Thought I'd make this topic for people who have finished a playthrough of the game, like me.
 
My impressions?  Absolutely awesome game, but I think the "best game ever made" hype is way overstated.
 
Incredible visuals, great story, much improved shooting from the first game, great music, amazing set piece action sections, etc. etc. etc.
 
However, it isn't flawless. The game reaches a point where it just becomes like Gears of War "horde mode" for a while - enter an environment, and then fight off waves of guys, go through a section of climbing and jumping puzzles, then enter the next "battle arena".  It got a little tedious for me through these sections, though I inevitably came back because I had to find out what was going to happen next.
 
They weren't bad, per se - but I reached a point where I started saying "oh come on!" out loud, when more and more baddies would come out of the woodwork after I thought a section was clear.
 
The game also still has a little trouble letting you know what is climbable, and what isn't.  Some spots are obvious, but others - especially scaling the sides of buildings - are not.  And some areas look cilmbable, but aren't.  
 
I also hope they include more stealth in Uncharted 3.  There was nothing more rewarding than artfully sneaking around an area, and breaking as many necks as I could before the shit hit the fan.  It'd be great if more firefights could be avoided entirely in favour of climbing all over the place and quietly taking guys out.
 
Ultimately these are small quibbles though - the vistas are stunning, the graphics are sublime, and the story is interesting.  However, I think "best game ever made" is pretty ridiculous hyperbole - best game of the year though?  It currently is for me, that's for sure.  I will say this game probably wins "best tutorial ever made", haha - it definitely makes you sit up right away and say "holy shit, this is going to be GOOD".
 
Your thoughts?  I expect universally positive opinions on the game overall, but I'm more interested to see what little quibbles people may have had, if any, in addition to the positives.
 
- Scott

I'm going to assume you meant to put this in the Uncharted 2 forum, moving it there.

Yeah I did - not sure why it didn't post there, as I created the topic after clicking to go to the Uncharted 2 forum page.
 
Oh well - thanks though!
 
- Scott

I just finished the game.  I pretty much was like this at the end of it:

 
I really don't have to delve into how the story was great, or how it's really a cinematic masterpiece in the video game medium.  As for the gameplay, I thought it addressed a lot of the issues that the first one had.  I actually thought the whole "arena battle" issue occurred a lot less.  It was pretty noticeable when in Nepal, but a lot of times it felt like the enemy was just on your tail and engaged you in combat when they caught up.  Then there were areas where it didn't feel like the enemy was staying stationary, just waiting for you to arrive.  The whole tank sequence in the village made it feel like Lazarevic's men were hunting down the villagers, and you were plowing your way through.
 
I still have some problems with the way Drake moves in the game.  He loves to just stick onto something every time you roll.  I wish they implemented the fix that Epic made for Gears 2: just pull back on the joystick to cancel out of cover.  I also get annoyed when you jump, trying to avoid fire, but end up hanging on some low ledge in clear sight of enemy fire.  As for the traversal gameplay, I love that Naughty Dog didn't highlight what you needed to climb in an obvious fashion.  In Uncharted 1, those climbable ledges popped out too much, making the environment look unnatural.  You really had to look around and think what would be reasonable to climb.

I have some very slight nit-picks with a couple of areas of the gameplay that I think were mentioned in the post above me, but that aside, I certainly think it lies somewhere in my top 10 games ever played.

I was consistently floored visually, but the gameplay really breaks down starting at around Chapter 21.  Giant kill rooms, creatures that take 5000 bullets, that horrible final boss, etc...
 
Naughty Dog just doesn't know how to end a game.

Best game I've played in a long time.
 
Also, clowns are a 10.

" I was consistently floored visually, but the gameplay really breaks down starting at around Chapter 21.  Giant kill rooms, creatures that take 5000 bullets, that horrible final boss, etc...  Naughty Dog just doesn't know how to end a game. "

I've got a question. I've put it into a spoiler tag, 'cause it alludes highly to the first game's plot.

"

I've got a question. I've put it into a spoiler tag, 'cause it alludes highly to the first game's plot.

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Is Uncharted 2 also filled with supernatural mutation shit when nearing the end of the game, or it is at least hinted throughout the plot? The Nosferatu from the first game where a MAJOR turn off for me, as the game progressed before as one with no ridiculous magical stories and BAM!, suddenly crawlers happened.

"

While I found the game to be absolutely brilliant, I have some issues with the enemy spam during some of the fight sequences. 
It seemed like ND  couldn't figure how to make the game harder after decreasing the amount of bullets it takes to take down regular soldiers so instead just flood each area with enemies.. there is one section in the game where you face off against like 40 soldiers... Ever a SHOOTER like gears of war never does that. 
that and too much love for snipers, sometimes the game wouldn't really tell you where to go next (like a rope or  a tiny ledge that really easy to miss)... I feel absolutely  weird about complaining but I got really "AGHHHH!" in places due to getting killed by a homing electrical grenade thing or a one hit kill-rushing shotgunner...  then I think back to the first game and never really had to contend with that kind of stuff even on crushing difficulty.

The game is absolutely top notch though one of the top five games for the system without a doubt...  But definately not the best games I have ever played. I thought the best moments happened in the final two missions and the ice caves...I even liked the guardians.

Fantastic game. My only real problem was with the platforming. There were a bunch of times when I didn't really know where to go next or what platforms I could jump on, and some odd cover issues. Still a fan-triple-tastic game, though.

I'm on chapter 23. 
 
It's been a bumpy ride, lots of highs and lots of lows.  
 
Hopefully it ends on a high.

" @Milkman: Thanks. I'll pass Uncharted 2 for now and get Brutal Legend instead, I still bet it's an awesome game, but I'm finishing the first one and I'm trembling with disgust because of the last parts of the game. "

@Shadow: Still, I prefer to wait - I don't want to ruin the game for me by getting a negative attitude from the start, it'll pass after a while.

I'm ok with the way Uncharted ends, but I have a problem how the game establishes it from pure nothingness. There's no indication throughout the game, the twist is never expected. I was left dumbstruck and it blasted the experience. The game from the start builds a climate like in The Temple of Doom, not Raiders of the Lost Ark, then it suddenly comes up with

I bought the game yesterday and completed it about an hour or so ago.
 
I'm actually shocked at how good it is. The density of amazing set-pieces just one after another and the game's ability to put you in all the action rather than just cutscenes is terrific. Easily my favourite game since MGS4, and objectively speaking it's probably even better. A few little issues and i've had a couple of glitches, but the production values are amazing. The quality of the characterization; the performance and the dialogue blows most games out of the water.
 
I haven't even touched the multiplayer yet, but Uncharted 2 is already a phenomenal piece of entertainment.

i like to nominate this game for best acted video game of all time (so far) the voice acting was just so well done, and the story was just awesome! where have all the good action movies gone? well they all became video games

A almost forgot.  I learned that it is, in fact, ALWAYS locked.

I thought this game was amazing, I was really worried it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it was by far the best thing I've played all year, I'm SO ready for Uncharted 3.... even though that will be years off now :( lol

finished the game 2 days ago, took about 9 hours on normal, cut scenes, visuals and story was good, the gunplay was pretty mediocre, cover system was a bit shaky. I'd say great but game was somewhat overrated.

holy shit!!! i just finished this game and ill be going through it several more times. the game play was so smooth and the story kept it very entertaining. graphics are the best i have seen in any game, there were times where i just wanted to sit on top of a building and just look at all the scenery. absolutely worth every penny i paid for it. if you are looking for a good game for your ps3, definitely pick this up.