THE GAME GUY
Get your game face on with these tips for Uncharted 2
October 17, 2009
Marc Saltzman
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
For a bit of help adventuring through Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, The Game Guy tapped Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, co-lead game designer on the game, to share a half-dozen tips:
1. Use stealth. Remember that this time around you don't have to go in guns blazing (although, it's still an option for you diehards out there). Take your time, assess the situation, and watch for enemies that patrol next to your position. When other soldiers have their backs to you, perform one of fortune hunter Nathan Drake's many stealth kills. Some enemies will even drop special weapons when killed stealthily.
2. Blind-fire! When surrounded and enemies are getting too close to your cover, take advantage of blind-fire. Even though you'll waste more bullets (the spread of the bullets increases when blind-firing), Drake will remain behind cover, which is often the difference between life and death. And don't forget, you can blind-fire your grenades as well by tapping L2.
3. Grenade toss. Speaking of grenades, besides blind-firing, there are two other methods for throwing grenades. By holding down L2, Drake prepares for a grenade throw and displays an arc of the trajectory of the grenade. This mode is super useful when you want to toss the grenade over something – such as an enemy's cover. Once aimed, simply release L2 to toss the grenade. You can also throw a grenade by aiming your gun with L1 and then tapping L2. Drake throws the grenade baseball-style toward whatever is in your crosshairs. This is a very precise, quick throw that keeps your gun out.
4. Tanks for the memories. Besides just shooting propane tanks, Drake can carry those bad boys around and throw them at groups of enemies. A quick tap of R1 after a propane tank is thrown will auto-target the tank and shoot it in mid-air, which is not only useful to take out a group of enemies, but it is also quite stylish. Impress your friends!
5. Born to be bad. Learn to recognize the varied classes of enemies; each one requires a unique strategy to eliminate. Keep the Shotgun Armour Soldiers at bay. They're not only dangerous – the shotgun does massive damage up close – but the thick armour they wear means it can take a lot of bullets to kill them. Shoot their helmet to knock it off and follow up with a well-placed headshot. If you see a Rocket Launcher Soldier, wait behind cover. Once they waste a shot, quickly stand up and rip into them.
6. Multi-task like mad! Drake can climb on lots of different surfaces and pull his gun out from any state. Use this to flank enemies vertically, hang on high edges and use them as cover and – my favourite – yank enemies off of ledges if they're dumb enough to get too close to you while hanging.
Toronto Star