Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

The first Uncharted was a bit of a watershed game for me. It’s cinematic presentation and astronomical production values heralded a new era and it felt like the next generation of gaming had arrived. That said, for all the lush graphics and “performance captured” cut-scenes it wasn’t without its flaws – mainly repetition and a disjointed combination of gameplay elements.

The sequel has certainly upped the ante. The graphics are preposterously good – slick animation, gorgeous lighting effects and jaw dropping vistas that seem to go on for as far as the eyes can see. The cut scenes are brimming with character and really help drive the sprawling narrative without interrupting the action too much.

The juxtaposition of gunplay, platforming and, the newly introduced, stealth elements has been crafted to achieve a healthy balance with only the odd puzzle-based scene going against the flow. The stealth-based gameplay has been introduced in as an optional approach and can be seen as more of a “how far can you go before you’re spotted” challenge with only the introduction chapter requiring you “ace” it.











However, despite the new variety of approaches to certain situations this is still a very linear experience. A few of the larger scale gunfights allow you some room to manoeuvre but that is about as far as it goes.

That’s not to say your blinkered ride through the several gorgeous environments isn’t an absolutely bar-storming one! The set-pieces are among the best the genre has to offer, from infiltrating enemy camps to the highlight of the game that sees you clamber and fight your way along a moving train chock-full of terrorists, they are all executed with aplomb.

The only problem is that Naughty Dog seem to have put all the most inventive and memorable scenes throughout the first 75% of the game with the last quarter mainly consisting of long shootouts against copious numbers of enemies. These scenes can become a bit of a trudge and certainly get repetitive as having just slugged your way though a small army of heavily-armoured foes you turn the corner only to find another entrenched force of balaclava-wearing goons! Still, the gunplay is very solid and holds up regardless of scale or situation.

Probably the biggest addition to the Uncharted franchise is that of multiplayer and certainly with the robust fire-fight mechanics of the single player its set on firm foundations. The maps are suitably small (as they are limited to ten players) but the multi-storied layouts coupled with the characters’ climbing abilities certainly brings something different to the experience. Co-op mode sees a team of players conduct one of several linear missions which is maxed out with bad-guys. This can be very intense but rarely does it require any kind of teamwork bar reviving your partner(s).

The slightly underwhelming multiplayer and the less than stellar ending to the single player game don’t take away from what is surely a must-have title for anyone who’s fond of the odd ripping yarn perforated with as many fireworks as the current gen consoles can throw at you.

Movie Round up

Let the Right One In (2008 /Sweden)

It’s rare a film captures the imagination and lives in the memory but this haunting and moving horror does just that and with aplomb. Such a well crafted piece, from the deft camerawork to the performances from the two young leads. A subtle and poignant masterpiece and easily my film of the year so far.

Snakes on a Plane (2006 / USA)

A one joke romp that is quite amusing at times (the perverse snake attacks are a blast) but once it gets into disaster movie territory its all downhill - a very steep hill that ends at the bottom of the barrel.

Valkyrie (2008 / USA)

Spins a good yarn (shame we already know the ending though!) but skips along far too lightly considering the subject matter seemingly more intent on keeping up the pace than focussing on some scenes that should have reeked with tension. An opportunity lost maybe but not a total disappointment.

X-Men 2 (2003 / USA)

A welcome break from the Superheroes Vs Supervillians formula with a clever(ish) plot that’s more successful than the well intended third film. Easily the best of the three X-Men and up there with the Spiderman movies on the superhero pantheon.

More Movies!

Crank 2: High Voltage (2009 / USA)

An even more inane film than its hi-octane predecessor with a similar mix of preposterous macho nonsense and dry humour. It’s all good fun though even if it does push the viewers’ tolerance on a few occasions.

Angels and Demons (2009 / USA)

An easy on the eye thriller with a good pace but a lack of believable characters. Enjoyable enough romp though.

Stranger than Fiction (2006 / USA)

Offbeat comedy that has its moments of bittersweet romance and surreal humour as well as some more interesting existential dilemmas. A relaxingly light watch despite the subject matter.

The Island (2005 / USA)

Overly long sci-fi conspiracy-thriller that never makes full use of some of its better ideas. Full of generic action scenes and uninspired dialogue - Logan’s Run it is not.

Hellraiser (1987 / UK)

Dark and sinister horror with an intriguing plot, utterly disturbing imagery and amazing special effects. Slightly dubious ending but an absolute classic none the less.

Resident Evil 5 – PS3

Building upon such a genre-defining game as Resident Evil 4 was never going to be easy. It broke the mould in terms of third-person action games and veered the ailing survival horror franchise into new territory to the acclaim of both critics and fans. What could be added to this successful formula that wouldn’t pollute it? Co-operative play and a radically different setting says Capcom!

If the shooting mechanics of RE4 took franchise fans by surprise the partner dynamic is set to do the same. Not being alone in a survival horror is strange at first – not having to constantly check behind you and the regular conversations to break the silence feel odd to begin with. Partners and squadmates are usually an irritating burden when they try to join in on the action but Sheva, for the most part, does a fairly stand-up job of thinning out the zombie hordes. The AI is particularly robust and will even collect goodies and supply you with ammo when needed!


The sections designed specifically for teamwork (usually meaning splitting you up) aren’t exactly groundbreaking with only a couple of decent “cover me” moments and the rest just plain old lever pulling. The system comes into its own, however, when playing with a human partner (although preferably not in the eye-straining split-screen mode) as you can really improvise your own rules of engagement and tactically work yr way through the masses.

Having a partner bends the difficulty curve quite a bit too. I found with an AI partner the game seemed a tad easy to begin with as trusty old Sheva does quite a bit of the work for you if you let her but conversely she becomes less useful as the game gets harder. With a human by your side its obviously going to be an easier task with Normal mode being a breeze in 2-player.

Difficulty in general is quite lenient with little need to be resourceful with your ammo or health supplies even on Veteran. The ability of your partner to give you an instant health top-up (regardless of supplies) in your “hour of need” only exacerbates this leniency.

The other major change, the change of location to rural Africa, is also largely a success. The initial shanty town locale with its sun-soaked dirt paths and contrastingly dark and grimy alleys is a graphical tour de force and equal to anything on the PS3. The unnerving feeling of being an unwanted outsider is also played upon to great success in these early levels and adds immeasurably to the tension. The developers do their best to vary things with swamps, caves, industrial sections etc. and to their credit it certainly breaks things up.


But, and this is a big but, its not as spine-tinglingly chilling as a haunted mansion, a dilapidated city or an ancient castle as seen in previous games. It does try to echo some of the franchise’s classic imagery with the likes of abandoned laboratories but they only serve as a reminder of previous successes. I suppose there are only so many times you can re-visit such themes before they become tired and Capcom can only be praised for trying something different and maybe we should be careful what we wish for (I’ve no doubt that Capcom will have us revisit the Arklay Mansion or RPD Headquarters one day!)

Gameplay-wise very little has changed from the predecessor – crowd control, a few simple puzzles and some gigantic boss fights. The latter being slightly disappointing with some very samey bosses and reliance on using prescribed super-weapons. A minor departure in general gun-play is seen towards the end of the game with the use of cover becoming more prevalent and a more “military shooter” feel to proceedings as you regularly come up against AK-47 and RPG toting zombies. This is handled well though and feels as solid as the rest. The less said about the on-rails shooting level the better!

Overall this is an excellent shooter with a reasonably long campaign and plenty of replay value (an extended Mercenaries mode returns, as well as the usual plethora of hidden stuff). The co-operative play is a great feature and with upgradeable weapons its always asking to be played again on a higher difficulty setting. It mightn’t tick all the boxes as far as survival horror is concerned but there’s enough of the classic Resident Evil themes of evil corporations and maniacal enemies, silly plot twists (with some nice surprises and tie-ups of old stories) and the essential cheesy dialogue to keep fans happy.

Movie Round Up

The Wrestler (2008 / USA)

Bleak and despairing drama with some of the most miserable backdrops in any film. The outstanding performances from the two leads make what otherwise may have become a sentimental slush-fest into some truly believable scenes. Worthy of its many plaudits.

Severance (2006 / UK)

Disastrous comic horror with utterly feeble jokes and no sense of originality. There are some slightly redeeming “anti-cliché” scenes towards the end but if you make it that far is another matter.

Cronos (1993 / Mexico)

Unconventional horror with strong characters and that dreamlike atmosphere Del Toro is so good at. The revelations are fairly predictable but the sound delivery and the quirky charm of it all makes for a little gem of a movie.

Bride of Re-Animator (1991 / USA)

Almost on a par with the original in terms of gore and humour. An even more tongue-in-cheek affair with some surprisingly good effects.

Movie Round Up

The Unborn (2009/USA)

Below average supernatural horror. Maintains a decent sense of momentum but rethreads too much old ground and rarely provides a much needed fright.

Spiderman 2 (2004/USA)

A well measured and expertly crafted superhero romp. The love story can get a bit twee and it’s fairly slow paced but it has bags of character and delivers the action at the right times. It mightn’t be as spectacular as some of its genre contemporaries but it has what most of them don’t - a coherent plot! A worthy sequel to the genre defining original.

Spiderman 3 (2007/USA)

A faster, more action-packed film than #2. Like the predecessors it develops the existing characters well and introduces some interesting new ones. There are a couple of disappointing sub-plots that let the film down somewhat but it re-dresses the balance with a grand-slam finale.

Black Book (2006/Nederlands)

A thrilling WWII drama/adventure that is refreshingly different despite covering a lot of well-explored territory. The plot has a great balance of pace mixing suspense and action with twists and turns aplenty. The fantastic performance of Carice van Houten in the lead role only added to what is a thoroughly enjoyable film.

The Interpreter (2005/USA)

Below-par political thriller that takes an age to get into gear and when it does it only delivers one truly suspenseful scene and a laughable conclusion. The attempt to contrive a chemistry between Penn and Kidman was cringeworthy.

When a Stranger Calls (2006/USA)

Terrible horror/thriller that is stupendously sluggish and can’t even get it’s clichés right!

Movie Round Up

W (2008/USA)

The glossing over of historical facts aside this is a deplorably shallow film with irritatingly hollow caricatures and scenes played for cheap laughs or even cheaper sentiment. Gratingly dull and rarely venturing beyond the press-release viewpoint, this is just awful.

100 Feet (2008/USA)

Average haunted house affair that despite it’s reasonable premise and a couple of nervy scenes never really cuts it. The special effects are of note though, especially those of the apparition.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008/USA)

This sci-fi remake is ill-deserving of its universal criticism. The plot progresses at a good pace and the acting is good on the whole (Reeves is born to play the slow-speaking, blank expression-wearing alien!). It lacks a certain creative touch to bring it beyond the average though.

Re-animator (1985/USA)

Classic madcap horror that’s as gorey as it is silly. The HP Lovecraft story, on which it is based, adds a certain solidity to the plot and characters. Added to this some surprisingly good special effects it makes for an unmissible cheese-fest.

Adrift (2006/USA)

Dull thriller with little imagination and even worse characters. A frustratingly stupid film that really sinks (excuse the pun) in the middle and never recovers.

Movie Round Up

My Little Eye (UK/USA 2002)

The reality TV scenario provides a great backdrop for skilfully crafted tension percolated with some great jumps and surprises. The audience is kept guessing right up to the twists in the finale in what is a superior horror.







Sex Drive (USA/2008)

Above average teen comedy whose characters help redress the balance of the generic plot. The obnoxious older-brother steels the show but is unfortunately not featured a lot. The comedy element begins to run out of steam towards the end, when the inevitable romance takes over, but its amusing whilst it lasts.






Dead or Alive (Japan/2000)

Wacky characters and an even stranger sense of humour are what you expect from Takashi Miike, and this Yakuza tale is no different. After an incomprehensible opening, the plot takes a while to come together but what it lacks in pace it makes up for with atmosphere.








Suspiria (Italy/1977)

All the effort in this dull horror appears to have gone on set design and mood lighting. The best moments are saved for the final 20mins or so but the viewer will be quite weary of the pathetic attempts to create suspense they’ve had to endure for the previous hour or so.







The International (USA/Germany /2009)

This pseudo-intelligent thriller disappoints on all fronts. It drags the audience by the nose through an irksome plot at an unbearably pedestrian pace. It is riddled with pointless and ill-conceived scenes that can’t cover the cracks of this clueless mish-mash of a film.





The Ruins (USA /2008)

A grizzly horror with some great gorey moments and a couple of well thought-out scenes. A good pace coupled with the lingering tension makes for a movie that will appease horror fans.

Movie Reviews

Slumber Party Massacre 2 (USA/1987)

Disastrous mish-mash of a music video and teen slasher. Having an extra from Grease as the killer is bad enough but when the 50’s rock n’roll pastiche kicks in before each slaying it becomes unbearable. Awful (and not in a good way!)

Death Race (USA/2008)

90% of this film consists of cars with guns, shooting each other and crashing. It manages to get away with it, although the action scenes are a bit of a mixed bag, as it’s just so unashamedly convoluted and silly. More could’ve been made of the media aspect of the reality tv show but I don’t think this was a project which was open to such things as satire and wit.

Taken (France/USA 2008)

Standard thriller that “does exactly what it says on the tin”. Not too many surprises in what is a solid movie (even if it does stretch your suspension of disbelief at times) with some good camerawork – particularly in the fight scenes.

Choke (USA/2008)

Laid back comedy-drama that casts a psychological insight into the life of the morally bankrupt protagonist. Some fine performances from the supporting cast (as equally disturbed individuals) adds much needed gravity to the fantastical plot. Thoroughly enjoyable.

They Live (USA/1988)

Satirical sci-fi that has a strong anti-consumerism message. The subliminal-message visuals, the impoverished 80’s setting and the doses of black comedy all aid the satire in what is a very entertaining film.