As soon as I sat down with one of the Naughty Dog guys who was about to give me a demo of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, I told him how skeptical I was of the new stealth modes they added to this sequel. I told him how much I enjoyed the run-and-gun gameplay of Uncharted, but I am not a big fan of stealth games. He told me not to worry, that I could choose when to use stealth and when to just go balls-to-the-wall and shoot everything in my path. Then he hit start at the menu and let me see for myself.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the prettiest game I have ever seen. The graphics are absolutely breathtaking, and the scenery is gorgeous -- I was just in awe of the details in everything I was seeing. Wow, just wow. Then, as I sat there watching Nathan Drake jump from sign post to rooftop while dodging bullets, I remembered why I love the first game so much. Uncharted is what every Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones game wishes it could be. Uncharted is action/adventure at its finest.
Back to the new stealth mode -- I was shown how, throughout the game, the player is in full control and can chose when to take cover behind fallen debris or to run forward with guns blasting. The player can take a more stealthy approach by watching the guards' movement and patterns to see when it would be best to attack from behind or just jump in the guards' face to finish him off loud and proud. From what I saw, there was no forced stealth sequences, and I hope the rest of the game is the same. There were certainly spots where stealth was a wiser choice, but it was never forced.
Nathan's old buddy Sully is back along with his old flame Elena who makes a few cameos throughout the game. A new female counterpart, Chloe Frazer, is going to be with Nathan through much of the adventure. The story takes place several years after the first game and follows Nathan as he tries to unravel the mysteries behind Marco Polo and his many missing ships, all while hoping to find potential lost treasure.
Uncharted 2 will also feature online multiplayer and co-op modes. Co-op will allow three players to play as Nathan, Sully and Chloe and complete different missions involving teamwork and gun battles. The co-op mode will only be available online.
The online multiplayer will put 10 players against each other in two different modes, "Deathmatch" and "Plunder." Deathmatch mode will put two teams of five against each other as "heroes" versus "villains." Plunder mode is your basic "capture the flag" where one team must grab treasure and take it back to their base.
To win an Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta key, comment on this post and tell me how excited you are for this game's release, then email me (Raychul@gamepro.com) with your GameGirl username. Winner will be chosen by Saturday, June 13 at noon.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is due out exclusively for PS3 this fall.
Uncharted 2: E3 2009 Gameplay Demo
