So this game is most definitely my favorite game for the PS3 thus far. (No surprise, as it usurped Uncharted: Drake's Fortune as my former favorite)...

First of all i must say "HOLY CRAP!" the graphics are drop dead gorgeous. Many of the reviews i read before purchasing the game said similar things about the textures and such, but you don't get the full effect of how great EVERYTHING looks until you actually play the game. The action sequences look virtually the same as the cut scenes, which is great. And by not using CGI to create amazing cut scenes (i.e. FF), the game has extremely little in the realm of load times. The only time you will wait is when you first fire up the story mode from the main menu.

As far as gameplay is concerned there were a few improvements; such as a smaller amount of puzzles and an improved grenade throwing mechanic. I really liked how you could flip through Drake's journal this time around, and the book 'grew' as the game progressed. This was nice because it helped me to avoid inadvertently spoiling the plot (because there is more than just answers to puzzles in the journal, there are also little nuggets of information/story). Platforming is fun, although sometimes frustrating, it is pretty cut and dry as to which route you can take. I'd like to see Naughty Dog take some initiative and create multiple routes, with dead-ends, from which you can get to a point.

The cut scenes, voice acting, character design, and storyline are all just as amazing as the graphics. Twisting and turning, the story will keep you guessing (quite literally) until the end. I love this aspect, as it is my #1 concern with a game. Without a good storyline, I will not play a game's single player missions. It's shocking how many games there are out there that don't take the story seriously enough (i.e. Prince of Persia, seriously that storyline was weak). With this game, the commercial (i.e. 'I'm going to file this under "Not an Issue"') hits the nail on the head. There were more than a few times where it was like I was playing a character in one of the greatest action movies of all time, better than any movie I know of that has been made.

Ratings:

Visuals: 10

Sound/ Voices: 10

Gameplay: 9.5

Overall: 9.8

P.S. The multiplayer is sick too. ;)