ShareThis"Uncharted 2: Among Thieves"
Platform: PlayStation 3
Genre: Action
Publisher: Sony
ESRB Rating: T, for Teen
Grade: 4.5 stars (out of five)
If you missed out on Nathan Drake's first adventure, then please wise up and get ready to grip the controller on "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves," an astonishing game you will want to play for a long time.
Although not groundbreaking, "Thieves" offers several excellent modes of play that improve upon the original, a hit for Sony. This franchise is quickly shaping up to be a re-imagining of the "Tomb Raider"/"Indiana Jones"/"National Treasure" genre of high-quality action blended with puzzle-solving.
"Uncharted 2" plays like an extension of the first game, with you controlling Drake through massive set pieces that will have you scaling ancient ruins one minute and gunning it out with mercenaries the next. The environments have always been like one of the characters of the game. Snowy mountaintops, lush jungle encampments and underground ruins provide plenty of action and thrilling moments. Both the improved weaponry and the improved duck-and-cover aspects lend more realism and tension to the shootouts in the game when wisecracks won't solve your problem. Excellent multiplayer modes (both online and off-) complete "Uncharted 2."
This release represents one of the opening salvos in a heated holiday season of warring must-play games. The bar has been set.
"FIFA Soccer 10"
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, PS2, PSP, DS
Genre: Sports
Publisher: EA Sports
ESRB Rating: E, for Everyone
Grade: 4 stars
After being upstaged by "Pro Evolution Soccer" for several years, it's good to see EA Sports' FIFA franchise finally pushing back and striving to give a more well-rounded effort on the pitch.
As a result, "FIFA Soccer 10" is a much more complete game from start to finish. In fact, in its attempts to cater to everyone and everything, it may have burdened itself with too much content for a gamer to handle. But that may be a great problem to have -- the play has improved because of this attention to detail.
Whether you are in the practice area or in matches, the first and most crucial improvement you notice is how fluidly the players can be handled. "FIFA 09" had eight direction-only movements, which at times made the players look like robots. Now, with full 360-degree movement, players juke and make runs in a more realistic manner. You feel like you're watching a real match play out.
The game's Virtual Pro feature allows you to create a player that can be available in almost every game mode, be it multiplayer, manager or more. Tying in upgrades when using this custom player gives the whole package a stronger sense of depth and unity.
The ability to customize set pieces -- where you can direct up to nine players on corners, free kicks and so forth -- gives you better control over how you attack the opposition. Small changes like this make a huge difference in playing the game and will pay off with franchise fans.
(E-mail Chris Campbell at game_on_games(at)mac.com)
Game On
