User:Spongefrog/Sandbox 2

Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective, with the player in control of Nathan Drake. Similar to its predecessor, the game combines platforming and third-person shooter elements into its gameplay. Platforming allows Drake to jump across gaps; climb various objects, such as tree branches, street signs and rock faces; swing from ropes; shimmy along ledges and wall-faces, which may collapse shortly after contact; and perform several other techniques to get between points.

During combat, the player can choose between using either melee combat or firearms to attack enemies. Drake can be equipped with up to two firearms&mdash;one single-handed and one two-handed&mdash;and a limited supply of grenades. Drake can pick up new weapons, automatically replacing the existing weapon he was using, and additional ammunition from defeated enemies. The player can direct Drake to take cover behind corners or low walls using either aimed or blind-fire to kill his enemies. The player can also have Drake fire while moving or climbing. Using melee attacks on an enemy will initiate a succession of hits on the target, though this may be interrupted by an enemy grapple.

If Drake is undetected by his enemies, the player can attempt to use stealth to take them out, such as by sneaking up behind them to knock them out with one hit, or by pulling an unsuspecting foe over a ledge from which Drake is hanging. Killing enemies in this way prevents the arrival of reinforcements. Some areas of the game require the player to solve puzzles with the use of Drake's journal, which provides clues towards the puzzles' solutions. When enabled, a hint system provides gameplay clues, such as the direction of the next objective.

The player is accompanied in most levels by other characters, such as Elena, Chloe or Sully. These characters are controlled by artificial intelligence, and provide cover-fire for Drake, though take no damage themselves.

Throughout the game are special treasures that may be hidden, or in difficult-to-reach places that the player can collect. These treasures glimmer momentarily to aid detection. Collecting these treasures, along with accomplishing certain feats within the game such as achieving a certain number of kills with a weapon, is tracked by the awarding of medals. These medals give the player in-game money to use to unlock extra content, including concept art, production movies, and gameplay cheats. The statistics tracked for a large portion of the in-game medals are also used to award trophies.

Reception
Uncharted 2 received universal critical acclaim. The first publication to review Uncharted 2 was the French edition of PSM3. In their review, they called the game "Long, visually stunning, deep and explosive, Uncharted 2 combines all the qualities you can find in a videogame, and more! A new milestone has been reached in the videogame history." The magazine awarded the game its first ever, 21/20. PlayStation: The Official Magazine awarded the game a perfect score. In their review, they stated, "Forget Game of The Year. This is one of the greatest games of all time!". The UK edition of the magazine also gave the game a perfect score, and was later awarded "Game of the Year 2009" by the magazine.

Several mainstream press reviews praised the game for its cinematic quality. Hiawatha Bray, of The Boston Globe, said ...no video game has ever done a better job of capturing the style and rhythm of the movies. The action sequences in Uncharted 2 look as if they were shot by a team of cinematographers, then edited into a coherent and thrilling narrative. The game’s storyline is trite, but a first-rate cast of voice-over actors carry it off with flair. The Los Angeles Times review said the game would "fit better on a big screen in some multiplex" and that "Uncharted 2 is ridiculously immersive, so much so that you forget you are controlling the actions of treasure hunter Nathan Drake...everything is done right." In a review for The New York Times, Seth Schiesel described it as "perhaps the best-looking game on any system, and no game yet has provided a more genuinely cinematic entertainment experience", though later added "it could use some more variation in its play systems; and its finicky controls can frustrate at times."

The game has a GameRankings score of 96.22% and a GameStats score of 9.6/10. The game also received a Metacritic score of 96 out of 100, making it the most critically acclaimed game of 2009. IGN gave the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising its "stunning visuals", and calling the multiplayer mode "one of the best multiplayer experiences that you'll find in any game around ... it almost feels like Naughty Dog has given us an extra game for free."

Nevertheless, the game was criticised for some negative issues, such as lapses in the control system. The New York Times noted that "...its finicky controls can frustrate at times." Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer found, "There are also a few occasions where the platforming lets you down ... despite the feeling you were jumping in the right direction." IGN described certain repetitive gunfight sequences as "aggravating" and complained about the "very linear" climbing sections.

The game placed 19th in Dengeki online's reader poll of the best games of 2009, making it the only western game in the list.

Sales
NPD Group's sales data shows that Uncharted 2 was the top-selling game in the United States for October 2009, at about 537,000 units sold. While Media Create's sales data has Uncharted 2 selling 47,000 units for its first day in Japan. Phil Rosenberg of SCE says the game has crossed the one million sold mark on November 12, 2009. According to gaming analyst Jesse Divnich, Uncharted 2 is the third first-party title on the PlayStation 3 to sell over 1 million units in North America. As of February 2010, the game has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide, becoming the fastest selling first-party title on any PlayStation platform.

Awards
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At Sony's E3 media briefing, an Uncharted 2 gameplay demo was shown early in the conference. Critics were very impressed with the demo, which led many to believe Uncharted 2 to be a strong competitor for "Game of the Year" with Uncharted 2 winning the most E3 awards of any game. After the game's release, it went on to win numerous awards, including a record eight award nominations in the Spike Video Game Awards and was voted for by fans for three wins, including Game of the Year. IGN, among numerous other video gaming websites and publications, awarded Uncharted 2 their overall game of the year award. The game also won 10 AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards including one for Overall Game of the Year. Uncharted 2 has won over 100 Game of the Year awards from various media outlets, more than any other game released in 2009.