Uncharted 2: Among Thieves sees the return of Nathan Drake for another Indiana Jones-style romp, this time in search of the ancient Tibetan city of Shambala. Set a few years after the events of the critically acclaimed Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, this instalment sees Drake and his band of misfits striving to outwit a psychopathic war criminal and get their hands on an ancient treasure with global ramifications before he does.


The game offers some absolutely stunning visuals that rank among the best for next-gen gaming. Exploring the environment with Drake is a cornea-popping experience, from scaling buildings and lampposts to hurling yourself around ancient temples and icy mountaintops. You would be hard pressed to find an action/adventure game that is remotely close to this, let alone it’s equal. Combat is first-rate, with genuinely intelligent AI – meaning the enemies don’t just hang around in fixed positions but will try and gain a tactical advantage by using the available terrain. You can also take down enemies with stealth, or just launch an all-out offensive, depending on your preference.


There are two things about Uncharted 2 that stuck in my craw, though: firstly the puzzles offer no real challenge, being little more then a computerised version of snap. Secondly: there has been a lot of buzz about the quality of the storyline for Uncharted 2 and while some of the dialogue is entertaining in a Michael Bay/Shia LaBeouf kind of way, the reality is that it is typical Hollywood blockbuster fare. Which makes the fact that it stands head and shoulders above everything else on the market indicative of the quality of story telling (or lack of it) still existing in the gaming world as much as anything else.


Despite my criticisms Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is undoubtedly one of the standout games of the year. The graphics alone would be enough to get most gamers’ hearts racing, while the gameplay is simply outstanding. Not only does it surpass its predecessor but offers endless hours of competitive play in multiplayer mode online, with team deathmatch, elimination, capture the treasure and zone control offerings. Now, if only developers could invest a little more time in plot-development...