Continuing with the growing supply of sequel titles that were released this year, Uncharted 2 found it’s way to my very, very dusty PS3.  Even thought I rarely play my PS3, I was eager to get my hands on Uncharted 2.  The first game was a stunning way to show off the PS3’s capabilities as well as having a great story.  Naughty Dog goes the extra mile when it comes to writing for these games.  Uncharted 2 is no different.  Every element of the game is stunning.  From graphics, to story, to music, to voice acting, oh, and also that gameplay thing.  (I guess we should talk a bit about that as well.

Uncharted 2 really is only a sequel in name and characters, the story is very stand alone and that is a great draw.  In this story, our Hero, Nathan Drake, finds himself chasing down the fabled treasures of Marco Polo.  This time around we don’t have the family tie that he had with Sir Francis Drake, but who needs more motivation than a giant Sapphire right?  Through his adventures we meet new characters, new love interests, and even bring back some of the old characters.  (It wouldn’t be the same without Sully.)

Drake travels all over Nepal, Istanbul, and the Himalayas as he tracks down the different clues that will lead him to fortune and glory.  Through tropical jungle to snowy mountain peaks, the visuals are amazing.  This is what the PS3 should be touting as true Next Gen graphics and the whole reason I picked up a 1080P TV.  Far too often did I find myself marveling over the distance shots and the detail taken to render the smallest details.  I would encourage you to take a stroll through the snow levels just to watch the dynamic of the trails and the build up of snow on Drakes legs.

Where this game really shines is in the story.  I know there was the infamous PS3 commercial where some guy can’t get his girl friend to stop watching because she thinks it’s a movie, well, it’s believable.  Except that this movie can last a week long and probably had a much longer over all script.  Mixed with the extremely well done voice acting, Uncharted 2 could easily be mistaken for a big budget CGI film.  Every cut scene delighted and encouraged me to just set the controller down and enjoy.  I know it sounds like I am raving about these few simple elements of a game that may be considered small parts but they really aren’t.  You could have the best game play in the world but without a good story to guide it, it’s just a shell.

Thankfully the game play keeps with the high standard set by the other elements.  You step seamlessly from cut scene to game play and back so it truly feels immersive.  Most of the controls were easy to use and intuitive. (Although since I come from more of an Xbox background, the trigger and aim controls being on the shoulder buttons is odd to me.)  There is not a lot to say about game play when it’s solid, no bad camera angles, fluid motion, and god bless the Hint system!  Every game should be required to have a system like this.  If you don’t want to use it you don’t have to, but every now and then I ended up in an area wondering “what the hell am I supposed to do next?!”  Thankfully the hint system would pop up and advise “Look at that open window up there stupid!”  Far too often it saved me from looking things up in a guide or just getting frustrated and walking away.  That’s a huge deal for me.

Another big deal that has found quite a hold on the video game industry is music.  I had the chance to attend a Video Games Live concert and it really opened my eyes to video game soundtracks.  (Not that I wasn’t aware of them before, but I am much more keyed into it now)  Uncharted 2 delivers a soundtrack that is on par with that of many major motion pictures.  It feels out the mood set by the setting and graphics and delivers the punch to make you feel the entire experience.  Many times I can recall pausing and taking note of the amazing music.  It’s almost sad to me when I look back on playing a game and realize I can’t recall the music because it just faded into the background.  I love when music pops and Uncharted 2 does just that.

Now that I have covered all the good, lets talk about bad.  Don’t worry, there isn’t much.  Much like many free roaming over the shoulder games, sometimes the controls don’t translate well.  There were certainly less instances of “Stupid Ezio (Drake)” and most of them I think were really my fault, it was still there.  And the only other bad note I can think of would be Multi-player.  WHY??  Seriously, with Uncharted 1 you had a solid story game that was well received.  Uncharted 2 had a solid story game, why should you feel the need to add multi-player?  Plus, if you are going to add multi-player to a game, make it a co-op for the main story!!  Far too many games tack on a “lets run around in a map and just shoot each other” multi-player and forget why we bought the game in the first place!

So there you have it.  Uncharted 2 is a very solid game and I am eagerly looking forward to Uncharted 3.

Uncharted 2 gets a solid 9.5 out of 10 Stolen Artifacts