Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I was a huge fan of Drake's Fortune.  It was great, but it wasn't without it's flaws.  For the sequel it was obvious that Naughty Dog accounted for those problems and turned a contender for Game of the Month, into a top favorite for Game of the Year (All Years) . 
 
I don't want to drench this review in fan boy goo, but I have to get this out there off the bat.  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the best games I've ever played.  Now that I have that out of the way, lets get to reviewing.
 
What stands out most about Among Thieves is its story.  Although the story itself is nothing new, but its the delivery that makes Uncharted 2 shine.  Nathan Drake and his compatriots and enemies are some of the most believable and interesting characters I've ever encountered in a video game.  The character development and dialogue is on the level of summer blockbusters (and far beyond if you consider movies like G.I.Joe and Transformers 2).  Nolan North, Emily Rose and the rest of the cast bring this game to life with some of the best voice acting the industry has ever seen.
 
Not much has changed since the first in terms of game play.  Naughty Dog made tweaks here and there.  What stuck out for me was wall climbing, which was very reminiscent of Assassin's Creed, and the improved hand to hand combat system.  While engaging in fisticuffs the game play  is dynamic and fluid, not like the first game.  Characters interact with the environment and countering is intuitive and ridiculously fun to watch.  Gun play hasn't changed much.  Still you basic cover/run and gun third person shooter, though the addition of dynamic cover and rifle zoom is pretty cool.  Unfortunately the game can still get a bit funky when taking cover.  I found myself on occasion taking cover at the wrong angle and taking a back full of buck shot. 
 
Graphically this game is gorgeous.  It has absolutely stunning vistas throughout the various locations of the game.  On top of that the facial animations in the game are phenomenal.  They go way beyond the traditional mouth and eye animations, allowing genuine expressions to accompany the brilliant voice acting.
 
I've kind of gone on and on about it at this point, so I'm just going to finish real quick with multiplayer.  I was worried at first, that the multiplayer aspect of the game was going to be tacked on last minute and easy to just pass over.  Fortunately I was dead wrong.  It's well put together and for the most part your basic third person shooter.  What makes it so cool is the vertical plane it adds to it.  The climbing in multiplayer adds a fresh twist to otherwise typical game play.  On a last not in multiplayer, I really don't like the melee system, but that is really my only complaint for the entire game. 
 
If you have a PS3 go buy this game now.  If you don't have a PS3 go out and buy one so you can play this game.  If you don't have enough money for that get a job you bum.