Uncharted 2: Among Thieves -- Final Opinion.

I have completed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves with the platinum trophy to show for it. That equates to playing through the game three times. Completing the hardest difficultly level, earning enough weapon specific kills, and finding all the hidden treasures. Uncharted 2 received an amazing amount of hype. Off the charts level hype I'd say. It was obvious it wasn't going to be all that so to speak, and it wasn't. What was it you might be asking? It was the standard better sequel to a really good game. It's God of War 2 to God of War or Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to Sonic the Hedgehog. Every aspect gets improved upon. The graphics and sound, the story, and the game tends to offer up more gameplay. All of that has happened with Uncharted 2. The graphics are improved in the ways that come with it being the second iteration of a series within a generation. As I've said in my initial opinion, they've shown some restraint and it has worked wonders for the visuals. They didn't overdose on new generation shiny this time around. The story and characters are on par with the original game. Which is to say they're very impressive and they remain the heart of what Uncharted does best. The voice acting is superb all the way around. The music remains up to Hollywood level action score standards. The game is slightly larger in the campaign and of course the online versus and co-op will add in some more value, such as they are. The gameplay itself remains mostly unchanged. I still have issues with headshots just not registering. On the harder difficulty when the game's cover system freaks out it's just as likely to get you killed as it is save you because it places you where you didn't intend for it to do so. Usually where you're exposed from another side to a different enemy. And in the Crushing difficultly you'll last less than two seconds when exposed. They've really gone for the seat of your pants thrill ride vibe of the adventure serial cliffhangers of the 1930's. I'd say they've crossed the line just a bit. It's not that the game places you into one impossible situation after another. It's the rate in which they do. It's to the point where it's no longer surprising. In fact, the surprise comes when it doesn't happen as you're just so used to the constant pacing of them early on. I really enjoyed my time with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the offline campaign at least. I'm giving the game an 8.5.