I always had complicated feelings with Uncharted 2, and as time goes on, it only grows increasingly entangled and difficult to parse, like the old wired earphones that I left in my pockets for longer than I should. Thus, a replay is in order. My first Uncharted game is Uncharted 3, and I was completely blown away by it back then. I only got to the previous two Uncharteds about 2 years after, and I think the perspective of coming from Uncharted 3 definitely hurt Uncharted 2 in my eyes. While the story is more structurally sound and tightly paced, everything else left me unimpressed. The set pieces and technical aspects are an expected step down, and the locales, villains and supernatural/mythology elements are much less interesting to me. The combat sections are usually too long and happens too often, resulting in a body count that is far too high. I don't even want to talk about fighting the supernatural beings in the last section of the game, and that dreadful final boss. In my eyes, Uncharted 2 has been outdone by its successors, especially after Uncharted 4 came out. I would have said the same thing with Uncharted 1, but I came to realize that the game's self-contained nature and raw "first entry" feel has a long lasting charm that manages to outlast Uncharted 2, at least for me.
Still, nothing can delude me into thinking that I don't have a great time with Uncharted 2. Like all other Uncharteds, all of its best qualities are very accessible, and the qualities are varied. Frantic gunplay, likeable characters, impressive detail, memorable environments, stunning set pieces, and so on. Not to mention, the game fluidly weaves various gameplay element into its simple and elegant controls, and the remaster has done a great job of updating this and all other technical aspects. Again, all of these especially applies to future Uncharted games in a much higher degree (and each newer entry adds their own spice into the formula), but it's nothing to scoff at.
Uncharted 2 still stands as a major trailblazer of the cinematic gaming era, with it's incredible success of emulating theatrical blockbusters in real-time software, and setting the basic formula for all future followers. As more and more games embrace looser pacing in the service of widening gameplay flavors and increasing the sense of freedom, Uncharted 2's influence wanes, but just like its inspirations, it has left enough of an impression through mostly shock and awe, as the most advanced video game technologies of the time converge to satisfy PS3 owners during a landmark year for the console. "You just had to be there!"
Still, nothing can delude me into thinking that I don't have a great time with Uncharted 2. Like all other Uncharteds, all of its best qualities are very accessible, and the qualities are varied. Frantic gunplay, likeable characters, impressive detail, memorable environments, stunning set pieces, and so on. Not to mention, the game fluidly weaves various gameplay element into its simple and elegant controls, and the remaster has done a great job of updating this and all other technical aspects. Again, all of these especially applies to future Uncharted games in a much higher degree (and each newer entry adds their own spice into the formula), but it's nothing to scoff at.
Uncharted 2 still stands as a major trailblazer of the cinematic gaming era, with it's incredible success of emulating theatrical blockbusters in real-time software, and setting the basic formula for all future followers. As more and more games embrace looser pacing in the service of widening gameplay flavors and increasing the sense of freedom, Uncharted 2's influence wanes, but just like its inspirations, it has left enough of an impression through mostly shock and awe, as the most advanced video game technologies of the time converge to satisfy PS3 owners during a landmark year for the console. "You just had to be there!"