The essential action/adventure video game! A jaw-dropping symphony of gameplay concepts, refined to perfection!
Ironically, part of what I think makes the game so incredible, is two of the very things that some of the games detractors have pointed out as flaws, so bear this mind when deciding if this is a game for you:
a) That the story mode plays out like you're playing a movie. Well, yes, it DOES! To be perfectly honest, even though I've read people complaining about this, I really don't understand the problem. Ever since I first saw an Indiana Jones movie I always thought that the only thing cooler would be to actually BE Indiana Jones. Well my friends, not only is this the closest I've ever felt to this reality, but I'd venture to say that Uncharted 2 exceeds my expectations in regards to the tongue biting, heart pounding adrenaline rush kind of "experience" I've only ever imagined.
b) That the game borrows (steals?) ideas that are/were already in place with other games in the past. Again, this is true, and I for one think it is a GREAT thing. It's all a part of the evolution of ANY art medium people! That is how things become improved upon. You borrow a good idea (or concept) from various other sources, and you integrate them with your own ideas, to make something even better than what you thought was a cool idea to begin with. Take the comparisons to Gears of War for example. First off, despite popular opinion, Gears was NOT the first game to implement a tight cover mechanic into a shooter. What that game essentially did was "refine" the cover mechanic to make it even more enjoyable than ever before. Well, Naughty Dog (Uncharted 2's developer) has taken a page from Epic's playbook, and done what any good, intelligent game developer SHOULD do; enhanced it. Simply put, hanging off of street signs/buildings while using them as cover during a shootout is very bad-ass!
Add to that the climbing mechanics of games like InFamous (gasp…did this game steal from Assassins Creed?). While I will admit that the climbing is not quite as all-encompassing as these other games, I will also defend why I think that is Ok. These other games are more of an open world / sandbox style of gameplay, whereas Uncharted 2 is a linear style. So if you could climb virtually anything, then more and more areas would have to be opened up, and it would detract from the linear style, where you basically, more or less, follow a set path. Now, I'm of the mindset that both styles are good for various reasons, but I think some of the suspenseful experience of the single player campaign for Uncharted 2 would be lost in a more open world environment. I really do think that the linear layout of the levels helps to keep the pace of the action flowing in a way that would be lost otherwise, and would take away from the feeling that you are playing a movie.
Now bear in mind that this game DOES bring some new things to the table that haven't been seen at all before. The big thing in this regard is the moving objects / environments under your feet. WOW…talk about adding an extra dimension to the gameplay! (On a side note: If you haven't made it, at the very least, past the moving train stage, then please don't write a review, because you really haven't fully experienced all that this game has to offer.)
CON - My one big negative thing to say is really just a personal quibble, that probably wont apply to everyone, but it still bears mentioning. When I had initially heard that this game was not only going to have multiplayer, but also co-op, I was thrilled. I love being able to play co-op games with friends. Then I found out that this would only be online, and that there wouldn't be any split-screen local mode. I was very disappointed over this, because it is very limiting in the multiplayer "experience" for me. I just really like to play with a friend(s) in the room with me. But regardless of this, it is still a game that is more than worthy of a perfect 10/10.
In closing, like so many others, I really, REALLY love this game, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who likes to play video-games. There are a lot of points that I haven't fully touched on, because they have already been discussed by others ad nauseam. So let me just suffice to say that It really is just such a genuinely special and immersive experience, that it fully deserves the hype and "must play" tag that it has been given.