Go to the first strip Previous Strip   53 of 210   Next StripGo to the most recent strip
Discuss this week's strip here!

Go to the first strip Previous Strip   53 of 210   Next StripGo to the most recent strip
Direct link to this strip

Have you ever wanted to work in video games? Well that's what the guys at GameBizCo Inc. do. Literally.

Join the cast of Another Videogame Webcomic as we peek behind the curtain to see what exactly goes into bringing your favorite video games to the small screen. It may be a job in video games, but it's still a job.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Platform: Playstation 3
Price: $59.99

Anyone remember when video games were video games and movies were movies? Nowadays games are more and more trying to blur the lines between what we play and what we watch with varying degrees of success. Uncharted 2 is, hands down, the closest thing to an interactive cinematic experience you can get without having to step in front of a camera.

Uncharted 2's story feels as if it could be the story in the next Indiana Jones movie. Just replace religious artifacts with artifacts from real world explorers like Marco Polo and replace Nazis with, well, dead Nazis and you've got an approximation of Uncharted 2. But it's not just the plot that makes Nathan Drake feel like a latter day Indiana Jones. Most of the time, the story of a videogame is secondary to the gameplay. But here it feels as if the story was as equally important as the gameplay. The characters of Uncharted 2 are fully fleshed out in both the gameplay and the cutscenes that it's hard not to be vested in them by the time the end credits roll. The game isn't just filled with big flashy action sequences but quieter character moments that take you by surprise and make you feel like the characters have a life of their own.

And Uncharted 2 does a very good job a making the world feel alive. Not just in the characters but the environment that these characters inhabit. The colors of the jungle in Borneo are vibrant, the underground caverns are damp and dark and you can almost feel the wind in your hair as you gingerly navigate the rooftop of a moving train. It's at these points in the game when you're subject to the environment constantly changing around you, like the train, that the world is fully realized... You struggle to stay on the train while taking out enemies or keep hidden behind a wooden fence that's crumbling under constant gunfire. It's an impressive amount of immersion that few games can execute, let alone execute so well.

But the game's world isn't the only thing to get a facelift in this sequel, the gameplay mechanics have been equally refined. The stealth mechanics of the first Uncharted felt tacked on. It was nearly impossible to take out a room of enemies stealthily without being discovered after taking out the first guy. Now, you can sneak around and dispose of a whole room full of enemies with some careful planning like Batman (without swinging from statue to statue, of course... but you can push people off of rooftops). The gunplay is also improved with the addition of exploding propane tanks and the ability to quickly lob a grenade in a firefight. But, while the melee combat is technically deeper, I kind of prefer the simplicity of the original.

Uncharted 2 also boasts a number of both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. Cooperatively, you can complete missions with up to two other players or fight an ever increasing number of enemies while trying to retrieve treasure in Gold Rush mode. Competitively, most of the usual suspects are here, deathmatch, team deathmatch, etc. Both the cooperative and competitive modes capture the feel of the single player campaign but lack the story and the characters that give the single player campaign its depth. And probably my biggest pet peeve about the multiplayer is that you can't just play with who you want to play with... at least not that I've found so far. If your game has one empty slot in it, the game will attempt to fill that slot with a random player.

Seeing how refined the multiplayer modes are and seeing how often Nathan Drake is teamed with another character in the single player, it almost seems to me that Uncharted 2 was supposed to have cooperative gameplay throughout the main story. If that were the case, I understand why it was left out. Because most of the time, the second player would just be the "other guy"... and not necessarily someone you'd want to play. It's choices like these that make Uncharted 2: Among Thieves one of the best single player games out right now.

Rating

I think this is the game for the PS3. If you recently bought a PS3 because of the price drop and are looking for a game to showcase the system this is it. If you've owned a PS3 for a while and are looking for a reason to dust it off, this it is. And if you don't own a PS3, befriend someone who does and play it at his or her house... because it's definitely the kind of game every gamer should experience. I think it's no surprise that this game is totally a "buy".

Recommendations

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - Ok, so a lot of the things that make Uncharted 2 great aren't really in the original game. But that doesn't mean the game isn't worth playing. If you've only played Uncharted 2 and love the characters, you should check out the original for more of Nathan Drake and company.


Player Two

After the resurgence of multiplayer co-op, GameBizCo Inc. hired Player Two to be the Goose to someone else's Maverick. His workload isn't quite as heavy as most of the other people working at GameBizCo Inc. and as a result, he spends a lot of time in the break room or playing computer solitaire.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction

Player One

Player One is top dog at GameBizCo Inc. Nearly every game, from Pong to Mario Bros to Grand Theft Auto, requires Player One's expertise. His cocksure and sometimes inappropriate attitude is an annoyance to his coworkers but seeing as every game needs a first player, they make due.
First Appearance: Bonus Stage! Here comes Player One!

Damsel I. Distress

Whether it be a castle, a dungeon or mystical island, Damsel always needs to be saved... and she hates it. Damsel longs for the day when she's given the role of a strong female lead character who doesn't have huge breasts with hyper accurate physics.
First Appearance: LittleBIGPlanet

Final Boss

Underneath the huge brute that is Final Boss lies a timid creature who wouldn't hurt a fly. He puts on his "angry face" when throwing barrels down ramps or breathing fire but deep down he feels sorry for doing so. He's been known to throw a game or two in the player's favor.
First Appearance: World Record

John Minion

John Minion, or Min for short, is the hardest working employee at GameBizCo Inc. Playing everything from Goombas to no name thugs, Min gets beat up on a daily basis but loves every minute of it. He always wanted to work in the gaming industry and was originally hired as an intern. After years of getting coffee, his big break came when someone called in sick... and the rest is history.
First Appearance: Watchmen: The End is Nigh

Middle Manager

Middle Manager works in the Human Resources department. He runs staff meetings and interviews prospective employees. The other 90% of his time is spent playing Freecell on his computer.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction