Review:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Ah, the game that got the PS3 its much deserved notoriety. I honestly don't see the hype in this game at all, even after playing. The story is pretty simple: Nathan Drake is a professional thief whose goal is to discover long thought to be lost treasures. He's been on the tail of finding the fabled Cintamani Stone, a stone worth millions. Unfortunately, the stone is hidden away in Shangri La, or Shambala, a hidden utopia in inner Asia. While hot on the trail of finding this sought after city, Drake encounters several groups of nefarious thugs that are trying to not only kill Drake, but find the stone for themselves.

To me, Uncharted 2 is what Prince of Persia for PS3 should have been. The game offers a vast array of climbing, jumping, and other acrobatic activities, all while incorporating 3rd person over the shoulder gun-slinging. And for what it's worth, it's a fun game. But I can't help but feel I'm missing something other people haven't, because the game isn't that enjoyable.

Each section of the game is separated by chapters, and each chapter follows the same formula: perform some ridiculous acrobatic stunts to reach your next destination, fight a bunch of guys (or be stealthy and kill them one by one), rinse, and repeat. If it weren't for stealth, I probably would have put the game down long ago. But thankfully, Uncharted 2 borrows from another popular franchise, Metal Gear Solid, and uses stealth. You can catch thugs off guard and quickly incapacitate them before they can alert their friends. This will save you the hassle of spending fifteen minutes shooting and hiding behind cover, is much more satisfying, and if you get enough stealth kills you're guaranteed to receive nice monetary bonuses.

I've read other reviews that speak of the amazing storyline, but I ask these people: What game have you played?

Maybe it's because I'm used to the narratives and nearly flawless storytelling of RPGs, but this story is pretty lackluster. The only thing that saves it from being too corny is the character development. Each character that Drake meets plays a part in the story, and there's quite a bit of foreshadowing to be had, but aside from that, the story really is simply: How can I find Shambala? Oh wait, I found an obscure reference, let's move on!