The original Uncharted game was one of the best PS3 games ever released — still is — both gameplay wise and technically, leaving the sequel with some very high expectations to meet. Luckily, fans and PS3 owners will not be disappointed: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves does most of what the original did great and does it better, fancier and faster.

Uncharted 2 picks up where the first one ended, or rather, a year after the story in the first game ended. All the original characters are back, including, of course, the main protagonist, Nathan Drake. This time though, the story is set in several different locations instead of just one island, as Drake and his crew are sent all around the world (usually exotic locations), to hunt treasures, baddies and so on; basically everything you’d expect from an Uncharted sequel. And just like in the first game, the story is well told and the cut scene in particular are well done — the voice acting and facial animations are some of the best ever seen.

The gameplay varies a lot more in Uncharted 2, as you’ll be traveling to different parts of the world, you’ll experience urban combat and gun fights, climbing mountains and exploding temples and caves as well, and even participate in car chases. All of this is paces exceptionally well, and just as you get “bored” with one part, the game will throw something completely different at you, keeping you almost constantly entertained during the 10 hour single player campaign. The “train sequence” in particular is well made, where you’re outside on a moving train and have to advance to the front of it, while fighting enemies at the same time. The gunfights are pretty much the same as last time, however, they’re more varied this time, and if you’re not into gunfights, you can use the much improved stealth feature and sneak in on your enemies. However, the cover system could have used an improvement from the previous game, as it works quite frustratingly at times.

When you’re done with the main campaign (or before, however you like it), you can jump into the multiplayer part, which is all new in the Uncharted territory. Besides co-op, which you can play with two other people, there is a versus mode, which includes the usual suspects of deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag etc. While the online mode is fun in the beginning, it tends to get tedious in the long run, as there isn’t enough variety to satisfy long play sessions.

Technically, Uncharted was one of the best looking games on the PS3, and the sequel is definitely the best looking game on the platform, everything from texture resolution, to water effects, to explosions; all is top notch and almost flawless besides a few frame rate drops. The sound rivals big budget movies, from realistic effects of weapons to ambient sounds of the nature around you, and, as mentioned before, the voice acting is still top notch, featuring the same voice actors as before. However, the same can’t be said about the writing in the game, as the lines of dialogue are often filled with cliches, some quite annoying.

The Good:
Stunning visuals
Great campaign
Feels polished
Fun action

The Bad:
A few glitches here and there.
Cover system could use an improvement.

Overall: 9/10