During a boundary pushing period of gaming, with high concepts finding their way to downloadable services and full-scale games like Fallout 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV creating entirely open-ended worlds, it's rare that any game of note does not attempt to incorporate some measure of "open-endedness".  At the very least it makes for a great looking bullet-point on the back of the box.  But there's nothing wrong with linear gameplay and game structure, and Uncharted 2 proves the point with an exclamation mark.  There's plenty of treasure here, and we're not just talking collectibles.

A hybrid action-adventure game of the truest sort, Uncharted 2 splits its time between third-person shooter action sequences and acrobatic spelunking adventure.  If you've played any number of action or adventure games of late you won't be surprised by anything here.  There isn't anything in Uncharted 2's gameplay that's unique to the game itself.   It feels like a compilation of gameplay greatest hits, aping the conventions of other high-profile games with incredible success.  Sometimes the similarities are downright eerie if not bordering on blatant plagiarism.  If Gears of War, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Indiana Jones spent a night together, Uncharted 2 would almost certainly be their love child.

Regardless of Uncharted 2's gameplay borrowings, it competently executes each of its gameplay hooks and blends them together into an incredibly well rounded package that's paced beautifully from beginning to end.  Protagonist Nathan Drake will at one moment find himself leaping through the rain forests of Borneo, then at another moment gunning down mercenaries as he moves between cover points, throwing grenades, punching them out or stealthily taking them from behind, and at the next moment be trekking to an unknown and mysterious ruin only to find himself running for his life in a chase sequence to end the chapter.  During this escapade you might find the cover mechanic somewhat unreliable, the acrobatic traversing of the environments somewhat wonky, but when sewn together so seamlessly these gripes fade away into mere nitpicking.  Uncharted 2 is truly emblematic of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

The sum of Uncharted 2 is strung together with one of the best presentations seen to date.  Visuals aside, the game is full of character.  Conversations between characters fill what would otherwise be empty spaces with clever, mature dialogue, striking a perfect balance between drama, wit, sexual innuendo, and good natured fun.  Voice acting is absolutely top-notch, with every character as distinct as the next, each displaying a remarkable amount of familiarity and restraint - characters aren't always in a state of over-dramatizing their dialogue.  The voice actors feel as though their truly living with their characters and their relationships.

Moreover these characters service a very compelling story, none of which I'll give away here.  This might be Uncharted 2's biggest surprise; having practically given up on any hopes of videogames featuring a story and characters worth any measure of attention, Uncharted 2 restores my faith and shines like a beacon of hope.  The last time I felt as compelled to play a game just to see what happens next in the story might as well have been while playing Halo 2.  Nathan Drake is the videogame equivalent of Indiana Jones, and probably out scores the old man just slightly.  Yes, the storytelling in Uncharted reaches levels of quality only seen from the best that Hollywood has to offer, setting a new benchmark all other games will be measured by.  It even manages to outshine it's Naughty Dog's earlier effort, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

The writers even had the balls to challenge some common videogame conventions.  One particular exchange between Nathan and his antagonist near the end is especially astute - as Nathan is having a crisis of conscience, his enemy asks "How many men have you killed today alone?"  When one really thinks about the hundreds of enemies you murder with gunfire in any action game, its a wonder that a character would be considered having any human qualities at all, let alone having a moral conundrum about killing another.  It's a poignant little jab that doesn't have any resolution, but it offers an insight rarely (if ever) seen in a game.

The visuals draw you in even further, easily trumping every game that's come before it.  There is hardly a thing in the game that doesn't look utterly fantastic.  Character models and animation are detailed, unique and, most of all, expressive.  Hair sways in the breeze.  So does foliage.  Buildings and architecture feature astounding detail, draw distances are huge, the colour palette is broad and beautiful, and lighting brings entire scenes to life in a number of different varieties.  The art direction is truly inspired.  Shifting between lush jungles, destroyed cities, ancient architecture and statues, and snow covered mountains led to a world where every environment felt truly unique.  It's quite remarkable.  The camera work is also brilliantly executed, often dynamically positioning itself in service of the situation or to simply show-off the scale and wonder of the environments.  While adventuring and platforming feature so prominently, Uncharted 2's visuals go a long way in sealing the deal.

Speaking of sealing the deal, the game's longevity is ensured with a competent suite of multiplayer competitive and co-op modes.  (Not that it won't take you long to complete the single-player game: just over 11 hours on the normal difficulty for this reviewer.)  Also, there's a whole set of unlockable treats rewarded for in game feats.  The competitive multiplayer is nothing you won't find elsewhere in terms of gametypes, but they are nevertheless excellently executed.  Taking a nod from other notable multiplayer packages, there's a leveling up and perk-like system for those who like a good deal of persistent character building.  There's also a saved films feature, very similar in execution to the one found in Halo 3.  The co-op modes feature maps from the single-player campaign in which three players face off against AI foes.  Co-op comes off a little flat, perhaps due to no dialogue between characters which features so prominently in the single player.  For what it's worth, however, it's good fun.

Having given Uncharted 2 just about the highest praise possible, it must be said that the game isn't without its faults (aside from the aforementioned nitpicking).  Chiefly amongst these is the action which, despite a handful of over-the-top thrilling sequences, feels as though on the whole it never quite gets there.  This is perhaps indicative of Uncharted 2's breadth of gameplay mechanics, such that each part is somewhat watered-down on its own.  But again, the quality of the package as a whole outweighs these concerns.

Games like Uncharted 2 are very important: they transcend the juvenile attempts at "mature" rated content from other videogames, and in doing so provide a map forward for others in the industry to follow.  Which is ironic, given that Uncharted 2's gameplay follows the blueprints of other games so closely.  Uncharted 2 is an awe-inspiring, compelling, and often thrilling game from beginning to end, and no serious gamer should do without it.

YAY!- A game whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts; gorgeous visuals; competent and compelling action and adventuring; a new benchmark in videogame storytelling.

NAY! - Action that never quite "gets there"; sometimes unreliable cover system and platforming; nothing strikingly original.

For those of you who really hate reading, or only learned to read numbers: - 9/10

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