edición obesa. Rosquilla Drake ya estaba incluido en el videojuego, pero aparte, se añadira Rosquilla Lazarevic a la plantilla, siendo de uso obligado en el lado villano en el evento, al igual que Drake como héroe. Sin duda una curiosidad que hará la partida más divertida. A continuación, más fotos.

Fuentes: VicioJuegos, VidaExtra

Saludos

LeviathanDominator

“Es un mapa largo y rectangular con muchos espacios abiertos y excelentes rutas de flanqueo”.

Los chicos de Naughty Dog han anunciado cuál es la sorpresa que anunciamos ayer y que ellos revelaban en su Twitter, y han comentado que ésta se trata de un nuevo mapa de carácter gratuito que estará disponible a partir de este viernes.

“Es un mapa largo y rectangular con muchos espacios abiertos y excelentes rutas de flanqueo”, declaran desde el estudio. Hay también una serie de túneles que lo recorren por sus entrañas, además de una escopeta en su centro y un RPG en un cuarto oculto en la cripta.

Por si fuera poco este regalo de Naughty Dog estará enmarcado en la apertura de un fin de semana de doble experiencia, que traerá consigo la actualización del menú multijugador para incorporar las tablas de rankings y la tarjeta del jugador en primera plana, además de divertidos cambios de aspecto en los skins de algunos personajes.

I decided to download Episode 2 of the Uncharted: Eye of Indra motion comic series on the PlayStation Network. Below you will find a summary of the second episode and my thoughts about it.

Episode summary *obvious spoilers*
The opening scene of the motion comic shows Nate tied up in Pinkerton’s home. This is the present. Pinkerton has been torturing Nate so he will reveal the location of the Eye of Indra. Pinkerton tosses water on Nate and shocks him with some type of wires.

The next scene takes place in the past. It shows Rika & Nathan Drake in bed together. Rika is wearing Nate’s red baseball shirt and Nate is shirtless. The scene implies they’ve been sleeping together. In this scene, Nate says that he doesn’t want Rika to help him rob Pinkerton.  It turns out that Rika asked her brother to assist them in the robbery.  Nate is upset because he’s afraid of Pinkerton finding out about their plan to rob him. At that moment, a bunch of thugs break into their room and attack them.  Eddy Raja, Rika’s brother and Nate’s nemesis, is with the thugs. He is the guy that Rika has asked to help them.

The last scene of the motion comic takes us back to the present in Pinkerton’s home.  We now see that Eddy Raja is tied up to Drake. Pinkerton is asking for the location of the Eye of Indra. Eddy tells Drake not to tell him the location or he’ll personally hurt Drake himself. The episode ends with Eddy exclaiming that no one messes with him. The episode is to be continued.

My thoughts

Cost:  $.99/per episode
The second episode was incredibly short.  Paying anything over a dollar would have been asking too much.  Since it was something I paid for, expected the comic not to have advertisements in it. Unfortunately, Toyota’s 4Runner Uncharted commercial was slapped right in the middle of the comic.  

I want to point out that the PlayStation Store forces you to put $5 in your PlayStation Store wallet to make this .99 purchase. They are essentially forcing you to waste $5 on PSN.

Presentation
If you watched the first free episode, you’ve seen what the comic looks like. Nathan Drake looks more like Nolan North, his voice actor, than the actual in-game character design of Nathan Drake used in the video games. Despite that the images are decent for a motion comic. I have no real complaints about the way it looks.

Miscellaneous comments on presentation of the video

You can not skip to specific parts of the episode.

You can not pause the screen like you can a movie that you have downloaded from the network. Your only option is to stop or start the comic.

Additionally, for some reason, the motion comic is under the Games section on the XMB.

It can not be copied to any type of external media.

The comic is located in an odd place in the PlayStation Store.  To find it you must go to the Games section of the store. Click New Releases. Scroll down to Uncharted 2 Releases, select that, and you’ll be at the episode selection screen.

 
Final Word
I’ll probably keep buying these $1 episodes since I enjoy seeing absolutely everything and anything related to Uncharted.  As for someone who isn’t a diehard fan, I would recommend you skip the episodes and read summaries.

Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Console (250GB Model) with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) Review

This is easy to set up and has so many features. The slim model not only looks good, but it is smaller, lighter and for the environmentally aware gamer it’s less power consuming than the original PS3 models. I love the online features where joining up with other gamers is easy and such a lot of fun!

It can play or view these file formats ATRAC, MP3, AAC, JPEG, MPEG-4, but incredibly it cannot read PS2 formats. You can, however, create an internal memory for this older software but it won’t allow you to play them! So, don’t bother trying! Of course, this feature is compatible for saving data in all PS3 formats. And back up is essential! Which is why I went for the 250gb hard disc drive model – a huge amount of storage useful for both the gaming and Internet downloading aspects.

The pitfalls? Nearly everything you need to get started is included, but (and this is a big but) you only get the minimum – all the good stuff (headset, keypad, remote control etc) comes separately and at an additional expense, which is such a shame and a tad unfair.

Despite this, I do believe this model gives the ultimate gaming experience. It has 2 x USB ports, a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port, Scart out, Ethernet and Optical Digital Audio out and one super cool Bluetooth (2.0) cable free controller. The cable is included should the battery wear down, and all you need to do is pause the game and plug the cable into the USB port to continue playing and recharge at the same time. Incidentally, I already had Broadband wireless Internet so no Ethernet cable was required.

Plus there are so many other things you can do; play Blu-Ray, DVD and music discs, text and video messaging (Yes, you can chat to friends while playing!), browse the internet, watch BBC iPlayer programmes, YouTube, view digital photos and (of course let me repeat) multi-player online gaming. On some games you can even access Twitter!)

For those of you with kids there are BD (with BD Live support), DVD and Internet browser parental controls, so you can easily have 18+ games in the house, but the set will be restricted.

Favourite game so far? Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3), which came with it in this bundle. But that’s another review!

Feature

Overview

Specifications

Nov 24, 2009 20:00:14

La PS3 propose une nouveauté révolutionnaire dans les jeux vidéo. Désormais, les adeptes de la PS3 pourront twitter grâce à UNCHARTED 2. Vous aurez la possibilité de tweeter: la progression dans le jeu : niveaux et chapitres achevés, les connexions au mode multi-joueurs, les trophées gagnés. Ainsi vous pourrez partager vos avancées dans le jeu avec vos followers. Vu le nombre de utilisateurs qui ont utilisé twitter pour communiquer sur leurs parcours dans le jeu, le système avait été désactivé temporairement du à un problème de fonctionnement car les multiples tweet sur les comptes des utilisateurs étaient trop important ce qui a engendrer un bug mais heureusement les développeurs ont mit un patch pour remettre sur pied ce nouveau système. Ce qui est plutôt révolutionnaire c’est la complémentarité qui a été crée entre les jeux vidéo et les réseaux sociaux. Le dévellopeur d’Uncharted a trouvé un moyen efficace de se faire un peu de pub, pas chère…

Naughty Dog just may have made one of the BEST games EVER when they released Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Among Thieves’ story is the continuation of the adventures of the main protagonist, Nathan Drake, who is a treasure hunter and all around adventure guy.  Think of Indiana Jones, with the wise cracks and gun skills of John McClane.

Uncharted 2 is a follow-up to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.  Now, it isn’t imperative for you to play the first Uncharted to enjoy the second game, however, several characters from the original Uncharted make their way back into this one, so it helps to have played through the storyline of Drake’s Fortune first.  The first Uncharted, by the way, is an excellent game in and of itself and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Uncharted 2.

The single player of Uncharted 2 is absolutely amazing.  It’s story is more fleshed out than its predecessor and everything that made Uncharted a great game has been improved and then some.

For example, in the first Uncharted, stealth aspects of the game felt as if they were just thrown in all willy-nilly and weren’t given much thought.  Now, in the second game, if you want to go around an area quietly taking out guards, then you now have that option because stealth is built into the game.

On top of an amazing single player, Naughty Dog was kind enough to provide us with a multiplayer as well. I must say, in their first attempt at multiplayer with this franchise, they hit a home run as well.  Everything that makes the single player so fun is right there in the multiplayer too.  You can climb up almost every building, sign pole, or wall to ambush the opposing players.

And it’s not just team deathmatches either!  There are several different co-op modes, whether it’s playing through story driven mission or taking on wave after wave of enemies, there’s a little something for everyone.

All in all, Naughty Dog has manage to strike gold with the Uncharted franchise, especially with this latest edition.  They create a great game with Drake’s Fortune and followed up with an even more amazing Among Thieves.  Now we’re left to wonder, what can Drake do next?

Weekly Video Game Podcast – Nov. 23, 2009 27 mins (12.1 MB)
^ right click to save

• Jamie Gore and Chris Karpyszyn
• No surprise, Modern Warfare 2 sold a lot
• Surprise, the Xbox 360 had a bad week despite Modern Warfare 2
• It’s that time of year; we start talking about games of the year
• Also, Sony doesn’t care about the PSP Go either; just like everyone else in the world.
• Chris wants you to check out www.desertbus.org. IT’S FOR CHARITY, PEOPLE!!!
• All our sales data comes from www.vgchartz.com
• Continue reading for all the release dates and expanded sales figures

Video Game Sales for the Week of November 14, 2009

Video Game Releases This Week

Monday, November 23, 2009

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia (Wii-Virtual Console)
Bit.Trip.Void (WiiWare)
Castle of Magic (DSiWare)
Electroplankton: Lumiloop (DSiWare)
Electroplankton: Luminarrow (DSiWare)
Electroplankton: Marine-Crystals (DSiWare)
Electroplankton: Sun-Animacule (DSiWare)
Electroplankton: Varvoice (DSiWare)
Harvest Moon: My Little Shop (WiiWare)
Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 1 (WiiWare)
Little Tournament Over Yonder (WiiWare)
myNotebook: Blue (DSiWare)
Super Mario Kart (Wii-Virtual Console) (read my review)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Cook Wars (Wii)
Dreamer: Zoo Keeper (Nintendo DS)
Hello Kitty Party (Nintendo DS)
Karaoke Revolution (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
LittleBigPlanet (PSN-PSP only)
Marines: Modern Urban Combat (Wii)
Tekken 6 (PSP)
Your Shape (Wii)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Madden NFL Arcade (Xbox Live)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Madden NFL Arcade (PSN)

Intro

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a Playstation 3 exclusive developed by Naughty Dog that was released on October 13^th 2009. Naughty Dog was previously behind the Jak & Daxter series for the Playstation 2 and of course Uncharted: Drakes Fortune. Like its predecessor Uncharted 2 is a third person action adventure puzzle solving game. It takes place after the events of Uncharted and again follows the adventures of Drake as he journeys off to explore remote lands like the lush forests of Borneo and the snow-covered mountains of Tibet in search of the lost treasures of the Marco Polo voyage.

After the universal praise Uncharted has received can Uncharted 2: Among Thieves live up to the hype and be that blockbuster title for the Playstation 3? Continue reading to find out.

Single Player

First off let’s get this out of the way since I am sure you know by now that Uncharted 2 is an amazing game and an enjoyable experience down to the very end. Naughty Dog took a model proven to be successful and improved on almost every aspect of the game.

All of the traditional gameplay mechanics like the gun play, puzzle solving and controls are back but have been revised to perfection. The gun play has been focused and no longer feels sporadic, the puzzles are better integrated into the story and the controls for grenade and melee kills have been refined. The combat is now a highlight with the new revisions and the inclusion of an effective stealth mechanic. But not to worry this isn’t simply Uncharted 1a.If you had a complaint with the first Uncharted its safe to say Naughty Dog has addressed and fixed that issue.

All of this is highlighted by the remarkable visuals which left me at times awe-struck by the beautiful vistas and finite detail. The variations of these environments were a breathe of fresh air, each meticulously filled with the right amount of light and color. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there as the audio including the voice acting and soundtrack was also top-notch. I don’t think I have ever played a game that was so fluid and natural from the plot progression right down to the character development. The attention to detail put forth in every aspect of the game truly makes this title stand out.

This detail kept me focused and in tuned with the game but more importantly the story. While the treasure hunting story may be generic it does have a few major plot twists but it’s not so convoluted or far-fetched that you lose interest, quite the opposite. While it wouldn’t hurt to play the original if at least for some character development the story for Uncharted 2 does stand alone.

One of the best parts of the game in my eyes is the distinct characters and their interactions with each other as well as their reactions to events. The dialogue is organic and was chosen to develop the characters and their relationship first then the story. The unique actions expressed by the characters felt real and were natural not to mention genuinely funny. The voice acting was done extremely well allowing the character to come alive on the screen making the game even more enjoyable and believable. The characters and their actions were so realistic that it gave motivation and purpose to continue on with the story.

The story evolves using various set pieces making you feel compelled to carry on to your next adventure. However playing the actual game is fun, the enemies are no longer bullet sponges and the gun play along with the cover system is integrated well allowing you to take down enemies with precision. The inclusion of new weapons was also a nice variation. The character movement while exploring is seamless even while traversing tough terrain or evading enemies. The overall pace of the game flowed well never having abrupt or awkward pauses between cut scenes or even between chapters. Again focusing the single player and further immersing you into the game.

Despite what seems like universal praise for the game there were some parts I personally did not like or think could have used some revision. While for the most part the controls have improved I still had issues during some of the platforming areas or while going in and out of cover when I did not want to. Another issue I had was with the early stealth mission, every aspect of that sequence felt out of touch and clunky. While I do appreciate the varied gameplay I do feel it could have been done in a different way. Lastly this could have been just me but early on I had trouble finding where I was suppose to go or what exactly I was to do, these issues seemed to go away as the story progressed and I got familiar with the game. None of these issues spoiled the game in my eyes but only highlighted the positives as they completely outshined the proposed negatives.

Multiplayer

The single player is an 11-13 hour thrill ride filled with distinct characters, varied puzzles, betrayal, fluid combat, organic dialogue and stunning visuals and sound all evenly paced and presented in a way like nothing. Not to mention plenty of reason to replay with different difficulty levels, skins, treasures to obtain and trophies to unlock. But as if that wasn’t enough Naughty Dog chose to also give us a robust multiplayer option as well.

The multiplayer is an excellent extension of the fantastic single player and not just a mode that was tacked on to simply add value. The multiplayer includes both a competitive and a cooperative multiplayer option. The competitive multiplayer has your traditional modes like Deathmatch and objective based modes like Capture the Flag or Plunder as well as Last Man Standing and Capture & Hold called Elimination and Turf War respectively. Each mode has a max of ten players or five on five and can be played on a variety of different maps. All of the maps use the environment straight from the single player allowing the player to scale vertically while still having cover play an integral part of the gameplay. The cooperative multiplayer on the other hand has a max of three players offering brief side missions that while separate from the single player story allow the three players to distinctly interact with each other to accomplish specific objectives. This mode also features its own version of survival mode but with a twist, the three players must capture the treasure while surviving hordes of enemies that gradually get harder.

Throughout multiplayer you obtain in game currency which can be used to purchase various boosters, unlock certain skins or making of videos. Like many online shooters of today full statistic tracking is available through their website. There are various medals to unlock and challenges to complete so there is always something to strive for. While both modes were fun and addicting I personally enjoyed the cooperative mode more than the competitive mode. The competitive mode is not a bad mode but to me lacks the ingredients I would want for a competitive experience. I felt the game unfavorably rewarded luck more than skill and also didn’t feel as precise as it needed to be or as I wanted it to be therefore it wasn’t for me. However with that said it still is an excellent casual competitive game but not one I would consistently play like Call of Duty 4. This does not affect my feelings of the game nor the multiplayer, as I think at its core it’s a wonderful mode and can be enjoyed.

Overall

Uncharted 2 has received universal praise from almost every reviewer and there is a reason for that, it’s a fantastic game. The single player is an unmatched experience in story telling while also being a standout graphically. The characters are molded into the story with such precision and detail that the story resembles a blockbuster movie. But most importantly the game is a complete joy to play. Both the competitive and cooperative multiplayer options are fun to play giving you another reason to never put this game down.

While the game obviously has its flaws the positives completely outshine those supposed negatives. The game completely lived up to the hype while simultaneously propelling Naughty Dog as one of the top developers for the Playstation 3. I personally can not wait for their next title. For these reasons and more I recommend to anyone with a Playstation 3 pick up and play this masterpiece created by Naughty Dog, it’s a must have experience and therefore a must have game. What are you waiting for… GO GET IT!

The wife’s take:

This is a newer section I hope to include in all future reviews, by its name I imagine you know what it is however I will explain further. In this section I will include one or two sentences about the game from my wife’s point of view. I find her female non-gamer point of view to be very enlightening and could be beneficial to some readers, plus she is kind enough to let me play these games in the first place. Let me emphasis that when I say non-gamer I mean that down to its core. I also want to make clear that these are her words and her thoughts therefore will not be included in my review “score” as they may completely vary. In the future depending on feedback I may actually make this a separate post so of course any and all feedback is welcomed. So without further a do here are my wifes thoughts on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

The puzzles were intriguing enough that I actually wanted to help solve them. The visuals and the overall play off the game was so well done that I didn’t have a problem watching someone play which made it feel like a cinematic experience. Plus the characters were witty and believable.

To read about our stance on the review process click here for more answers. Find all of other reviews here; better yet bookmark that section so you won’t miss any of our future reviews as well. If you would like other information to be included in the reviews give us some feedback and let us know, or if you would like us to review a specific title drop us a line we welcome and encourage your feedback. Enjoy!

La portada del juego

En Latino Review se está diciendo de que Kyle Ward no va a escribir la película de “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune”. Este guión se iba a basar en el videojuego del playstation 3.

Aparentemente, el trabajo de Ward en Hitman 2 está siendo la razón de que ya no continúe.

SONY anda viendo si contrata a los escritores de Conan, Thomas Dean Donnelly y Joshua Oppenheimer para que se encarguen del libreto.

Todavía falta mucho para asegurar este trato, pero en Latino Review están seguros de que la noticia oficial saldrá muy pronto a la luz.

During my family leave, I’ve gotten some time during 2.0’s sporadic sleep schedule to play a ton of games. The majority of those games features a common, popular gameplay element – set collection.  You know what I’m talking about, right?  It’s that optional gameplay element in which you’re invited (usually unsuccessfully) to “collect them all” or “find them all”.  A few examples:  Okami’s stray beads, Gears of War’s COG tags, Fallout 3’s bobbleheads, Ratchet & Clank’s golden bolts, Super Smash Bros.’s trophies, Pokemon’s… pokemon.  There are also other, more subtle forms of set collection that you may not have thought about: multiplayer titles, skill sets, armor sets, crafting recipes, beastiaries, codexes (I’m looking at you, Bioware) – even Xbox/PS3 achievements/trophies can fall into this category.  Since I’m a bit OCD and somewhat of a collection nut, I spot these collection opportunities rather quickly.  I also tend to determine rather quickly that the vast majority of such opportunites are not worth my time investment.  And I’m sure many of you have done the same thing – shelved a game without even giving a second thought to those things you left uncollected in that bygone world.  There’s a reason for that – it’s because most games implement set collection badly.  In this series of articles, I’d like to use personal experience from playing various games to examine how other games could improve the quality of these collection mechanics and give players more incentive to participate in these peripheral activities.

First, let’s define what comprises a “set collection mechanic” to restrict the scope of this article:

• Players must be able to complete the set: this rules out procedurally generated things (eg. Diablo/Torchlight loot) or a continually growing set of user-generated content (eg. Spore creatures or Second Life sets).
• Completion of the set should be a peripheral activity and NOT be required to progress through the game: otherwise, our examination of the player’s motivation to complete a set overlaps with other motivating factors; so this restriction prevents applying our study to things like the various mandatory devices in Zelda games – technically, it’s a set of devices that can be collected in its entirety, but (excepting upgrades to bag sizes, etc.) it MUST be completed to progress through the game; heart pieces, however, qualify as a valid set.
• The set must have some easily accessible, manifested representation in the game: in other words, the set must be an intentional collection placed by the designer; this rules out user-defined meta-sets.  Such sets are contrived by individual players who have clearly already conjured up the necessary motivation to attempt collecting the set.  For instance, in Animal Crossing: Wild World, I attempted to find and purchase all of the instruments in the game to make a music room – nothing in the game actually lists the set of instruments; neither are they denoted by some special icon.  It’s an arbitrary set I made up for which I had already mustered the necessary motivation to collect.

Now that we’ve defined the bounding conditions, I’d like to start this series with an examination of a game I only recently had the opportunity to play: the original Assassin’s Creed (and just in time for part II!).  As much as I enjoyed playing the game, I ran into a rather irksome collection mechanic – the city flags.  Of all the collect-them-all mechanics I’ve experienced in games thus far, the city flags are probably the worst of the bunch (at least as far as I can remember).  It didn’t take long after leaving the confines of Masyaf for me to swear off the entire collection altogether.  Here’s why:

• There don’t appear to be any gameplay or narrative rewards for procuring flags except for meta-rewards (i.e. Achievements and 100% completion with the filled “Additional Memories” DNA bar).  Even if such a tangible reward existed at the end of the tunnel, it’s so elusive that it doesn’t really factor into the typical player’s drive to collect the flags.
• Aside from their location, flags are indistinguishable from one another, making the experience of finding one identical each time.  This was exacerbated by the fact that there are 420 of those indistinguishable things!  So finding one was an altogether insignificant and homogenous (read: boring) experience.
• Flags are not particularly challenging to acquire.  Reaching them is simply a matter of hidden knowledge rather than a test of skill or logic.

I’m going to take a look at each of these three points and examine how other games have remedied the problems with Assassin’s Creed’s flag-collection gameplay.

Collection Rewards

One could argue that completing an in-game collection is reward enough.  That may very well be true.  I think that such collections generally fall into the category in which each individual item in the set is distinct enough to provide sufficient player motivation (see the Collection Distinction section below).  But in any case, it doesn’t hurt to provide some extra incentive to the player to collect a set of things.  These extra incentives can typically be categorized as either a gameplay reward or a narrative reward.

Gameplay rewards consist of additional skills or abilities (or some currency toward the purchase of skills or abilities) that expand and augment the player’s gameplay experience.  The most recent example that comes to mind is Brutal Legend’s bound serpents, which, when found, each provide a small amount of fire tributes that can be used to purchase upgrades at the motor forge.  Furthermore, for every ten bound serpents that are freed, the player character Eddie Riggs gets an upgrade to some element of his stats.

Alternatively, collections can grant narrative rewards in several different forms. Again, Brutal Legend provides a convenient example of such a collection: the “legends” scattered across the landscape.  For each one the player finds, another cutscene detailing the Brutal Legend mythos is revealed.  Coincidentally, I also discovered that Halo 3: ODST contains an identical mechanic in the form of the audio logs that follow a story indirectly related to the main plotline.  Yet another example of a narrative collection reward is BioShock’s audio diaries, narrated by multiple characters related to the main story.  However, ODST and Brutal Legend’s narrative collections differ in that each piece of the collection is not associated with a specific piece of the narrative reward.  In other words, whether you find piece A before or after piece B, you’re always going to get story reward A before story reward B.  This is not true for BioShock’s narrative collection, in which specific audio logs are found in specific locations.  This is an important distinction that we’ll revisit in the next section.

There is, of course, no reason why a particular collection can’t give both narrative and gameplay rewards, as is evident in Brutal Legend’s “legend” collection (which I neglected to mention also gives fire tributes for each legend discovered).  Another game I’ve played recently (after putting it off long enough) is Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, in which every five pieces of treasure nets the player medal points that are used to unlock various metagame rewards (tweakable game modifiers like infinite ammo, faster run, and weapon select) and bonus content such as concept art and development videos.  I’ve lumped extra-game content into the category of “narrative rewards” in that they don’t actually augment the game experience.  In all of these examples, I think it’s safe to say that these various rewards can often be an effective incentive to the player to collect the entire set.

Collection Distinction

There is an important element of set collection that seems to be a no-show in many of its incarnations: distinction.  Each element of a set should be easy distinguishable from each other, via its textual, iconic, or geometric representation and/or some titular or numeric label.  As I’ve already observed, all of the flags in a particular area in Assassin’s Creed are identical except for where they are located.  This makes collecting each and every one the exact same experience.  There’s no sense of novelty in finding another one.

As I mentioned earlier, collecting a set of objects can be reward in itself – but this is generally a strong enough motivation to the player only when a distinction is made between the elements of the set.  The word “collecting” carries the connotation of collecting distinct elements.  How often do stamp collectors attempt to find every copy of only one type of stamp?  Or how often do card collectors try to acquire every copy of one particularly rare card?  While these real-world examples present collection goals that are obviously marred by real-world obstacles and impossibilities that don’t exist in the virtual space, art reflects life.  And in life, the appeal of set collection is in the diversity of the set’s various elements and in how those elements complement each other.  The set is a puzzle whose pieces, as they come together, become a clearer and more magnificent picture (even if that picture’s got a few missing spots).

I’ve always liked Nintendo’s first-party approach to collections.  I’m specifically referring to the trophies of the Super Smash Bros. series.  Each trophy is fan-service at its best – each with a unique, nostalgic 3D model of some Nintendo character, object, or setting and a short description of the subject.  All of the player’s trophies are displayed together in one place, literally becoming that magnificent picture I described.  It’s like looking at that Edge Magazine cover with all of the video game shoutouts.  I also played The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker recently (picked it up on the cheap a long time ago and only got around to playing it a few weeks ago).  In that game is a similar collection that the player can complete by using a camera to take pictures of the game’s enemies and NPC’s and showing them to a particular sculptor, who crafts figurines of the photographs’ subjects that are put on display throughout various trophy rooms.  Each figurine can be viewed in three dimensions and contains a short description of the subject’s place in the game universe.

And then, of course, we come back to Pokemon.  While each captured Pokemon simultaneously serves as a gameplay reward (with the new pokemon’s abilities at the player’s disposal), I would argue that the vast majority of pokemon are caught for the sake of completing a player’s Pokedex.  After all, the catchphrase (at least in America… not sure if it’s translated from Japanese) is “Gotta catch ‘em all!”, right?  And since the distinction between each pokemon is both visual and interactive, the drive to collect each one is that much more powerful.

Which reminds me of Endless Ocean (which I’m not ashamed to admit is one of my favorite games on the Wii).  At some point in the game, the player is allowed to populate a personal aquarium with creatures that he or she had already discovered.  It’s yet another fantastic Nintendo example of an interactive collection.

In fact, it appears that the common factor between these Nintendo games’ collections is the extent to which the player is allowed to appreciate his or her collection.  3D models that can be viewed from all angles, textual info and categorization, and in some cases, interactivity all contribute to the player’s connection to the collection and his or her drive to complete it.  It sure beats a little check mark or a line in a book or even a little icon.  And that is why, when Sony announced Playstation Home, something inside me grew giddy at the thought of 3D trophy displays.  Too bad it didn’t turn out that way…

There’s also one oft overlooked property that distinction imparts to a collectible set – it allows each element in the set to be described individually.  The reason this is so important is this: FAQ’s – of the GameFAQs type.  Not everyone can be expected to find every single element of the set on their own.  For those collectors that don’t wish to invest the required time, they should at least be able to look up the locations of the missing pieces.  This is impossible to do when the individual pieces are indistinguishable from one another.  This is especially problematic in Assassin’s Creed because in order to use a guide, you must use it for every single flag.  Otherwise, unless you have picture-perfect memory or you’re using a video guide (which I imagine would be ridiculously lengthy), you cannot possibly know whether you’ve already found a particular flag or you’re just looking at a slightly incorrect location on a flag map because there’s no way of knowing whether you already found “flag 53″ on the map – you only know that you’ve found 178 total flags, one of which may be the anonymous “flag 53″ in question.  I know this isn’t a purely ludological reason for set element distinction, but it’s a valid one nonetheless.  I’m rather confident that all but the most hardcore purists fall back on external sources (strategy guides, FAQ’s) to complete a collection.  I do it all the time.  So even if the “distinction” in a collectible set is just a numeric label or a dull identifier (like Okami’s stray beads), it’s still an important thing to have for the sake of simplifying the collection process itself.

Collection Gameplay

It’s important to ensure that the gameplay surrounding the collecting of objects is as solid as the elements of the collection itself.  I can group collection gameplay into at least three broad categories: steady-stream, challenge, and exploratory.

• Steady-stream collection: these are the sets of the type where the player gets a relatively steady stream of random elements of the set, and completing the collection becomes all about either trading for the missing elements or just investing enough into the game.  Examples: Smash Bros. trophies, Culdcept Saga’s cards (or any CCG’s cards, for that matter), Treasure World’s treasures, Animal Crossing’s fossils, a good number of Free Realms’ collection components.
• Challenge collection: these are the sets whose elements take actual gameplay skill to acquire.  Examples: Street Fighter IV’s multiplayer titles, Modern Warfare 2’s Spec-Ops mode stars, Braid’s stars (yeah, you might not have known about them; I sure as heck didn’t), Xbox 360 achievements and PS3 trophies.
• Exploratory collection: these are the types of sets whose elements are found by exploring the game space.  Typically, you’ll find these kinds of collections in shooters and action games.  Examples (there are tons of them but I’ll just name a few): Gears of War’s COG tags, Modern Warfare’s intel, ODST and Bioshock’s audio logs/diaries, Fallout 3’s bobbleheads, just about everything in Brutal Legend.

Assassin’s Creed’s flag collection can basically be classified as an exploratory collection.  It is this class of collection that I believe is most often (and most disappointingly) implemented.  The big problem that I’ve experienced with these collections is this: they break immersion by forcing the player to think not as the protagonist or the player character but rather as a designer.

For most of these exploratory collections, the elements are often placed with little to no narrative sense.  They’re usually either strewn about randomly or hidden in obscure corners of the map that oftentimes don’t even seem accessible.  As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, completing such a collection is an excercise in hidden knowledge more than anything else.

When searching for elements of such collections, I almost always find myself thinking things like, This corridor doesn’t lead to anywhere meaningful – there must be something there, or, This ledge is out-of-the-way, but it’s accessible – there must be something there.  The only logic behind these thought processes comes from putting myself in the designers’ shoes rather than doing what makes sense in the context of the game and the narrative.  My wife can even attest to this fact as she watched me play Uncharted, exclaiming, “I smell treashuz!” whenever my designer sense started tingling.  And it netted me 50 out of 60 treasures on my first run-through.  I had similar moments in ODST.  When a path led indoors and to some seemingly irrelevant balcony, I could usually count on finding an audio log.  And there’s no reason to think this Sophie character was actually at any of those audio log locations.

Brutal Legend, however, contains a great example of an exploratory collection with at least some measure of contextual sense – the landmark viewers.  They’re around landmarks!  If I saw something in the world that looked like a landmark, I knew there was a landmark viewer nearby.  I didn’t have to go probing the mind of some sadistic designer.  Another simple way of limiting the breaking of immersion would be to give the player character some in-game way of “sensing” nearby elements of a collection – some blinking UI element or controller rumble feedback to indicate the proximity of the element.  I can’t immediately think of any games that have really done this, although I’m absolutely sure someone must have.  The closest example I can think of is Ocarina of Time’s use of the rumble pak to signal to the player that something was hidden nearby.

Application

So how could Assassin’s Creed have improved its flag collection gameplay?  Personally, I think the most unintrusive way would have been to tie flags to labeled chunks or chapters of historical info (fictional or otherwise) about the city.  Such a change wouldn’t involve adding abilities or tweaking/rebalancing character progression to accommodate gameplay rewards – and the change would fit well with the game’s prominent narrative delivery and historical setting.  Of course, this would probably involve cutting the number of flags down significantly – a most welcome change.  In fact, why not change the flags altogether and instead make them distinctly crafted relics in the vein of Uncharted’s treasures?  They would probably fit into the world a little better that way.   (Really – why are there random flags all over the place, anyway?)  Along those lines, the seeding of these “relics” could be in more logical locations: at the top of notable landmarks or inside obvious places of importance rather than in the shadows of some inconspicuous alley or atop a nondescript rooftop.  Furthermore, the designers can spread clues regarding the locations of those relics throughout lesser “eavesdropping” opportunities in the game.  I found the eavesdropping mechanic to be rather contrived, as the player can only eavesdrop for an investigative mission.  It would have been much more interesting if there were other groups of conversations on which the player could eavesdrop to get clues – much in the same way that pickpocketing is used for both investigations and for acquiring throwing knives.  And, being the valuable relics that they are, some of them can be guarded by hostile templars who must be circumvented or defeated, while others can be locked away in trap-laden rooms requiring a touch of finesse and dexterity to traverse.

And for the record, I have not yet touched the second title in the series.  So now someone who’s finished playing Assassin’s Creed II can tell me whether Ubisoft did, in fact, add a more compelling collection mechanic.

So that covers the shortfalls I noticed in Assassin’s Creed’s flag collection and how one might possibly improve that segment of gameplay. In my next post, I’ll be exploring the importance of community and recognition and how those things have strengthened the player’s drive to collect – especially with the most recent console generation’s emphasis on online play.

Nathan Drake regresa a nuestras consolas PlayStation 3 con la segunda entrega de sus aventuras: Uncharted 2: El Reino de los Ladrones con la intención de hacer que no nos despeguemos de la pantalla por mucho tiempo.

Uncharted 2 es un juego lineal de acción y aventuras en tercera persona, desarrollado por Naughty Dog y distribuido por Sony Computer Entertainment. El juego se estrenó el 15 de octubre en España y es la secuela del primer juego Uncharted: Drake´s Fortunes que fue lanzado en 2007.

En esta ocasión el cazatesoros Nathan Drake seguirá los pasos del viaje de Marco Polo de retorno a Asia que le llevará a la piedra Cintamani, un zafiro mitológico que no se puede abarcar con los brazos y que según dice la leyenda otorgará la tan preciada inmortalidad aquel que la posea. Esta búsqueda de la piedra Cintamani le llevara por toda clase de lugares exóticos desde la jungla de borneo hasta los mas altos picos del Himalaya, pasando por una gran ciudad en plena guerra civil. Y para complicar aún mas las cosas, Zoram Lazarevic, un despiadado (y calvo) asesino también va tras la pista de la piedra y con sus miles de soldados removerá cielo y tierra para encontrarla. Todos estos factores como resultado dan una frenética aventura muy al estilo Cinematográfico llena de acción de principio a fin. El juego dura alrededor de 11 horas y la historia comienza de golpe con Drake en una situación no muy cómoda, pero poco a poco la historia va cogiendo forma y todo se pone en su sitio de manera perfecta.

En Uncharted 2 hay mayor equilibrio entre tiroteos y plataformas comparado con la primera entrega donde predominaban mas los tiroteos,  en cuanto a los puzzles siguen siendo demasiado escasos pero aun así son bastantes divertidos y en algunos necesitaremos la ayuda de las notas de marco polo para poder seguir para delante.  Una de las novedades mas destacadas de esta segunda parte son los modos de sigilo y las nuevas formas de atacar cuerpo a cuerpo.

Gráficos

Los gráficos son impresionantes, De lo mejor que se a visto en consolas por ahora  superando incluso a los de Killzone 2. Mas de una vez te quedarás embobado con los majestuosos y variados (mas variados que el primero) paisajes que te enconarás a lo largo de todo el juego.  Los efectos de fuego, explosiones, y demás elementos climáticos son sencillamente increíbles. La paleta de colores esta magníficamente elegida. Se podría decir que este juego es gráficamente perfecto, bueno, casi perfecto.

Jugabilidad

La jugabilidad de Uncharted 2 se mantiene en la línea de su anterior videojuego mejorando en muchos aspectos y dando mayor importancia a otros como por ejemplo al sigilo, que en esta entrega cobra importancia y en muchas ocasiones tendremos la oportunidad de coger desprevenidos a nuestros enemigos y cárganoslo uno tras otro pero como única recompensa por ser calladitos solo conseguiremos pistolas y granadas extras, que no es que sean precisamente silenciosas…

Las escenas de acción y de tiroteos se vuelven menos repetitivas, en el primer juego bastaba con esconderte detrás de una pared y ir matando a tus enemigos uno a uno,  en la secuela, sin embargo, el diseño de los mapas y los enemigos mucho más logrados hacen del planteamiento algo mucho más dinámico.

Otro aspecto que también a sufrido cambios a mejor es el de combate cuerpo a cuerpo. Los movimientos de los puñetazos son mas realista. El rival intentará defenderse golpeándote y tu podrás realizar un contragolpe avisado con un leve movimiento de cámara si no quieres recibir una hostia.

En cuanto a las acrobacias esta segunda parte no varia mucho respecto al juego original, salvo en algunas mejoras en los movimientos.

Sonido

El sonido sigue teniendo ese toque característico del original, siguen teniendo la virtud de meternos aun mas en la historia y en las escenas de acción. En Uncharted 2 podrás encontrar músicas que ya se pudieron escuchar en el primero y otras nuevas pero igualmente geniales.

El juego se encuentra doblado perfectamente al español,  los dobladores del anterior juego repiten en esta parte y como en el original las voces pegan fantásticamente con el carácter de su personaje.

Online

Si algo le faltaba al primer juego era un modo online. Naughty Dog a tomado nota de esto y a diseñado un modo online para uncharted 2 que se podría calificar de muy completo. En el online podremos jugar con un máximo de 10 personas.  De mapas para jugar online tendremos un total de 8 mapas en los que se incluye, por ejemplo ”La ciudad perdida” o ”La aldea”. Y contará con 10 modos de juegos diferentes, en los que se incluye modos cooperativos donde podremos realizar misiones que no influyen en el argumento del modo historia.

A continuación os mostraremos una breve descripción de los modos de juego del online:

• Duelo a muerte: Entabla combates hasta la muerte.
• Eliminación: Elimina al otro equipo. En este modo no hay resurrecciones.
• Saqueo: gana el primer equipo que capture todos los tesoros y los devuelvas a sus respectivos cofres.
• Guerra de turba: Hazte con el control de 3 objetivos, cada objetivo capturado concede puntos al equipo. gana el primer equipo que consiga mas puntos.
• Rey de la montaña: Captura la posición marcada, pero atención: esta posición no es fija.
• Reacción en cadena: Las posiciones marcadas aparecen una a una, gana el primer equipo que consigue cinco posiciones.
• Supervivencia: Derrota a tus rivales con tus amigos.
• Fiebre del oro: Busca el tesoro y llévalo hasta tu cofre para derrotar a tus enemigos.
• Machinima: Crea tus propias secuencias con los personajes del juego.
• Cooperativo: Forma equipo con hasta 2 amigos para completar un mapa.

Gameplay de Uncharted2: El reino de los ladrones online:

Extras

Uncharted 2 conserva los extras que tenía el juego original como los trofeos o los tesoros, que en esta entrega tendremos que encontrar 100 trofeos y una reliquia perdida.

Un nuevo extra del juego es el sistema económico que se podrá usar tanto en el modo 1 jugador como en el online y se podrá usar para comprar trajes, armas, modificaciones, documentales Etc…

Opinión personal

En mi opinión este es uno de los mejores juegos de PlayStation 3. Es mucho mas superior a Uncharted en todos los aspectos. Alguna crítica que podría hacerle al juego es que es demasiado corto, un juegazo como este que te hace vivir tantas emociones no se deberia terminar en tan solo un fin de semana, por lo demas PERFECTO.

Lo mejor:

• La historia
• Los graficos y los efectos
• Modo Online bastante completo
• Lo carismatico del protagonista
• Los diálogos

Lo peor:

• Duración demasiada corta
• Algunos pequeños errores
• No innova demasiado respecto a la primera parte

Nota: 9,9/10

Conclusión:

Juego 99,9% recomendado que no debe faltar jamas en tu colección de juegos.

Saludos Pakeros.

Yes, Drake is back and he is in like Flynn!  Another definite contender for the game of the year award, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a definite must-play (heck, I believe must own) for the PS3 (yes, that other system).
Drake is in another treasure hunt (did we really believe he would stay out of trouble) for the treasure from Marco Polo’s lost fleet.  Joining him during the adventure are some favorites (Sully) and some brand new characters like Chloe and Flynn.  Flynn is, at first, your partner in an attempt to steal a treasure from a very well-guarded museum, but he betrays you and leaves you to rot in prison.  Lucky for Nate that Chloe who, was also involved in the heist, found Sully and they break you out of prison to find the treasure that Flynn got you locked up so he could find.  This starts your adventure through the wilderness, the streets and mountains facing military, militia, and something else for the Cintamani Stone.
The third-person shooter has a look similar to the beauty that was Batman: Arkham Asylum, depth and color that amaze and put you in the moment while integrating cutscenes so well that you never feel pushed out of the game.  In fact, you almost feel like you are spending the entire time watching a movie.  The camera work is perfectly done, featuring one of the more annoying habits from Uncharted of losing the ability to control the camera and changing it so it is only done when cinematic shots are needed and not when you need to see moments in the screen.  A perfect example is on the second mission, you are scaling around a building and the camera pans down to see some guards are passing underneath you on the ground.  This helps give more feeling and realism to the game and you do not need control of the camera, but as soon as you get around the dome, the camera is all yours to control.
Drake is able to jump, climb, swing, shoot and all of the other wonderful things from the first game that made it so much fun!  Hidden throughout the levels are small treasures that can be collected to earn money to buy different clothes, weapons and “perks” like unlimited ammo that can be used once the game is beaten.  Naughty Dog added a co-operative and competitive multiplayer area to this Uncharted, making the game more involved and interesting.  The best parts of this game still remain the fun gameplay and the beautiful look (I mean, really, the snow sticks to the character…)
Uncharted 2 is an improvement on an excellent game, check it out and see for yourself.

By Steven Hansen

(Photo from IGN.com)

The folks – well, geniuses, really – over at Naughty Dog have done it again. Given that Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is easily one of my favorite games of this console generation, my expectations were unreasonably high for its sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Then something unbelievable happened. Uncharted 2 was released and actually managed to surpass my unreasonable expectations, which doesn’t even make sense! That’s right; Naughty Dog got it right again, surpassing the stellar original title in every way.

Uncharted 2 sets the tone early with the opening cinematic; our loveable antihero Nathan Drake awakes in a pool of his own blood on a train in a snowy mountain range, immediately realizing that very train is treacherously hanging off of a cliff, as assorted pieces of train begin falling towards him, knocking him out the back – now the bottom of the vertically hanging train, as he begins his climb back up before the train drops into oblivion.

The game rivals summer blockbusters in terms of storytelling, yet has a level of immersion the film medium can’t ever hope to attain. In fact, Uncharted 2 is much better than a summer blockbuster, as it also does well to focus on character development and dynamic relationships amidst the compelling adventure tale rife with betrayal and jaw-dropping moments. The story is something best left unspoiled. All that needs to be said is that it’s one of the best I’ve ever experienced and I couldn’t help from asking myself the completely blasphemous question “Is this better than Indiana Jones?”

(Photo from IGN.com)

One of the reasons for the compelling narrative lies in the excellent performance by the voice actors, particularly a brilliantly nuanced, spot-on performance by Nolan North as Drake. But one of the most important things to selling the character’s performances lies in the technology. Naughty Dog still has the best animations around, bar none. Yet, somehow, they’ve managed to up the ante with Uncharted 2. Such subtleties like muscle twitches and facial expressions exemplify Naughty Dog’s attention to detail, but also add to the believability of the characters, furthering the narrative.

Technology is definitely another of the many aspects Uncharted 2 prevails in. Graphically, this is arguably the best looking game ever made, and at least the best console game ever made. Lighting is just as beautiful in the sequel as in the original, but now it’s even more subtle, yet at the same time more realistic in regards to how it interacts with the environment and casts shadows. The game is so finely detailed, it’s almost impossible to say a negative thing about the graphics.

(Photo from IGN.com)

Clothing, individually moving hair, the swaying ring-necklace on Drake’s neck, snow, lush jungle life, water – it’s overwhelming how beautiful the game looks, and it’s even more impressive the beauty holds up in motion. Equally impressive is the slight blurring when aiming and looking, providing an excellent sense of depth. Not to mention the scope of the game when you arrive at a high vantage point and just stare out into the world – it’s just as beautiful and finely detailed way out of the realm of gameplay. To top it all off, I use the word “beautiful” to describe the game because it isn’t merely photorealistic, but vibrant and so full of life, with an excellent range of colors. There literally isn’t a moment in the game where whatever is on screen isn’t impressive.

Adding to that atmosphere and sense of life is the epic orchestral score, which is, once more, somehow even better than the first. One of the reasons for that is how seamlessly it’s blended into the game, while managing to stand out more than in the first. It accompanies the action and gameplay perfectly and even adds to it as the score amps up the tension perfectly during exciting moments, without getting drowned out in a hail of gunfire and explosions.

(Photo from IGN.com)

Yet, none of those perfectly executed aspects mean anything if the gameplay isn’t up to snuff. Thankfully for us, Naughty Dog didn’t miss a beat here either. The game plays similar to the first, with third-person/run-and-gun/cover-based gameplay, but it’s tightened up overall. Grenades are much easier to manage being mapped to the L2 button and not requiring the use of Sixaxis controls, and guns – including some great new ones – work better than ever. Hand-to-hand combat has also been overhauled, feeling much more visceral, much akin to common street fighting, and providing a wide variety of attack animations. Uncharted 2 also provides a stealth option this time around, though it can’t be used throughout the whole game. Still, while the one section that required complete stealth caught me a bit off-guard, the option works out well, just adding to variety in the gameplay, and it also proved a prudent tactic in eliminating several opponents before proceeding to open fire on the rest of them.

(Photo from IGN.com)

Platforming, of course, is still a key element to the game, and it’s well-paced throughout and very solid. It feels even more precise this time around, as traversing environments is loads of fun – and there are plenty of environments to traverse, as Naughty Dog takes you to a variety of distinct locales, from snowy mountains to ancient temples to lush jungles to a decaying urban city.

One of the reasons these two gameplay elements manage to surpass the first is simple, and it’s Naughty Dog’s uncanny ability to blend gameplay elements with a dynamic, cinematic experiences. The game is so active and full of life, it’s even enthralling to watch, because it really is like watching a movie. Events typically relegated to cutscenes in most games are put under your control in Uncharted 2, leading to a ridiculous amount of insanely invigorating experiences, as well as exciting set pieces.

Whether you’re controlling Drake and shooting foes while moving around – incredibly realistically, thanks to excellent physics – in a building that’s crumbling to the ground or running away from a speeding truck while blind firing, Uncharted 2 is nothing short of enthralling. In fact, there’s one segment that takes place as Drake heads to the front of a train from the back car that is by itself more impressive than most video games are in their entirety.

And if all of that wasn’t enough – and rest assured, it’s more than enough – Naughty Dog also took it upon themselves to add in a stellar multiplayer component. Not only that, but it’s one of the most fun multiplayer experiences out there, featuring both competitive and cooperative modes. The competitive modes feature your typical fare; modes such as team deathmatch, elimination, capture the treasure, and more. There is also a ranking system which allows you to purchase perks and upgrade your character with the money you get from games. For co-op, there is a survival mode that pits you and your friends against swarms and swarms of enemies that require dispatching, as well as cooperative modes, which lifts scenes from the main game, supplies you with a unique scenario or goal, and lets you have at it, while sending enemies at you from every angle. Both modes are loads of fun and require plenty of strategy.

(Photo from IGN.com)

The reason they’re so fun is that the multiplayer plays just as good as the main game – which in this case, of course, is amazing. The elements of verticality and platforming are just as prominent in multiplayer as singleplayer, which forms maps through excellent redesigns of singleplayer locales. Aside from leaving intact what makes the gameplay so fun, it provides a fresh, unique experience not common in online multiplayer today. You can play multiplayer just as you played singleplayer, which includes stealthily dropping down from above and snapping some necks, if you’d like. The multiplayer is so brilliantly entwined with the singleplayer elements that it feels like one cohesive package.

Uncharted 2 is an experience – and one that needs to be experienced not only by gamers, but by non-gamers as well. The game is closer to perfect than anything I’ve ever encountered in every single aspect of the game. Naughty Dog hit the ball out of the park with the first title, yet somehow managed to smash through the stadium lights and send the ball into orbit with this one. If you hear people proclaiming this game to literally be the greatest ever made, they’re not being hyperbolic. Unprecedented technological mastery, a terrific story and characters, an outstanding musical score, phenomenal gameplay, outstanding multiplayer – I’m running out of positively connotative adjectives.   The game is that good.

I wonder why that could be. Hmmm… Oh yes – neither of those games are exactly anything special. But I think I know the real reason; 3 words – Modern Warfare 2.

Okay, so that’s two words and a number. But still. Brütal Legend has sold 216,000 copies on both PS3 and Xbox 360 (combined) and DJ Hero has sold roughly 123,000 (across 4 different platforms = fail), compared to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves which has sold 537,000 copies & went Platinum within the first month of its release and of course Modern Warfare 2 that sold 4.7 million copies within 24 hours. And because of those 4.7 million sales, several games have had to be delayed so they wouldn’t have to compete:

Alright, that was a joke. But seriously now, why is this all so? Sure, it’s probably a fun game to play. But underneath all the hype, it’s just a sequel to yet another war game. I’ve seen games with 10-times the amount of imagination and work put into them that barely saw the light of day. And with gaming sites giving it your basic 9/10 scores, it just goes to show that even “the biggest launch in the history of all forms of entertainment” isn’t perfect.

I’m literally kicking myself and dreading the thought of what might happen when the inevitable Modern Warfare 3 comes out…

Pinball Heroes appeared on the ESRB site the other day but Sony didn’t announce if it was official or not. Like most things that pop up on the ESRB site, it was true. The four tables that you can purchase are Hot Shots Golf, Uncharted, Pain and High Velocity Bolwing.

Each table is $4.

Pues sí, hay veces que no tienes amigos con quien jugar un Modern Warfare 2 o un Uncharted 2 o tal vez un Halo 3 o Gears of War 2. Pues en este post propongo que cada quien deje su PSN Id o su Gamertag y el juego que le gustaría jugar en línea con la banda, para ir armando los días de cotorreo de fanboyopolis.

Ya hicimos nuestras noches de Horda y la verdad es que me gustaría que se repitieran, pero tal vez ahora en otros juegos, ya sea como clan o simplemente puro desmadre. Anímense y vamos creciendo nuestra comunidad, no mordemos y tampoco somos gachos, todos somos gamers como tú.

Another adventure for Nathan Drake

Truth be told I just finished Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune about a week ago. Needless to say, when I was done with the first game I was extremely excited for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Developed by Naughty Dog, these guys picked up where they left off in 2007 with the first installment, with one great game. As in the the Drake’s Fortune you play as Nathan Drake searching for a treasure, a la Indiana Jones. This game introduces you to a few new characters but of course our old favorites are there too.

First off let me tell you this game is gorgeous in every sense of the word, without a doubt one of the most gorgeous games I have ever played. I found myself, more than once, standing on an outcrop just taking in the scenery. When I saw those PS3 commercials about Uncharted playing like a movie I took it with a grain of salt; I can now say, it’s true. When I got to the final chapters I found myself pushing through exhaustion  just to see how the movie, I mean game, ended.

As Drake’s Fortune was, Among Thieves is Voice acted throughout. Actors lending their voices to this game include Emily Rose, Richard McGonagle, and Steve Valentine to name a few. Getting that talent really pays off, the acting in this game is great. Starting off you find yourself on a wrecked train in bad shape, from here the story unfolds where again, your in search of an ancient treasure. This time however you’ll be transported to a variety of different locations. During your trips to far off lands you’ll encounter ancient puzzles you must solve to continue your adventure. None of these puzzles were brain busters but I’d have to say that all of them were fun. A couple along the way were more challenging than others but none of them stumped me enough to justify calling them difficult. Along the way you of course, want to keep an eye out for all the hidden treasures concealed throughout the distant lands.

The control scheme is extremely similar to the first game with some minor adjustments, that in my opinion were needed. My favorite adjustment would have to be the ease of throwing grenades vs. the first one. No longer is a grenade a weapon choice, you can now just toss one using the L2 button making it much easier. Something new in Among Thieves is the importance of stealth. On more than one occasion you will find it extremely adventageous to take out enemies with stealth attack than going in guns blazing. It may have been just me but the “Run and Gun” style of fighting also seemed to be more refined. There were a few new additions to the weapon arsanel many of wich were very welcome.

Another new feature is Multiplayer which was seamless for me. Obvious modes included in the multiplayer game are team deathmatch, elimination and capture the flag (sticking with the game the flag is actually treasure). I personally had no problem connecting to any matches. You earn experience to gain ranks and unlock powerups called boosts. Sorting through the multitude of trophies you can get makes the replayability a real factor too. Co-Op is another new addition and it’s absolutely fantastic you get a handful of choices where you are thrown into a scenario while the enemies come wave after wave. and After completing story mode you are given the option of choosing which chapters to go back and replay. If you missed some treasures after the game is done you can go back to a specific area to try again. With these new additions it appears as if the game will never get old.

Overall I would give this game a high recommendation it’s beautiful, fun, well voice acted and with the addition of multiplayer allows it to not become stale after you finish story mode. If you have a PS3 I’d pick it up or at the very least use Gamefly to rent it.

Game On!

(again, flat out copying Kotaku’s review style)

Loved

The second (and third) time around. Sequences that previously required a couple stabs, like sniper bait, the showdown with the shotgun guys in the snow, truck hopping, or the train boss, I blew through on my first try. Anything that required pattern recognition to undertake no longer became an obstacle, and why should it? I was good enough if i had done it before, so it shouldn’t be challenge if I have to do it again (puzzles notwithstanding, I thought there should be a skip option, ala ratchet and clank). What I got hung up on, even a second and now third time through, were the pure combat sequences. Dolling out blind fire, ammo management, and grenade awareness (for lack of a better word), were facets I never had to consider playing through on normal, but find absolutely essential on crushing. Naughty Dog didn’t just make the enemy’s bullet sponges; they ramped up the intangibles as well.

Enemy AI. Enemy movement is a bit more tolerable than it was in Drake’s Fortune. With the original I would get frustrated when I would have a clean shot and then, a millisecond later, the guy would do some alien dodge sequence that would render my headshot useless. The bad guys had a greater tendency to slide around this time out, but their behavior is much more manageable. I’m also glad they brought back the anti-camp shit, where the AI usually won’t pop back up into an area where you’re waiting with the reticule. It keeps me on my toes, and even when I try, is quick to punish me with a grenade or something. Among Thieves always keeps you moving and always looking for another way around or an extra piece of cover to stick to and it rewards you by disallowing the AI to know your exact location at all times – if you managed to sneak around, they would keep firing at where they thought you were.

Level Design. I like the “arenas” much more this time out. The cathedral, the underground lab (with the mutants), and that shipping crate area toward the end of Drake Fortune had red herrings and sections that came off feeling cheap, or as if I was getting funneled into an area where I was probably going to get fucked up. Among Thieves treats their combat arenas more like a playground. The ice train yard versus the shotgun trio was perfect for running around, climbing over shit, and sneaking up behind them and the two leveled sniper/shotgun base in the monster was wonderfully balanced and, if you played your cards right, full of fun little places to unload on unsuspecting foes.

Art Direction – Touched on this a bit last time, but most, if not all, of the game boasted jaw dropping visuals. Play was critical of this, accepting that it was indisputably gorgeous but weary of Among Thieves choice of locations; did we need more urban warfare or another shootout through a train ride? I think yes, absolutely. Why not? The ruined parade in the streets of Nepal, despite the awkwardness of its location and the obvious allusions to Guns of the Patriots, proved an intriguing location. The crumbled urban warzone was tired, but draping it with vibrant colors and maintaining and unreal attention to detail at every possible instance made it extraordinary. Same goes for the train sequences; I was killed more times than I can count because I would lose myself staring at the scenery. Hoping from car to car was something that I think we’ve been doing since Bad Dudes, but Among Thieves made me feel like it was the first time I had ever done it (a helicopter implausibly, but awesomely, keeping Drake on his toes tends to do that).

Not So Much

AI friends – I liked the characters of Elena, Chloe, and Flynn, but their actual presence in the game was occasionally a source of pointless frustration. For example, if I got ahead of them when climbing somewhere, they would still engage their routine and, in effect, take priority over Drake and inadvertently push me off ledges and into oblivion. Chloe and Elena also had a penchant for taking up valuable cover real estate. They would either be positioned by an edge I wanted, or they would wander over to one, nudge me, and totally fuck up my shot. The villagers in Siege, with their tendency to knock me around or be standing exactly where I needed to be, didn’t help much either. That, and the games reliance to make their primary function to boost Drake up to ladders was a little weak, but they couldn’t get themselves killed, so it was hardly something to complain about.

Rube Goldberg Puzzles – I get why these were there, Drake needs to solve some puzzles god dammit, but when you sit back and examine the ridiculous crap you just did, and it all seems a bit silly. I had to arrange mirrors to bounce light into the forehead of two six foot faces, which allowed me to climb giant isosceles triangles, which, when done correctly, fell upon a giant face in the floor, which opened the mouth that also happened to be an underground passage. I got there, by the way, from moving the hands of a giant Indian statue, which drained a pool of water that lead to a secret passage. And I’m totally glossing over the ridiculous lengths required to access Shambhala. Again, it’s not bad, per say, just a little, “hey guys, what the hell was that?”

‘Tis the season for AAA gaming.  It came early this year and will keep pushing through until early next year (a bit later than usual).

When we were getting ready for the move, with no employment prospects (for me), I stared into the deep forest of fall game releases and had some tough decisions to make.  I had chosen to prioritize multiplayer games over single player experiences and replayability over one-shot enjoyment.  Seems simple, right?

Borderlands was an easy choice, especially once there was a free overnight shipping order and bonus pre-order guns.  Take RPG elements, throw in some a ton of loot, and, oh, by the way, it’s a first-person shooter.  In addition, Borderlands has just the right amount of story.  That is to say, there is one, but it doesn’t get in the way of the action.

What that means is that starting a new character is a simple process, with the only thing in between you and combat being a few minute tutorial/introduction.  I’ve put 20+ hours into this game, building up a couple of characters while still eager to level the other classes.  I’ve retread the same early missions five or six times and it’s still fun.  Finding new weapons (still need a really solid shotgun) keeps things moving.

It was simple from there out.  Modern Warfare 2 was my next purchase… until Toys R Us decided to run their buy 2, get 1 free sale.  Danielle gave me unexpected permission to take advantage of this (thanks to some consulting work I lined up) and the picture changed.  I picked up three titles (Uncharted 2, Brutal Legend, and one for sale on eBay/Half.com to defray the cost of the other two).

In addition, Demon’s Souls hit on PS3 and, given that it was limited to Gamestop around here I decided to pick it up before it can’t be found anywhere.  An action RPG with old-school difficulty? My plan was crumbling.

Then, there were huge pre-order bonuses for Dragon Age: Origins, including a $15 DLC pack.  I’m a sucker for pre-order bonuses, especially since one of them is an item for both DA:O and Mass Effect 2.  I even played through Dragon Age: Journeys (a web-based flash game) three times to get all of the unlocks which give me items in DA:O.

In addition to the new acquisitions, there are other games on the “stack.”  I’ve had Metal Gear Solid 4 sitting on my shelf since I got my PS3, and ready for me now that I’ve replayed MGS 1 – 3.  Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (courtesy of Kelsey), Halo Wars (of which I still have much to play), and Folklore for PS3 are also in the queue.

So much to play and, even with my days being spent at home, not enough time.

This leaves a number of other titles on the store shelves for now, including Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Left 4 Dead 2.  I expect that I might pick up Modern Warfare 2 around the holidays, with Mass Effect 2 at the end of January, and Bioshock 2 on my birthday (February 9).  Mass Effect 2 will, of course, necessitate a second time through the original Mass Effect.

So, why aren’t I getting Modern Warfare 2 right now?  1) I don’t have time to play it (though that clearly hasn’t stopped me… ever); 2) It is so good that the online community will be in tact in a few months when I’m finally ready to pull the trigger; and 3) because Danielle would absolutely kill me if I bought one more game right now.

Somehow, my plan fell apart.  Now… back to the Borderlands to find the next sweet piece of loot.