It wasn’t until the end of 2007 that the PS3 showed its first piece of software that truly put it ahead of 360 software. Now, 2 years later Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is still one of the best looking console games around; though it was plagued with some stiff gameplay and contained few original elements. Now Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is among us, and sure it’s most definitely a looker but can it rise above and beyond to be the best?

Story

The story picks up one year after the original. This time player’s follow Nathan Drake’s adventure to acquire the Cintamani Stone before the warlord Lazarevic can claim it for himself. Like the 1st game, Among Thieves’ plot can come off a bit hammy and predictable at times, but the excellent dialogue character’s, and performances make the story a superb joy and you’ll be very sad that the story will be over in around 11 hours. To move the plot forward are the aforementioned new characters. All of them are excellently crafted and created but the story never does answer how Drake knows so many of them already. Plus even though Naughty Dog said they were going to explore Drake’s dark side, it is barely explored at all. Sure he says some naughty words and swears revenge but this can’t hide the fact that he’s probably a giant teddy bear. Aside from these minor interferences, Naughty Dog has crafted a marvelous single-player that many developers neglect in this age of video games.

Score: 9.4/10

Design

There was always a bunch of jungle in Drake’s Fortune and that was it save a few scarce times. Among Thieves ups the ante with a plethora of original locations including a war torn Nepal city, the Himalayas, an ancient village, and a jungle-like-swamp. With these amazing new places brings new ways to play in these playgrounds. Sneaking, vertical combat, and a new improved platforming mechanic are some new toys for players to try out. These bring new levels of depth to the gameplay, and while it isn’t original it works to perfection causing the game to be one of the most polished games in a very long time. Also Among Thieves presents Naughty Dog’s first ever attempt at a multiplayer experience and it is such a spectacular first time that it feels like they’ve been doing it for years. Modes here are common and you’ll find them in basically every other game, including a perk like system called boosters. However it is all implemented well and usually runs without a hitch. What is the most appetizing and unique piece of the multiplayer is the 3-player Co-Op missions. This takes scenarios from the campaign experience but re-writes events to create these mini-stories with 3 people. The whole thing is written with new dialogue that is fully voiced. This is easily the best part of the multiplayer experience. Among Thieves is a very well designed game. It may not stray far from what other games have been doing but it’s a well defined formula that will impress all players.

Score: 9.1/10

Gameplay

As expected Among Thieves follows a similar pattern as the first game. You take cover and pop up to shoot. However a lot of attention was paid to make it much better. It is much smoother to play now. The game doesn’t feel as stiff as it used to be and the way things are designed allow you more ways to play. Scope from a top a building or lead the siege with a riot shield. Blaze a way wildly with an M4 or beat them into a bloody pulp. There are just so many more options to consider this time around. Vertical combat plays a small role but most of the times it will be taking cover behind walls, couches, and trees. Some very awesome set piece moments happen that will cause you to change how you want to play (Ex: A helicopter chasing you down a train and blowing up the car that you were just on). Aside from the gunplay, the platforming is the other gameplay element that dominates the game. Naughty Dog has gone in and made it much prettier; however it can feel very clunky and can lead to some frustrating moments. The animation itself looks fantastic and when you’re basically jumping from one little thing to another it works without a hitch. However when you get into precise platforming then you’ll start having problems. Sometimes the game has no idea where you want to jump and sometimes put you in danger or just send you to your death. Other times you could be staring around for a long time and not even be able to notice where you have to be jumping due to the fact that some of the ledges can be very subtle. This makes the game far more difficult than it needs to be and you’ll wish you could be in the silky smooth gunplay sections again. While it isn’t completely original, Among Thieves plays extremely well. The gunplay is fantastic and feels much better than the original did (try going back to Drake’s Fortune after playing Among Thieves and you’ll see). We just wish that some more time would’ve gone into making the platforming sections just as fluid.

Score: 9/10

Presentation

I don’t even know what to say that hasn’t already been shown. This game is absolutely phenomenal no matter what way you look at it. Textures are beautiful and crisp. Animations are realistic and capture the character. The actors put in phenomenal performances in both their physical movements and voices. Areas look so real that it feels like they actually took the place they’re based on and just pasted them into the game. Every last inch of this game looks fantastic. It’s obvious that Naughty Dog put a lot of time into making this not only a fantastic game to play, but also a superb feast for our eyes to lie on. Even the simplest of details make it in the game, such as how Drake matches his body to the geometry of the article he’s taking cover behind. This is no doubt the best looking game on consoles right now.

Score: 9.9/10

Final Thoughts

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an amazing experience from start to finish. So much was added on top of the first game that you’ll wonder how you ever played the original without these additions. The game looks absolutely beautiful and plays beautifully also despite some of its sad flaws. The only thing we can say now is go out and buy this game!