For me, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the perfect movie. It doesn’t feature an Oscar-bait story about issues or feelings, nor does it feature a stunning performance from a mute Norwegian captured on 16mm black-and-white film. It just shows what happens when a creator with superlative skill applies his craft towards a genre he loves; Raiders is the ultimate mashup of action, adventure, romance, treasure hunting, James Bond, Uncle Scrooge, Nazis, and relics of Biblical proportions. Similarly, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the ultimate mashup of cover-based shooting, platforming, puzzle solving, sneaking, and character quipping.
Like the previous Uncharted, this installment puts you in control of slick, treasure-hunter Nathan Drake as he jumps and shoots his way through various locales spread across 26 chapters. Uncharted 2 doesn’t add new gameplay systems that turn it into a racing game or anything like that; it’s a sequel that features lots of little tweaks and additions in a “how did I get through all of Uncharted without this?” manner. Throwing grenades no longer involves futzing with the D-pad or the sixaxis; it’s now a simple tap of L2. Nathan not only slides into cover more efficiently, he can occasionally create it and transition around corners more easily. Nathan was always able to shoot from cover; this time, there’s an actual reticule when blindfiring — making it more practical for weapons like the shotgun. New firearms include an assault rifle with a red-dot sight and a three-round burst, a vastly improved grenade launcher, and a pistol that shoots freakin’ shotgun shells.