Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves

The basics

Anyone familiar with 2007’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune will feel immediately comfortable with the single player game on Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which marries Tomb Raider-style exploration and puzzle-solving to hectic, heart-pumping cover-based combat reminiscent of Gears of War.
It’s blended so adeptly that things rarely feel repetitive, and you can happily plant yourself on the sofa and plough through the game for hours on end.

The good

Nathan Drake makes for a truly likeable protagonist, and the supporting cast are well realised too – thanks in part to the wonderful animation, which makes for some of the most convincing facial expressions ever seen in a game.
It’s undoubtedly the best-looking game of this console generation – the scene where you climb to the top of a hotel and gaze out over a Tibetan city, the Himalayas in the background, is just breathtaking – and the fact that it runs at a steady frame rate no matter what kind of chaos is going on on-screen is mighty impressive.
Audio is similarly top notch – this is one of those games that truly deserves to be played on a huge HDTV (or even better, a projector) with the lights dimmed and a hefty surround system rigged up.
And that’s just part of it. Developers Naughty Dog have introduced a fantastic multiplayer element to the game, which will keep you playing long after the solo game has been completed. Whether your tastes run to all-out team deathmatch, objective-based co-op or facing off against wave after wave of AI-controlled baddies, there’s something for you in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

The bad

It's such a pleasurable and addictive experience that this game will eat up vast swathes of your time. And if you're in a relationship, well don't expect your other half to be too happy – unless you can rope them in as well...

The bottom line

All the good points above add up to a truly astounding game and a must-buy for every PS3 owner. And if you don’t own a PS3? Well, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves might just be the nudge you’ve been waiting for…