Uncharted 2 is a fantastic sequel with a fantastic cast of characters.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has very smooth transitions between gameplay and cutscenes. In fact the only sign of a loading screen you'll see is when you die, and it's only about 2 seconds long. In fact the only clue that you'll finished a section will be when a brief note on the screen introduces a new chapter, making the game unbelievably smooth.
The game starts off right at it's climax: Drake is hanging from a train hanging off the side of a mountain. This is one of the many moments where you will see Drake's agility and climbing skills in action, and it's moments like these where you'll remember how fun platforming can be. Often the camera will move to the front of Drake, and this is pretty much telling you: "Time to run." And you'll find yourself running from many different things; helicopters, tanks, aggressive truck drivers, pretty much everything you'd expect in such an action-orientated game. And speaking of action, did I mention the gunfights? Because thats what 70% of the game is.
The gunfights are a lot less predictable than they were in the first game, so you could expect them to occur just about anywhere. Drake can carry two weapons: a big gun and a small gun, and it can be very stressful when you're low on ammo and a shotgun-wielding tough guy is stalking you, especially since the enemies can take quite a few bullets before dying. There is also a cover system; this works quite well, with the occasional hiding behind the wrong rock or piece of junk, but for the most part, Drake is good at avoiding fire. And he is not afraid to use his hands; the hand-to-hand combat is an absolute thrill to watch. He'll kick, punch, push, snap necks, everything he does is so well animated that it looks as though it's been planned out. There is also a little bit of stealth sequences to be done, and although these are a great change of pace they are a bit simple, it seems a little strange how the guards look like they're waiting to be taken out.
One of the greatest improvements from it's predecessor is the grenade throwing. Yes, thats right, grenade throwing. It probably sounds a bit dumb, but the way grenades are thrown in Uncharted 2 is vastly superior to that of the first game. In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, grenade were thrown buy using the sixaxis motion sensors, and Drake became very exposed by doing so. Now, they can be thrown in an arc by holding L2. Unfortunately this means that they can't be thrown hundreds of metres like they could before, but it makes the player more willing to chuck them. Speaking of grenades, the enemies love to spam them at you and it is wonderful listening to how Nate stresses about them when they are close by. Fortunately, Enemies actually make an effort to move away from grenades if one lands near them this time.
Like it's predecessor, there are vehicle sections. They are not quite as common as they used to be, but they are a lot more fun. Who wants and entire two chapters dedicated to a level on a moving train? Naughty Dog did, and this turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of the game. You'd think it would be extremely linear because there is only one direction to move, but it was so well designed that you forget you were playing a game.
On the odd occasion, you'll find yourself solving puzzles. I'll admit that these are the less interesting parts of the game. They aren't bad or anything, but they are a bit too easy because Drake has the answer in his dairy, making it more painful than mind-bending. There is also the odd issue with the camera deciding to go nuts, but that is relatively rare, and after finishing the game three times, it only happened once or twice.
There are 101 treasures to collect, but once you've gotten those there is not a whole lot left to do in single player unless you want to go back and finish the game on Crushing difficultly. It's not as hard as it was in the first game, but will provide a good challenge.
To sum it all up, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a must-play game, and it is something that will make people proud to own a PlayStation 3. They great story, polished gameplay, and fantastic gameplay make it a brilliant PS3 title. I could go on about the multiplayer, but this is the type of game you buy for the singleplayer.
Pros:
-Drake is once again an amusing protagonist
-Incredibly smooth and responsive shooting mechanics
-Beautiful graphics
-Storytelling and dialogue puts most other games to shame
-Memorable scripted moments
Cons:
-Final Boss is crap
-Some enemies still take too much to bring down