Uncharted 2: Useless Helicopter Overload

Somehow you feel that they are going to be a bother even before the moment you actually see them. For a villain with a military background who dresses his stooges in grey and black uniforms attack helicopters are the ultimate weapon, a way to project power and probably compensate for the many ways in which his plans ultimately fail.

So, when the first helicopter begins flying around and shooting at about the quarter mark of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, surprise was not the main thing in my mind. I was prepared for frustration.

Naughty Dog has really crafted a nice adventure in the Uncharted sequel. But the scene where you take out the first helo by using Hammer grenade launchers scattered around the rooftops of the mountainous town feels gratuitous.

The weapons are obviously there because you need them to take out the threat and there's no clear sense of urgency. The player knows they will have enough ammunition and you really only need to get into cover, pop up, shoot a grenade, get back into cover. Rinse and repeat until the chopper is down.

The second encounter is even more annoying because it makes no sense. You are on a train with the main bad guy and, out of the blue, a helicopter begins to shoot at you even though it is clearly also destroying the train. Even more frustrating is that the only way to destroy it is to actually run away from it until you get to the conveniently placed anti-air vehicle, which was also transported on the train.

Sure, it makes for a nice action sequence, with the player doing their best to shoot down the air unit as it tries to launch the rockets that can take out your anti-air vehicle mounted on a train, but it makes no sense when it comes to the semi-realism of the experience of Uncharted 2.

I'm certain I will encounter more helicopters until the end of the game and that conveniently placed RPG or anti air weapons will be close by to allow me to shoot it down. Which is a sign of the unfortunate helicopter overload that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves suffers from.