A phenomenal game worthy of being named one of the absolute best games out there.
The story starts in media res as Nathan Drake is sitting in a broken train on the side of a snowy mountainside, bleeding heavily and struggling to move. This is a big turn from the seemingly invincible Drake we saw in his previous outing, showing that he's a little more vulnerable than he lets on. This characterization is one of many moments where we discover the more human side of Nathan Drake, along with the rest of the cast.
As he escapes the train, we get flashbacks of the events that led up to this shocking intro. Drake had set out on a job with former associates Harry Flynn and Chloe Frazer, the latter of which was one of his love interests in the past. The job is to steal an ancient Mongolian treasure from a Turkish museum that once belonged to Marco Polo. He succeeds in finding the treasure, but is then betrayed by Flynn. You later find out that the person funding the heist was a war criminal named Zoran Lazarevic, who seeks to find the fabled city of Shambala, or Shangri La as it's more commonly called. Drake must stop Lazarevic from finding the lost city with the help of his mentor Victor Sullivan, his former partner in crime Elena Fischer, and also brings along Chloe Frazer, who's only interest is looking out for number one, or so it seems.
The characters, both good and villainous, are characterized rather well. Drake, voiced by industry veteran Nolan North once again, displays even more uncertainty about the task laid out before him. He figures out that more is at stake than just a simple cash-in, and is therefore more determined to bring down the ruthless Lazarevic. Elena and Chloe are also fleshed out well, as their interactions with one another shows their strained relationship dynamic with the charismatic treasure hunter. Victor Sullivan is also along for the ride, but is just as hesitant as Drake when it comes to moments that defy all logic and common sense. The characters feel more realistic due to this, along with the same clever, witty writing and fluid facial and body animations that were seen in the previous installment.
The cinematic quality seen in the previous game has been improved upon tenfold in Uncharted 2. There are still action set pieces to be played through, but their intensity has made a dramatic increase. You'll climb through a collapsing hotel as you battle helicopters, escape from hostile enemies on a moving train, and even battle your way through the streets of a war-torn Tibet. Each moment gets your heart pounding and tests your reflexes like never before.
The detail of the graphics has also seen improvements. The environments are now more varied and realistic, as Drake and his friends travel through the jungles of Borneo, the war-ruined city of Nepal, and the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. The same great water physics make their return, along with the addition of some of the best snow physics ever put into a video game. With very few signs of texture pop-in and absolutely no screen-tearing or framerate drops, you can take the time to appreciate even the minute details they put into each level with care.
The gunfights in the game are still intense, though not at the frustrating levels seen in the first game. You still use the same cover and fire mechanic to take down your foes. But whereas the enemies in the first game took annoying amounts of bullets to take down, in here they sought to increase their intelligence instead. Enemies shoot at you the minute they see your head, they actively seek you out while you're in cover, and use grenades as much as possible. The difference is that they're not as difficult to take down, even on higher difficulties, requiring actual skill for these sequences rather than simple endurance as seen in most other shooters.
The music and sound are some of the best in any game. The score gets you excited every time for whatever's going to happen next and even fills in the emotional side of things. The sound, from guns firing, explosions, and even simple footsteps are handled excellently. Nothing sounds out of place, which is impressive considering how much can happen at once within the story.
As impressive as the single player campaign is, the development team felt that this was not enough, and added a multiplayer mode. While I had my doubts as to whether or not this would work, I was thoroughly surprised by it. There are your standard multiplayer match modes, like deathmatch, capture the flag, and elimination, which all use the basic cover and shoot mechanics as in the single player mode. You earn points in the form of cash, which you can use to unlock new weapons, characters, and fighting bonuses similar to the Call of Duty killstreak system. The true shining moment of the multiplayer, however, is in its co-op mode, where you and up to three friends can take on wave after wave of enemies in order to with more points and seeing how long you can survive. Each firefight is just as intense as in the story, only it varies depending on how many players are in a single match.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an epic video game unlike any other. Building upon the formula of the first game in many ways, the game instantly becomes something much better. A lengthier story with better characters, incredible visuals, solid and intense cinematic moments and gameplay, and a terrific multiplayer all make this game something remarkable and captivating. The intensity of the firefights can become frustrating, especially in later chapters, but the overall package is simply stunning. I urge you to pick it up if you have a PS3. It'll become an instant classic; I guarantee it.