I think it sets the bar for action adventure games, absolutely incredible! Read on..
Just like the first game, it's a bit like a Tomb raider and Gears of War hybrid. The archaelogical setting and acrobatics are like Tomb Raider, and your shooting and cover mechanics are a bit like Gears of War. Well enough with that. There have been some amazing additions to make this game awesome. First of all, you do have the weapons in the previous game, but you also have some extras, GOOD extras! I'm talking about guns like the Pistole, the RPG, the MINIGUN, grenade guns, and crossbows. Oh, and this time you don't have to use the SIXAXIS to adjust the arc of the grenade you're about to throw. Did I mention that the environmental puzzles are just awesome! They're better than the first ones, and Nate is a pretty good monkey:P Oh, and the symbolic puzzles. There's not much of them, just like in the orignal, but these ones require a bit more thinking, but they're still pretty easy to me, and a bit more fun than the original. Oh yeah, there are some interesting modifications to the hand to hand combat. There are a lot of stealth moves, and that includes throwing an enemy down a height while hanging below him, cracking his neck silently, and depending on your situation Nate does somehow use a bit of the environment to execute some hand to hand combat, like kicking an enemy down a height if the enemy is close to it, hitting an enemy into the wall you're taking cover behind when he's right around the corner, etc...Plus, you can do some reversals with the Triangle button when the enemy's got you. And beside the standard "shoot your way through the place" that you do a lot in the game, a lot of the other sequences were just insane, like having to jump from truck to truck when they're shooting at you, running from mad helicopters and tanks, escaping a bridge that's breaking, climbing up a destroyed train hanging off the Himalayan mountains, and just plain watching Nate struggling to survive in these ordeals. Oh, and shooting your way through the enemies, you just laugh in satisfaction when you shoot them saying, "Ha, eat THAT, oh, and Flynn, you traitor and extreme douchebag, you're NEXT! Same goes to you, Lazerivic!" In games like that, it's obvious that you know the villain is gonna get killed, but you just wanna see how he's gonna get what he deserves, especially after those annoying remarks he always gives. The action is adrenaline pumping. Enemies are at some point pretty resilient, and running from grenades really adds to the show.
Ah, yes, the greatest thing to look at in this game. A true mastery of aesthetics. This eye candy is just some of the best the PS3 has to offer, EVER! I mean like, whoa! I can even see every last friggin pore that is on a character's face! The cutscenes are just a joy to watch. The characters' facial expressions are realistic and ever so intricate to the last detail. Not to mention that they are so colorful it is just insane and a total visual feast. Every last detail, except for the infrequent sloppy backgrounds are there. Every rock, every thread in the characters' clothes, it's all there. Oh, and that gets even better when you're in water, because their wet clothing looks so realistic that you'd just want to hold up a gun to the artists' heads and demand how they made a game look so real, it is just astonishing. Daytime graphics, my favorite! The shadows, animals moving, water gushing, it really makes you want to drool. Oh yeah, seeing the stones wet, that is just omg. Another amazing detail is the snow. Not only how it shows on Nate's clothes, but how amazingly real it looks and moves whenever Nate steps in it! I was also at a point where Nate was soaked in water and stepped in the snow, I even saw water in the snow! It's that good! When you get to those sacred places, you just can't help but stare at the amazing scenery. Absolutely incredible. And you know what else is eye candy? Chloe! She's hot!:P They've improved the looks of the grenade explosions a good deal too!
Ah yes, the sounds! My favorite part about how the game sounds is definitely the cutscenes. The voice acting is just so above par that it's practically inhuman! You would just relax and grin everytime a cutscene comes up because hearing those witty remarks and jokes is just a plain joy. Nate is a really likeable character, just like in the first game, but they really added it up some more. The good guys make good jokes and really sound like they're good, and the bad guys? Impressive. When you just hear Flynn talking, he really does sound like a villain and a total douchebag. They also made Lazerivic sound so serious and brutal, they really did it right!
And now comes the conclusion to a review of an absolutely fantastic game. I really think that any gamer should try it. There is always something to like in this game. It's also got a good replay value. You can always try it again on harder difficulties and play in some rather decent and thrilling multiplayer. Trophies also aren't that hard to earn in the game either. My score, perfect. 10/10, well done, Naughty Dog! Thank you for such a truly awesome game!