Uncharted 2

Uncharted 2 is awesome. I really don't know how to describe it any better than that. Naughty Dog took the lessons from the first game and managed to create something truly special.

I should start by saying that I loved the first Uncharted. You could tell they were trying to create the video game version of a blockbuster move, and I think they succeeded on that account. They created some really memorable characters, placed them in some fantastic settings, and created a truly exciting and surprising storyline. Uncharted told a better Indiana Jones' style story than the last Indiana Jones movie, for crying out loud! Seriously, whoever has been writing the Uncharted stories needs to go give Hollywood some lessons. The only hangups I had with the game involved the combat. There were times when it seemed to drag on too long and got needlessly frustrating.

Well, with Uncharted 2, they took the problems with the combat and they solved them. And then they took everything else in the first game and made that better too. The result is an incredibly fun and exciting adventure that is really hard to put down. The game starts you off with a wounded Drake inside a train that is slowly slipping off of a cliff. You have to slowly make him climb and claw his way up the train as pieces of it are breaking off and rocks are falling down towards him. This sets up the tone and pace of the game perfectly, and it manages to keep bringing forward these incredible moments throughout the game. I lost track of how often I said, "Dude! That was awesome!" The game also continues to establish memorable characters that you care about with returning favorites and interesting newcomers, and the story manages to live up to the standard set by the original.

Playing Uncharted 2 really is like playing a great action/adventure movie. Naughty Dog has truly raised the bar with this one. If you have a PS3, get this game. If you don't have a PS3, you should really consider getting one, and then getting this game. It really is that good.