 Time for a wild ride. Nathan Drake has a history of getting involved with the wrong kind of people. This time, things get a bit out of hand. A simple heist assignment turns into a search for Marco Polo's lost treasure. But Drake isn't the only one looking for the treasure. It's up to him and his friends to figure out where the treasure is and reach it in time to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
1. Gameplay
I was unsure about Uncharted after finishing the first game. The characters were funny and the story was interesting, but the gameplay really held the whole thing back. Combat was not the game’s strong suit, but unfortunately it was too prominent of a factor to ignore. In the end I was both entertained and frustrated, something that is a tough combination to deal with. Fortunately, Uncharted 2 is significantly better.  Keep your friends close... Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is extremely funny. Nathan Drake and his various companions and enemies interact with each other in ways that make perfect sense. It’s not always perfect, but there were plenty of times when I was laughing hysterically at the perfectly timed quips. This game is smart when it wants to be, which is exactly what I want in a game like this.  Even standoffs can be funny if Nathan Drake's involved. The story isn’t too bad either. While I found the search for the lost treasure of Sir Francis Drake to be a bit more believable, Uncharted 2’s search for the lost treasure of Marco Polo was definitely an interesting tale that takes Nathan across the world. This gives the different levels a good amount of variety, much more than what was featured in the previous game in the series. The level designs were fresh, the scenarios unique, and the game had just enough action to make things pretty awesome.  I know, somewhere, this type of thing is real. And it's incredible. The combat was mostly improved as well. While I still believe that this game included too much combat and not enough puzzles, I wasn’t nearly as frustrated with the enemies in this game as I was in the first Uncharted. Nathan was much more able to take and give hits. While the enemies were very smart in how they tried to attack me, usually choosing to flank me whenever possible, I was able to lose them on more than a few occasions, with gave me time to set up for my own ambush. This was partially due to the fact that the enemies were no longer psychic (they would lose track of me if I moved quietly behind cover), and partially because the levels featured fewer corridors and more open spaces with good cover.  Treasure maps are a requirement. I do recommend that players sit through the first Uncharted before beginning this game (the characters and situations make much more sense that way), but so far this is a huge improvement overall and it gets me very excited for the next Uncharted.
This game is a pretty good length. It took me well over 12 hours to beat the entire thing, but I was taking my time looking for collectibles. The replay value of this game, though, is somewhat small. Hardcore players may want to go through and look for all of the collectibles or beat the game on a higher difficulty level. The game does allow the player to use a variety of different costumes, which is pretty cool, but none of these enticed me to give the game a second playthrough. With no choices or story options, unless you want to replay the exact same campaign again there is little reason to go back a second time.
This game was significantly less frustrating than its predecessor. While there were still times when I felt that the game approached a situation somewhat unfairly, these were few and far between. Combat wasn’t perfect, but it was significantly easier than the previous game. The only times when I felt very frustrated were when the camera angle or scripted action sequence didn’t give clear directions as to where to go. 2. Parental Notices
While violence in this game is a somewhat constant element, it’s often interspersed between long sections of platforming and puzzle solving. I would say that half of the game consists of combat and the other half non-combat sections. When the player does engage in combat, there are a decent number of weapon types that will all have almost exactly the same effect. Hits against enemies will result in some blood, but unless the enemy is at a close distance this can be fairly easy to miss.  This is a fairly typical kill. Almost all combat elements will lead to similar results. While some weapon types might cause slightly more blood, it’s hardly noticeable when the player is fighting enemies at range.  A kill this close is an anomaly. The only difference comes when the player engages in hand-to-hand or stealth combat. In these situations, the player punches and kicks enemies into submission. Specifically with stealth combat, the player often grabs the enemy from behind cover, drags them, and then slams a fist or an elbow down on their face or neck. I’m not sure if the shot is meant to be a killing blow or just incapacitate the enemy.  Judooooo CHOP!
There are scenes between Nathan and Chloe that imply their intimacy, but nothing is ever seen in this game. Their conversations are adult at times, but nothing that wouldn’t be appropriate in a public location.  Oh. Hi.
The sap from the tree of life is the most prominent substance in the game, and even that is only present at the very end. People who drink it develop superhuman strength and near invincibility.  Dude, you're dribbling. Sully, one of the characters, can sometimes be seen with a cigar in his mouth. Other characters can at times be seen smoking and some characters drink on occasion, but Sully's cigar is the only recurring element of this kind.  I don't think I've ever seen him without it.
Gambling is not a factor in this game. 3. Other Factors
There are no modding tools in this game.
Religion is a very minor factor in this game. Parts of the story are based in eastern mysticism and creation stories (such as the city of Shangri La that Nathan is trying to find). This is used as a means to continue the narrative, but is no more religious than Indiana Jones searching for the Ark of the Covenant.  They could be religious, but they're pretty generic. Along the way the player fights through a number of abandoned temples and monasteries. However, other than certain statues, the religious nature of these structures is only included when the buildings are discussed by the characters.  I love the detail.
Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter, and that frequently puts him on the wrong side of the law. Early in the game, Drake is hired to break into a museum in order to steal a relic from Marco Polo’s adventures. He ends up getting caught, arrested, and thrown in jail.  Drake even makes jail look like fun!
While there was originally a multiplayer mode to this game, I was unable to find any players online. As a result, the online community is not a factor in this game.
Extreme sports is a fairly major factor in this game. The player will constantly have to climb up walls, cliffs, along streetsigns, and other somewhat realistic but extremely dangerous places. While not every moment of the game will involve these types of activities, it’s frequent enough to be an almost constant element.  Real men don't need bales of hay. Some scenarios will be much more dangerous than others. For example, there was one section where the player had to climb along a train that was moving at high speed, jumping from car to car, often while engaging in combat with enemies.  Something tells me that the laws of physics don't agree with doing this. There was another section where the player had to jump between trucks moving on a mountain pass at high speed while engaging in combat.  Even if the laws of physics say it's okay, it's definitely a bad idea.
Magic is almost completely absent from the game, and even when it finally does make its appearance it’s difficult to tell whether it is actually magic or simply the weird effects of the flammable, sap-like substance from the “tree of life”. Basically, anyone who drinks the sap from the tree of life becomes extremely strong and, eventually, turns into sort of weird zombie thing. This is the only time anything remotely magical is present in the game.
There are no additional factors in this game.
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