Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Remastered - Review

Drake's honour.

Console: PlayStation 4 game played on a PlayStation 5.

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was a gamble. For the developer Naughty Dog it was a type of game they'd never tackled before. Sony had to contend with the middling sales of the PS3 which they had to turn around somehow, like with must-have titles. The gamble worked. Uncharted became a critical and commercial success. Thus, a sequel promptly got greenlit. 

That sequel is what I'll be looking at today. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. From what I know of Uncharted through pop culture osmosis, Uncharted 2 is widely considered to be the best Uncharted title. The best of the original PS3 trilogy, definitely. The title really defined what Uncharted was by diving in deeper after the introductions were no longer necessary. 

So, how does this game, the PS4 version from the 'Nathan Drake Collection' specifically, hold up? Did it age better than its predecessor and is it still a fun game to dig into? Let's dive in. 

Uncharted 2 sees Nathan Drake reunited with two old acquaintances and fellow thieves. Old flame Cloe Frazer and her current boyfriend Harry Flynn. Flynn has been hired by some rich dude to steal a Mongolian Oil Lamp. Learning that the Lamp is connected to the lost fleet of Marco Polo the three decide to steal the Lamp for themselves. Things go awry when Flynn double-crosses Nathan, landing him in jail. Months later, Drake is bailed out by Chloe and his best friend Sully. Learning that Flynn and his employer, Siberian war criminal Zoran Lazarević have set up an excavation in Borneo, the three set out after them.  

Uncharted 2's story is a fun ride. The game hits the ground running with the one-two punch of the action setpiece that is also a flashforward and the narrative setting heist sequence. This introduction gives the game a somewhat different vibe and smartly shows the player what it has to offer. It´s still divided up into chapters and I still like this approach. A good medium between dividing your game up into clear levels while keeping it 'modern'. Once again also, you could very well play this game in one sitting in one go without ever seeing a single menu. Like you're playing in one seamless adventure. 

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune wore its influences on its sleeve but for the series to stand on its own legs it needed to establish its own identity, which it started to do here. We get more insight into Drake´s character by giving us a look into his past and by contrasting him with Chloe and Flynn. They show how Nate could've turned out if he had stuck to his thieving ways. We also get an action-adventure game that emphasises action over adventure. The pace of the story is quite a bit faster this time around due to this. 

There's a lot more action in Uncharted 2, such as the train that's prominent on the original cover.

It leads to a narrative that keeps you hooked and doesn't drag anywhere. Well, except for the few chapters after it catches up to the flashforward. The historic backdrop of Marco Polo's story is a fun one and brings us to some unexpected and varied locales alongside some decent twists and turns in the story. I do wish the side characters were handled better. Sully isn't much in the at all and Lazaravic is one of the most one-dimensional villains I've ever seen. 

I also can't say that I'm a Chloe fan. I know many like her but here, in Among Thieves, I find her too selfish, whiney even, and I don't quite buy her more selfless act by the end. Let's hope she grows on me before I get to 'The Lost Legacy'. 

The opening isn't only strong from a narrative standpoint. The flash forward means you get to dive in and quickly learn the gameplay and the new controls. Well, new for those who played the PS3 release of Drake´s Fortune. The control scheme is exactly the same as the PS4 version of Drake's Fortune but works much better here. It's a lot smoother and more responsive because, well, it was made for this game. 

Like I said earlier, Uncharted 2 is a lot more action-focused. More combat sections, more action set pieces and quicker pacing. This leads to a fast-paced action-adventure title, though it does come with some issues too. 

Combat consists of a combination of firefights, stealth sections and dedicated action set pieces. You can carry two weapons at a time, a small handgun and a larger rifle/shotgun as well as grenades. You punch, shoot, dodge and take cover while you try to hit the enemy and avoid getting hit yourself. Take enough damage, the screen starts to grey and you die. Basic stuff but with some new additions here. 

The hand-to-hand combat has been reworked so that it's actually useful now! Since enemies are now far less aggressive and precise with your shots, in combination with stealth, it means you don't get immediately gunned down when you throw the first punch. Brawls with enemies are telegraphed in such a way that you know when to punch and dodge without it becoming a quick-time event.

The cover system has evolved into a full-fledged stealth system, thank Naughty Dog. The lack of a stealth system was something I felt was missing from Drake's Fortune and I'm happy that they addressed this in the sequel. If you take cover before being spotted you can use it to remain undetected and sneak around. You can quickly move from cover positions by holding the circle button and when close to an enemy and then knock them out without anyone noticing. Just be warned: you can't hide behind everything even though you think you can. 

The stealth is basic but, with how this title is more combat focused than the first, very welcoming nonetheless. It means that we can tackle combat situations in more than one way and the developers get to design some fun and tense stealth sections for us to tackle. During firefights, taking cover behind walls and such remains paramount in finding a good position to shoot at your enemies and not get hit. 

As a last small thing: you can now grab certain objects and use them in combat, like picking up a riot shield to hide behind. It's not much but I do smell a system that just might be expanded upon in Drake's Deception, like his game did with stealth. 

Nate and Chloe in a fire fight. 

Drake is a very athletic person who's an expert at climbing and jumping all over the place. From rooftops and old shrines, moving across them going from point A to point B. Often you're and your companions' path is blocked and you need to find a way forward by climbing all over the place. Speaking of the buddy system, Chloe, Elena and more all help you out throughout the story. From giving you cover fire to giving you a boost when climbing over a wall. It's not much but it's nice. Involves these characters in the gameplay as well as the narrative. 

Now that the vehicle sections have been axed, the big action setpieces rely more on welding together platforming and combat. Instead of driving the car yourself, for example, it´s Elena that does so while you jump from vehicle to vehicle, taking down turrets and goons. I like it better this way. It makes these set pieces a lot more varied and fit better with the core gameplay. It made it easier I'd imagine to include more action set pieces since the developers didn't have to create an entirely new gameplay style. Whatever the reason there are more set pieces here than its predecessor. Beyond all of that, they´re just plain fun and quite thrilling. I don't think they'll disappoint you. 

With the heavier focus on action, the puzzles and collectables get the short end of the stick. It takes a bit before the environmental puzzles start popping up and they are not as plentiful; I count three from the top of my head. They're fun, I like the basic idea of all of them, but they're easy. Too scripted. Flip through Nate's notebook for the answer, climb around a bit and you're done. I do have to say that I don´t know how to feel about the increase in action. It sets the Uncharted series apart more from Tomb Raider (at the time) but I did always like puzzles. I'll see how I feel about it once I've played through the entire series at the end of this pseudo-marathon I'm doing. 

Concerning the collectable, I can't say that adds much of anything to the game. My problem with them is that I don't find them worth collecting nor do I find the collecting itself very intuitive. Coins, statues and other ancient treasures are hidden through nearly all of the 26 levels/chapters indicated by small blinking sparks on the ground, up a tree etc. While they still unlock extras such as outfits I find the process of breaking my pace, to stop and search for them, not worth the time. If they had descriptions, and helped you learn things about the cultures these artefacts came from I think I would've thought. I hope they add those in the next game. 

Closing out this review, as always, are the graphics and the soundtrack. The visuals of Uncharted 2 are better than the first. Not by a lot but improved enough that my very first remark was that the game looked better. Better-looking faces and facial animations are the example I can give you. The soundtrack is still good. Same composer, same (style) of compelling and orchestral compositions that perfectly invoke a sense of adventure. 

Conclusion

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a better Drake's Fortune. It has a better narrative and controls, more elaborate gameplay and is a more action-packed title which sets it apart from Tomb Raider. The introduction of a stealth system, intense action setpieces, and improved combat make for a fast-paced adventure, though at the cost of the puzzles and collectables. With some mildly improved graphics and a fittingly adventurous soundtrack, you get a great action-adventure title. I can see why this is often pointed to as the best Uncharted game. 

On a final note: I think Uncharted 2 is a better starting point than Uncharted 1. Drake's Fortune is not a bad game but it, especially in how it controls, hasn't aged all that well. Thus, I'd say that if you want to give Uncharted a shot, start with Among Thieves. If you like that, then go back to Drake's Fortune.