Look, I don’t mean to count the chickens before they’ve hatched but I predict that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will win its fair share of Game of the Year awards this coming Christmas season. If I was to sit here and tell you that Uncharted 2 was a good game I would be selling it short. This is a GREAT game. A must have game. The kind of game you can sleep at night knowing you gave it full marks. That’s how good Uncharted 2 is.

I still think that Sony is packing some of the best exclusives of this generation - Little Big Planet, Killzone, Ratchet & Clank, and of course, Uncharted.  The first one made some nice coin for Sony and the sequel should surely move systems.   Naughty Dog have no doubt dug very deep to pay for everything that makes Uncharted 2 a success and I for one don’t mind buying this game in support.  At this point in time I want a Uncharted 3, 4, 5…if they are all as good quality as this, count me in.

He's taking training far too seriously...get it, get it?...oh never mind...

I don’t mind looking like a fanboy either because to tell you the truth I am one.  After playing through this game several times I can’t help but marvel at what the PS3 is truly capable of ,and until now, I wasn’t really certain if it was as powerful as Sony led us to believe.  It seems like it really can do it all.  

Obligatory rundown of the story is as follows: It’s been a few hundred moons since the last one; Drake and Elena are no longer together and Drake is conned once more into some unsavoury thieving thanks to old friends Flynn and Chloe.  Without giving anything away, Drake gets involved in a plot that has him chasing a Russian terrorist, psycho and fulltime megalomaniac, Zoran Lazarevic, halfway around the world as they race towards the treasure that Marco Polo has hidden, namely the Cintamani Stone.  Cue action and adventure on the scale of something you would see in an Indiana Jones film and you get a small idea of what Uncharted 2 is all about.  

Uncharted 2 is one the most entertaining game of the year so far, hands down the winner by a long shot.  The characters are loveable, the story is exciting, the acting is superb and shows quite possibly the best acting that has ever been in a videogame.  You would be forgiven if you actually forgot that these were animated characters on the screen instead of actors themselves, that’s how convincing they are.   The script is funny, moves along at a lightning pace and has all the twists and turns of a modern day adventure movie.  If you’ve seen National Treasure, Sahara or Indiana Jones, you’ll get an idea of the flavour presented in Uncharted 2.   Uncharted 2 is one class act, over the top action, some cheesy story elements and not a single second of boredom.

Nothing a duster and a little bit of elbow grease wouldn't fix up...

For fellow graphic whores, it seems that the Playstation 3 has turned out to be one hell of a machine.  Hands down the visuals are amazing and for my money, Naughty Dog has crafted a game that is the best looking console game yet.  I know there are plenty of heavy hitters already out there, Gears of War, Killzone 2, Assassins Creed, but seriously Uncharted 2 is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen.  Nathan’s animations are on par with what Niko is capable of, but it’s the little touches like his clothes getting wet when he touches water, the attention to detail is beyond compare.   Even halfway through the game the pace slows and Drake is in a village in a very remote location and even though there is nothing going on action wise, it still manages to be one of the most memorable moments of the game.   Get this bad boy on a HD TV and you will agree that some of these scenes are truly jaw dropping.  

Now while gameplay is more important than graphics, Uncharted 2 gets the same treatment.   While it’s true that some of the gameplay elements have been reduced to one button punches and actions, it works incredibly well and flows wonderfully.  There are places where the platforming can be a little loose and you’ll find yourself falling off the edge because of the animations clashing with the controls but because it loads up immediately back on the ledge that you fell off of, you’ll never harbour much resentment.   Some of the action may seem like it’s a little on rails or one big QTE, but it works and keep things going at a steady pace.  I actually liked the gameplay and when you combine it with the excellent story, great acting, gorgeous graphics, you’ve got a game on your hands that you can’t go wrong with, which is why the inclusion of multiplayer is a stroke of genius.

Replace pew pew with pow pow

Multiplayer in Uncharted 2 was something I wasn’t expecting but when it was revealed earlier this year I was a bit sceptical on how they were going to make it make it function well and most importantly, how fun was it going to be.  I can report that Uncharted 2 is some of the best third person fun available online right now.  The game play is quick, the matches run perfectly, there is a large community supporting the product and there are plenty of modes from Deathmatch to survival that you can compete in.  Seriously I had a blast.  You find treasure from downed enemies which you can then use to unlock items, skins and modifiers in the store and you can also use accumulated cash that you get from matches as well.   

Kick, punch, it's all in the mind...and no that joke will never stop being funny...

Everything about Uncharted 2 screams quality.  No expense was spared in its development and it shows.  It has everything that most gamers are looking for and with Multiplayer modes being so compelling; it’s a game that is going to be in your drive for most of the summer.  It’s not flawless, but it’s as close to gaming perfection as you’re going to find this year, and the fact that it’s on the PS3 means that a few people are going to have to fork out some dollars if they want to experience one of the best games of the year.  I’m giving this one full marks.