Customer Reviews

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Following his score for "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune", composer Greg Edmonson returns to accompany Nathan Drake on his latest adventure, "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves".

With "Drake's Fortune", Edmonson provided a rich score that perfectly matched the lush, colorful jungle environments from the game. While it did have some nice themes, the score mostly felt like background music/underscore, with little identity from track to track. It's incredibly effective within the game, and is enjoyable enough to listen to, but overall, it just lacked a certain something.

However, with "Among Thieves", Edmonson outdid himself. As the locales have changed for the game, as has the sound, though the style is very much the same as the first score, so they fit together well. This time around, Edmonson gives the score a more exotic, Oriental feel, though he never relies on any cliches one might expect of such a score. Also, the "Among Thieves" score offers more in the way of melody, utilizing more of "Nate's Theme" than its predecessor really did. The action cues here are also top-notch, each with their own sound and identity, and aren't quite as interchangeable as the action music from the first game.

And more specifically, the album was arranged well, offering a good balance between more dramatic/emotional/low-key tracks and the action cues. Additionally, the soundtrack album released by Sumthing Else has three new tracks not available on the previously-released digital album.

In the end, "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves" is an exciting and exotic listening experience, a wonderful score composed for an equally wonderful game.

This soundtrack is on par with many great action/adventure film soundtracks. If you love Firefly, Indiana Jones and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. You will love this CD.

I wish Halo Fans knew what there missing.

This is a truly epic soundtrack that perfectly sets the mood for the game.

If you already had the digital version, it probably isn't worth buying another copy for the exclusive tracks (you can download them separately from Sumething Else) anyway. The packaging seems perfunctory and cheap, and there's no detailed cover booklet. The tracks they added are great, although I really wish they'd kept them in the original release. The prior release also means that the new tracks are inserted after the end credits song even on the CD, if you care about that sort of thing.

This is an excellent score to own even if you're just a casual fan of the "Uncharted" series. Nothing in any "Indiana Jones" flick can top this. Listen to this: "Helicopter and Tank"

Pretty much every song from the entire game on this CD. Very atmospheric and epic. Greg Edmondson has really outdone himself on this, as it even tops the Uncharted Drake's Fortune soundtrack. This is as or better than any movie soundtrack I've heard in a long time.

Uncharted 2 is really about as good as a video game soundtrack can get. The sound is pretty similar to what you'd hear in a Indiana Jones movie. Very high production values here that really recall moments from the game while you're listening to it. I do think that this CD is missing a few pieces of music from the game though, but that is usually the case with these video game soundtracks. All in all, this is one of Sumthing Else's best soundtrack releases. Don't hesitate to get - whether you're a fan or not of the game!

**ORIGINAL REVIEW From October 19, 2009:
Greg Edmonson returns to the successful Sony franchise for the PS3. Game scores have become a new breed. Looking back at game music history is fascinating. I can honestly say that today game scores are identical in function to film scores. Michael Giacchino helped blur the lines with his magnificent work on the Medal Of Honor series, but real credit goes to Norihiko Hibino who scored Metal Gear Solid for PS1. That score was the first game score that had to work with characters and cinematic developments or in simpler terms a story with a hero and a goal.

What Greg Edmonson has done here is successfully created a sound for the Uncharted universe. In what can best be described as a modern take on classic adventure scores this score is massive in scope and scale. Percussion, strings and brass work in grandiose arrangements to transport you to the story's exotic locales all the while keeping tension and excitement at a maximum.

I definitely think that this score is a huge improvement over what he did for the first game. He does use many variations of Nate's Theme throughout the game. Instead of blatantly placing it in the score like say the James Bond theme he will instead weave it into the arrangements to avoid it being "cheesy" or just over the top. New this time around is the use of vocals. At first you'll get airy female vocals, which is perfect for the exotic and mysterious aspect of the story. Later as you plunge deeper into darker territory he'll bring in the droning throat singing male vocals, which is a perfect accent since the game deals with Shambhala and throat singing is a custom of the Inuit people in that part of the world.

All in all Greg Edmonson has found his shining achievement. I never got into his music because looking at the nature of his filmography it ranges from shows like Firefly and King Of The Hill to some obscure films. Uncharted 2 is an amazing musical accomplishment and stands with Harry Gregson-Williams' work for the Metal Gear Solid franchise and Michael Giacchino's work as some of the best game scores of all time. It works as background score for the gameplay and seamlessly transitions between cutscenes and gameplay to mesh the two in a way where you feel the entire game is one huge cutscene and your experiencing it front and center. This album is a digital download only just like the first score. So check for it on iTunes.

-----------
Sumthing Else has given us a physical CD release of Uncharted 2, which was previously only available as a digital download only. Just like with the Infamous CD release we get 3 new tracks that were previously unavailable. "The Heist" is by far my favorite of the 3 new tracks because it's really reminiscent of the first Uncharted score. So, definitely ditch the digital and go for the CD.