CHARTED!

While I did play and finish Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, I was not one of the people that thought it was the best game on PS3. I enjoyed the first game, but I felt that it did drag on towards the end. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, does not have that problem. The game is a roller coaster ride from start to finish, even taking a cue from Halo at the very end of the game. The character development and voice acting are superb, allowing a story that would normally be "OK" to really shine.

The gameplay is more of a refinement than an innovation, although I still feel that the gunplay doesn't really compare to games like Call of Duty or Halo. Naughty Dog did a great job of taking the best things from CoD and Halo multiplayer, and putting their own unique spin on it. The multiplayer, I think, is probably going to draw in more Socom/ Gears of War fans than, say, Call of Duty or Halo mainly because of the perspective. That's not to say that CoD and Halo fans just won't like it, it's just that there are fundamental differences in the gameplay between first and third person perspectives that go beyond just the view point. With that said the multiplayer is very well done and should help extend the game's life for years to come.

As someone who really enjoyed Assassin's Creed, I sometimes find myself feeling limited by the climbing in Uncharted. I understand that there are decisions that have to be made to keep the continuity of the game, but I still find myself longing to be able to climb everything. I really like all of the "extra stuff" that Naughty Dog put into the game, things like that really help to give the single player mode plenty of replayablity. I thought the love interest was also exceptionally done and something that has not been successful in alot of games thus far.

In the end Naughty Dog has, in my opinion, created their finest game yet, showing their versatility and obsession with
pushing boundaries. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a game that any PS3 owner should experience.