Uncharted 2: Indistinguishable Accents

Usually I am the video game equivalent of the guy who just started watching the first season of Lost last week. I am often overheard saying things such as "Have you guys ever heard of this 'Assassin's Creed' game?" So I am proud to say, I have actually played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and BEAT IT! (That's a point of pride considering my incredibly active social life and massive ADHD)

I'll go ahead and get the obligatory comments out of the way. Yes it is beautiful. Yes it is well written. Yes it is the best game I have played this year. Now, onto specifics: unlike some other McElroy's you may know, I am not what you might call a "natural" when it comes to most games. I mostly excel in puzzle games and jumpers/climbers. So I locked down those parts of the game. However, I FAIL at stealth. I can usually score a couple stealth kills and then I flip out and shoot someone in the butt. I appreciate that if I get sick of stealth and shoot someone in the butt, I do not fail and restart. It becomes a full out combat scene. Getting caught and swarmed by 478 dudes could be seen by some as "effin' up". But when the ground is strewn with the bodies of your enemies, that's a score my friend!

I also enjoy little dialogue touches. For example, there's a scene atop a hotel. If you jump into the roof top pool, it launches into a dialogue about the pool. The beautiful thing is, you don't have to jump into the pool. They added dialogue in case you CHOOSE to jump in! Little touches like this are strewn through out the game.

My only complaint is similar to how I felt about Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. Besides the special puzzles (i.e., match the diagrams/colors), the average puzzles and climbing areas start to get a little repetitive. They are well dispersed throught out combat and cutscenes, but you can really only climb walls and find a well place 400 year old rope so many times before it wears thin. And yes, I'll admit it! I had to call my younger brother, Griffin McElroy of www.Joystiq.com, in from the other room to direct me where to go in a couple parts.

The game has a beautiful way of being right on the edge of frustrating and then you see the ledge you've been looking for. It is challenging with out being defeating. You don't have to be a "hardcore" to beat the game on normal difficulty. My playing time was about 3 days of 4-5 hours. Its one of the few games I've played in a while where the ending really justifies playing the game. Not only that, but the 5 minutes AFTER the final game play is even more amazing. If you have a PS3 I recommend pickin' her up. If you don't, have a little brother who does and play his copy.