Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Watch Out Dr. Jones!

In an economy where video games sales have faltered, it has become even more important that video game consumers get more bang for their buck. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves exclusively for the PlayStation 3, not only has bang, it has explosions, lots of explosions!

I have never played the first installment in the Uncharted franchise, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, but while I was at Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego this summer, I saw the cast of voice actors in the Uncharted 2 panel, and was intrigued by their obvious enthusiasm for the work and the charm of the actors themselves. Fast forward three months, and when the game was released, I decided to give it a try. Let me just say that games like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves are why I bought a PlayStation 3.

The graphics are stunning with lush, rich, environments. The performances from the actors are strong, and real. The writing is smart and engaging, and the gameplay is intuitive, challenging, and rewarding, anchored by a compelling story.

The visual aspect of Uncharted 2 was so breathtaking, there were times during the progression of the game, that my mouth actually fell open. Having been recently disappointed by Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, this was very refreshing. As I watched the story unfold, the characters transcended Naughty Dog's spectacular game engine, and became as substantial as real flesh and blood people. Even someone who has never played the first Uncharted, can easily immerse themselves in this world, as the extremely talented voice actors and superb story development, quickly help the player understand what Uncharted is about. With sharp humor, witty bantering and real emotion, the heroes, villains and even temporary sidekicks, surpass and upstage recent explorer-action movies like Tomb Raider, National Treasure 2 and, yes I'm going to say it: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It was startlingly disconcerting to realize I'd rather watch Uncharted's reluctant hero, Nathan Drake, fight, think, and talk his way through 26 chapters of gameplay, than to be subjected to seeing Indiana Jones become the victim of another really bad movie. Movie-makers should study Uncharted and take notes.

While playing Uncharted 2, I found myself reacting vocally to the story, echoing Drake's exclamations as buildings crumbled around me and explosions rocked the landscape. I yelled in frustration as I died dozens of times, in sometimes endless flurries of challenging opponents, bosses and cinematic cut-scenes requiring the player to follow on-screen prompts to survive. I felt sympathy for the hero and his band of memorable partners. I gave him pep-talks as I guided him through the levels and I cheered every time he emerged dirtier, bruised and victorious. I got mad enough to throw tantrums, and I loved it!

With multiple difficulties available in the single-player mode and several kinds of multi-player action, there is plenty here to keep a gamer busy and happy.

Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves, is in a word, exceptional. the industry needs more games like this to show us what a talented group of people can create and to remind us why we play.