The thing that bothers me the most about video games today is that most of the time the parts you want to play are in the cut scenes. Sure they look good, but damn-it I want to play the game not watch it! I am tired of putting down my controller to watch a cool action scene that I have no control over whatsoever. So why am I complaining? Because Uncharted 2 gets as close to letting you play those over the top moments as any game ever has. It blends a good story with some amazing over the top action, which you actually get to play through!

Graphics

The best way I can describe the Graphics in Uncharted 2 is to say…damn! This is an awesome looking game. The level of polish put into this is extraordinary. It doesn’t raise the bar in terms of detail, but it just does every graphic nuance right. The lighting is spot on, textures are great, character models are clean, and the art direction is top notch. I did run into a few issues here and there. In the last 2 chapters of the game whole buildings would disappear while I was climbing in them. It only happened a few times so hopefully this is not a common bug. Other then that there is not much you can criticize this game for when it comes to visuals. It’s bright and colorful with a brilliant art direction. Probably the best overall mix of visuals and art design since Bioshock.

Story

When you have a game like Uncharted you must have a good story, and for the most part it delivers. The narrative is woven into the game very nicely with cinematics that are very entertaining, and don’t wear out there welcome. Too many games have over thought out movies that drag on forever while you cry out in agony…JUST LET ME PLAY THE FREAKING GAME ALREADY! Uncharted 2’s cinematics are fun and broken up so that they never feel long or winded.

While the story is nice and moves you along briskly, there are some issues I have with it. The first 3 chapters of the game are fairly boring when compared to the rest of the game. At first you might be a little disappointed because you thought this was fast paced game. Luckily there are over 20 chapters to the game, and about 90% of them are really well paced and loads of fun. The game is not very long, I finished in about 9 hours, but I guess its not that short either. It seems about the perfect length for this type of game.

If I had to nit pick I would say that there are a few moments in the game that have plot holes, but being a video game you have to suspend disbelief a little, even though it can be hard sometimes. I also thought the ending could have been better. The game does a great job of building up the story and suspense of what is going to happen, but once you get to the end I felt like it didn’t live up to the rest of the game. It was a better ending then a lot of games I have played, but I just thought such a good game deserved a great  ending, but in reality we get a predictable ending with a fairly boring boss fight.

Gameplay

To be honest I am not much of a fan when it comes to this type of game. I have hated every Tomb Raider game which I have played, and I only played a small portion of the first Uncharted. I liked the first game, but the controls were not up to snuff so I just could not continue on. Fortunately there is no such issue when it comes to Uncharted 2. Gunplay has improved quite a bit, which now makes the fight segments much more enjoyable. There are still some issues with the cover system and overall controls, but they are not deal breakers. Just be prepared to die a few times because the controls would not let you take cover.

The one thing that shocked me was how challenging this game could be at times, even when set on Normal difficulty. The A.I. in the game really tries to kick your ass. Staying in cover for too long is never a good idea since the enemy is really adept at putting grenades at your feet. They will also flank you quite effectively if you don’t keep moving and adapting. This fast paced gameplay really makes the game much better, as in the first game I found the firefights way to easy. This time around you actually feel as if you are in real danger all the time.

The second part of the gameplay dynamic in Uncharted is the platforming. Why we love to climb ledges and overhangs is something I will never understand. But we like it, and Uncharted does it with gusto. If you played Assassins Creed then Uncharted 2 will feel very familiar. The climbing and jumping feels very similar. Uncharted 2 is not quite as smooth as AC, but it has a little more weight to it, more of a feeling of peril. The only thing that bothered me about the platforming was that it felt rather easy. In previous games similar to this there were more challenging elements to the platforming. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of fun, but it just lacked any kind of challenge. Overall the gameplay in Uncharted 2 is great. The cover system could have used some more work, but its still better then many other games.

Multiplayer

The only part of Uncharted 2 that did not hook me was the Multiplayer. While the technical side of the MP is well done, I just never found myself having much fun playing it. The controls just did not lend themselves online play and there were no original game types that made me want to stay around and play more. I am sure that many people will like the online in this game, its definitely not bad by any means. I just personally found it to be boring. I would encourage another member of our writing team to do a full review of the Multiplayer component, as I just could not get into it enough.

Conclusion

Uncharted 2 is am amazing game no doubt. It takes a genre that I never enjoyed and nails it in almost every area. If you own a PS3 this game is a must have. Even though I found the Multiplayer to be a waste of time I still think the single player campaign is worth the price of admission alone.

Uncharted 2, Among Thieves gets 4.5 out of 5

Since Jack Thompson was disbarred, god I love saying that, he has been relatively quiet in the gaming world. But that has not stopped the round the clock hatred gamers have for the man. It seems there are quite a few Facebook groups dedicated to making Jack Thompson look like an ass. If you ask me he does a better job on his own then any of us could do.

Since he’s no longer a lawyer and probably needs the cash, he has decided to sue Facebook for not taking down all the negative material about him. Knowing Jack he probably just wants a reasonable sum for all the mental anguish…wrong! This dip wants 40 million! I know that most lawsuits start with an unreasonable sum in order to try and get a settlement, but Jack has no idea what he is up against. The U.S. Communications Decency Act clearly states that online services like Facebook have no responsibility for content created by its users. So I expect that this new lawsuit will be just as successful as all his prior ones…(giggle).

Learn More – (via Macworld)

There always seems to be a little madness surrounding a launch of a Halo game, but this time the madness seems to be more centered around the price of the game. It’s like many reviewers went into the game not to play it, but evaluate it on price. For me you can’t really put a price on an experience. For that reason all talk of this game being 60 bucks ends now, because no matter what Halo hating fanboys troll all over the web, the game is actually worth it.

Story

The Story behind this game is fairly simple, there is no big surprise ending or cliffhanger, but even though the game possesses none of these elements it still does a very good job of building the characters around you and keeping you interested. The characters are acted quite well and the story does get you deeply involved, pity the story will only last about 5-6 hours, but in that time they have managed to make levels that I think in many ways were more fun to play through then Halo 3.  Going from wondering around the city at night to intense firefights set a very specific mood never seen before in a Halo game. If I had had to fault the game for anything I would say the ending is a bit anti-climatic, but on a whole the story works quite well.

Graphics

Halo has always stayed true to its visual roots from the first game; in terms of art direction the game looks quite good. The only problem is that the Halo graphics engine is starting to show its age a bit. There are some jaggy issues here and there, and character models can also sometimes look a bit funky. The woman in this game looks down right ugly! But at the end of the day the game overall still looks very nice. No other game looks like Halo and that is a very good thing. I do hope Bungie is working on improvements for the Halo engine for the upcoming Reach game.

Sound

You can never fault a Bungie game for bad sound as they have never made a game with mediocre music, and ODST in no different. Gone are the chanting monks and in their place is a somewhat jazzy score when walking the lonely streets of New Mombasa. The music does a great job of setting the mood when you are playing as the rookie. The music while playing out the fighting sections is just as engaging, as it sounds a bit more like the music from Halo 3, which is a good thing. A certain review that I read for this game said the music sounded like a porn soundtrack. I think whoever thought that BS line up must be smoking something strong, because no one could ever be farther off base. The music and voice acting is all top notch.

Gameplay

Since you are no longer Master Chief it makes sense that the game must change how you approach a fight, and ODST does it brilliantly. I was skeptical about whether or not it would feel different then Halo 3, but it really does. Unless you play on easy you really have to think a lot more then previous Halo games. Halo 1 – 3 were all about busting into a room and kicking ass. In ODST you get to kick the same ass, but in a much more tactical manner. You really have to be careful and plan your way around certain types of enemies. This tactical feel adds a nice contrast to the Halo world that we have never seen before, and I am glad to see that Bungie took some risks with their franchise.  Even with the change in tactics the game still does feel like a Halo game, it does not deviate far enough to feel like a completely different game. Controls are still the same and the feel of weapons remains true as well. What is different is all about how you go about getting through the game, and it works surprisingly well.

Multiplayer

Since Halo 3’s multplayer has been around for two years now I obviously have no need to review that. It’s still the king of XBL, or will be until Novemeber 10^th. But we do get an addition to the Halo online experience that is worth its weight in gold. Firefight mode is awesome, to be brief and to the point. Yes it’s basically Horde mode from Gears of War 2, but Bungie didn’t just copy horde and add in Halo enemies. They incorporated a lot of cool ways to change up the experience. The inclusion of random skulls makes for rounds that can change wildly between them, and a shared lives system means you must trust your teammates quite a lot. I am kind of sad that they did not include a matchmaking function for firefight, but I did not find it too hard to get a game going. Just don’t be anti-social, ask around while playing and you will find plenty of people willing to play. Firefight is fun, intense, and a blast to play with your friends. It may be too early for me to make a decision, but I think I like it way more then Horde mode in Gears.

In conclusion Bungie took a very short amount of time and made a very solid and fun addition to the Halo campaign. Yes it is short, but firefight mode will last you a long time. It alone is a good enough reason to pick this game up. If you didn’t like Halo before ODST it’s not going to change your opinion. This game is for the Halo fans and does a good service to them.  If you love Halo then picking up ODST is a no brainer.  Don’t let all the Halo haters’ propaganda scare you away from giving ODST a try. Halo 3 ODST gets a 4 out of 5.

We still have plenty of room left for our Gears of War tournament. So please make sure and sign up right now.

The tournament will be held on June 20th & 21st of this year. To enter simply send an email with your name, location, and gamertag to lukewind@me.com. Please have GOW2 as your subject line. There are only 60 spots open for the tournament so sign-up right away.

Please read the all the rules below to make sure that you qualify. If you have any questions or concerns please just contact me through my twitter account. My twitter user name is lukewind.

Rules:
1. You must 18 or over to play.
2. Anyone displaying racist or hateful speech will be kicked out of tournament.
3. Contestants Must Reside in Continental United States or Canada.
4. You must have an XBL microphone, if I can’t hear you then it’s game over.

I am currently in the process of getting together the prizes for the tournament so I will post that info when we get closer to the tournament. I will also post how we will be scoring to decide the winners. You have nearly 2 weeks to prepare so get online and practice, but make sure to sign-up first. NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JUNE 17th.

When I heard the rumors that Microsoft was going to come out with a motion sensing controller I really though that they would just copy the Wiimote and throw in a few new features, and say look what we made!  They probably could have done that and it might have been a success, but now we know their plans are much more ambitious. Project Natal looks like something that could trump the Wii in terms of casual gaming, while at the same time it has huge potential for hardcore games as well, something yet to show itself on the Wii. That kind of potential can be a game changer if it is done right.

Just remember that time when you were showing a friend or your family how cool the Wii works, well imagine how amazing Natal could be if it pans out as well as the Wii did. They are trying to make the 360 the cool device that everyone will want. Hopefully we will see it this holiday season, do note that Natal is Portuguese for Christmas, could that be a big hint from Microsoft? Let’s hope so!

Its not like the Wii is going to disappear anytime soon, but if Microsoft pulls out some quality games for this thing when it launches, they could see a huge rise in sales and market share. Please god let the Developers use common sense and make some great Natal based games!

We all know they will not call it Natal forever, so I want to hear our readers ideas for a new name for the device, and also let us know what you think of it.

We still have plenty of room left for our Gears of War tournament. So please make sure and sign up right now.

The tournament will be held on June 20th & 21st of this year. To enter simply send an email with your name, location, and gamertag to lukewind@me.com. Please have GOW2 as your subject line. There are only 60 spots open for the tournament so sign-up right away.

Please read the all the rules below to make sure that you qualify. If you have any questions or concerns please just contact me through my twitter account. My twitter user name is lukewind.

Rules:
1. You must 18 or over to play.
2. Anyone displaying racist or hateful speech will be kicked out of tournament.
3. Contestants Must Reside in Continental United States or Canada.
4. You must have an XBL microphone, if I can’t hear you then it’s game over.

I am currently in the process of getting together the prizes for the tournament so I will post that info when we get closer to the tournament. I will also post how we will be scoring to decide the winners. You have nearly 4 weeks to prepare so get online and practice, but make sure to sign-up first. NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JUNE 17th.

After all the fun we had with our readers during our Halo 3 tournament, I couldn’t wait to get another tournament going. We would of had one a bit sooner, but as many of you know, life can sometimes get in the way. But alas life has subsided and we are ready to see who is the best of the best in Gears of War 2. This will be an individual tournament, no teams will be allowed.

The tournament will be held on June 20th & 21st of this year. To enter simply send an email with your name, location, and gamertag to lukewind@me.com. Please have GOW2 as your subject line. There are only 60 spots open for the tournament so sign-up right away.

Please read the all the rules below to make sure that you qualify. If you have any questions or concerns please just contact me through my twitter account. My twitter user name is lukewind.

Rules:
1. You must 18 or over to play.
2. Anyone displaying racist or hateful speech will be kicked out of tournament.
3. Contestants Must Reside in Continental United States or Canada.
4. You must have an XBL microphone, if I can’t hear you then it’s game over.

I am currently in the process of getting together the prizes for the tournament so I will post that info when we get closer to the tournament. I will also post how we will be scoring to decide the winners. You have nearly 4 weeks to prepare so get online and practice, but make sure to sign-up first. NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JUNE 17th.

After all the fun we had with our readers during our Halo 3 tournament, I couldn’t wait to get another tournament going. We would of had one a bit sooner, but as many of you know, life can sometimes get in the way. But alas life has subsided and we are ready to see who is the best of the best in Gears of War 2. This will be an individual tournament, no teams will be allowed.

The tournament will be held on June 20th & 21st of this year. To enter simply send an email with your name, location, and gamertag to lukewind@me.com. Please have GOW2 as your subject line. There are only 60 spots open for the tournament so sign-up right away.

Please read the all the rules below to make sure that you qualify. If you have any questions or concerns please just contact me through my twitter account. My twitter user name is lukewind.

Rules:
1. You must 18 or over to play.
2. Anyone displaying racist or hateful speech will be kicked out of tournament.
3. Contestants Must Reside in Continental United States or Canada.
4. You must have an XBL microphone, if I can’t hear you then it’s game over.

I am currently in the process of getting together the prizes for the tournament so I will post that info when we get closer to the tournament. I will also post how we will be scoring to decide the winners. You have nearly 4 weeks to prepare so get online and practice, but make sure to sign-up first. NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER JUNE 17th.

This might not be the most inventive or creative Rube Goldberg’s I’ve seen so far in Halo 3. I can think of ones that are much better, but whomever made this put some time into it, and its really well done. They also get bonus points for giving it a slight Simpson’s theme. Enjoy!