Two huge aspects of what I find compelling in games are the concepts of immersion and agency. For those of you who haven’t really thought about it too much, I’ll give a quick overview of them both. There are by and large three types of immersion: tactical, narrative, and strategic. Tactical immersion is generally known from FPS’s or action games, when you say you’re “in the zone”. Meaning, you’re connected to the controls and the happenings in the game world enough to rapidly express yourself and achieve the things you want, usually surprising yourself. Narrative immersion is the kind we generally associate with films & books. It’s that sense of being wrapped up in the story and you identify with the characters in some way. Strategic immersion is a bit slower, where longer term goals are played out and you find yourself ultimately trying to find the best way to solve a problem. Finally, agency is a slightly more vague reaction in a game, at base level it’s the feeling you get when you feel like you yourself are IN the game. For instance, for much of Halo, you ARE master chief, and you are experiencing agency.

Sorry for that setup, but believe me, when talking as deeply as I’m about to in regards to Uncharted 2, I want you to understand where I’m coming from. All academics aside, Uncharted 2 is one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever enjoyed. It has a level of finish and polish that puts most other games to shame, characters that you swear are real people, and some of the most tense action sequences I’ve ever had while holding a controller. Now let’s break it down.

The Uncharted franchise is basically a take on the high action adventure movie. Think Indiana Jones or any other huge world-traveling summer blockbuster. It features your reluctant slightly womanizing anti-hero, some not-so-distressed damsels, a huge “save the world” story line, and plenty of historical references to keep it feeling vaguely plausible. Uncharted 2 takes almost twice as long to complete as the first one, so you’re going to need quite a few bags of popcorn, that is, if you can put the controller down for a minute.

The gameplay in Uncharted 2 is an evolution of the original. It involves climbing, jumping, large scale room-based puzzle solving, and a much improved shooting engine. The only place I ever hit a single snag that made me pop out of tactical immersion, was when I was in some close quarters with lots of enemies, and the chaos just got the better of me. But that was easily overlooked (or avoided).

The graphics use plenty of classic cinematography tricks to really drive home the filmic qualities of the game. Additionally, Uncharted 2 never drops out of engine, so story, dialog, exploring, and combat are all seamlessly done, and to a level of polish that never reminds you that you’re in a game. The strategic immersion is quite thick. The end result is not like a playable movie, nor is it like a well produced game, but rather something a bit bigger than the sum of its parts.

Uncharted 2 captures a very special feeling that normally only film can provide. It’s that feeling of a very close call, where the hero is hanging from an edge, and they JUST make it. You find yourself clinching or holding your breath for a second completely not of your own will. That heightened rush of adrenaline is perfectly captured here time & time again, only in this case, you are in control when the hero makes it, and when he doesn’t.

As I mentioned above, all three types of immersion are laid on thick here. Much of that is due to the lack of interruptions, impeccable voice acting, and some immaculate pacing by the designers. Action sequences last usually just long enough that you never get annoyed or fatigued, and you are rewarded with some nice banter, more story, or a sprawling puzzle to scratch a different part of your brain with. The game has that much sought after property of never being able to put it down, because each segment flows so well into the next.

Another thing I was quite pleased with is the casting of strong female characters. Although clearly involved romantically with the main character, they are not just pretty faces (or asses) there to amuse. Chloe and Elana are both fully developed and deep characters with their own specific complexities. Uncharted 2 also flirts with nonlinear storytelling, and plays it off to a hint of Tarantino-flashbackery that is refreshing in this medium. Lastly, I feel Uncharted 2 perfectly develops the action hero character. Nathan Drake is an awesomely realistic action hero, and paired with Nolan North’s awesome vocal talent, one I could easily enjoy for hours on end. It makes me quite excited for the next chapter.

Now, that being said, upon completion I found myself contemplating how high all my senses of immersion were, while at the same time, how LOW my sense of agency was. This is very interesting to me, as usually I find the two are paired and difficult to untangle. In this case I was completely in the zone in the shooting, loved the characters and story, and was very strategically vested BUT when Nathan fell and died, it was just that Nathan falling and dying. Not me. Not for lack of me being expressive with his movements, but I had the distinct sense of having full control over the character, but because of how strongly developed the character was, I never WAS him. This was a hugely rewarding experience for me, and one that made me think much more closely as to exactly how formulaic so many games have been in regards to the silent faceless protagonist that we’re expected to assume the role of. Uncharted 2 nails all the highest senses of immersion for me, while maintaining very low personal agency.

Come to think of it, I’m not sure I recall enjoying a game so much where I didn’t feel like I was the main character, and that’s hugely impressive, on multiple fronts. Naughty Dog have raised the bar to a serious new height. Congrats to all involved, which was about 2 million if the credits were to be believed.

One Liner: Easily a top contender for game of the year, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the best action movie you ever controlled.

Final Grade: A+

Updated! I’m toying with the idea of turning some of these more academic posts into presentations. Here’s the first attempt:

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