Thanks so much for reviewing this, Sage, I've been so psyched about this game ever since I heard it was in production! I'm relieved to hear that it's just as good, if not better, as the first game...'cuz the first one kicked ASS!

I wish I had a PS3, I played this at my friend's house, and it is probably one of the best games I've played this year. Then again, the game season is just beginning, so that could change soon. =P

I am waiting for this game to come on my Gamefly. You have made me even more excited to play. Thank you Sage you are wise in all things PS3.

I do appreciate creativity and "originality", as you'll notice that I didn't use any of those words or any synonymous words to describe Uncharted 2. I said "contender for game of the year" simply because Uncharted 2 is a high quality game that I had a lot of fun with, albeit a game that cribs from MANY other games of the genre.

please dont be an idiot and put down somebody for having an opinion, especially somebody that reviews games professionally and has been revered for his intellectual approach to what he does.

Holy shit, I've never seen so much shitspewing bullshit in one comment in my entire life.
Resident Evil was not original, Fable was not original, DMC was not original and Black and white was original but failed gameplaywise. It's the fucking quality of the game that matters, even though originality is a big plus you can't base a game, and especially not a score around it. U2 is a awesome game, and does it have originality? Yes, no game has ever combined such a story(Indiana Jones, romancing the stone), with such presentation(Totally Awesome) and gameplay(3rd Person Cover and gunning/Platforming). Don't talk about originality if you know nothing about it.

...what?

got 100% of the trophies a day or so ago, first time i've ever gotten a platinum trophy =D and im glad i did!

Great reveiw man. I gotta agree game of the year quality.

incredible game. Yes, the gameplay is pretty unoriginal, but who cares? that doesn't mean it's not fun

OH SNAP! Bennet brings the thunder on Gasto!

You're confusing artistic quality with technical quality. Mario from a technical quality stand point is a pants shitting retard compared to Uncharted 2. It's running at a much lower resolution and isn't using any anti aliasing, depth of field, specularity, or any other effects Uncharted 2 is.

But Uncharted 2 is trying to create a stylized yet realistic world, and the real world is never going to have the contrast of colors and magical whimsy that Mario has.

So from an artistic stand point your opinion is perfectly sound, you like bright and colorful and though Uncharted 2 is compared to most games of the same type a lot more colorful it can't compare to the artistic license Mario's world allows. If it's not what your into that's fine, but the game is succeeding brilliantly at what it's actually trying to do.

Wow, you review a good game that's not on the 360 for a change?
I almost can't believe it.

Great review, Sage. This game is an excellent third person shooter and platformer, and I hope that anyone with a PS3 gets (or at least plays) this game. It's well worth it!

I very good review. It's good to have someone on this site that gives the PS3 it's fair shake. Though you are always fair with every game you review.

It does look like a good game, but I probably won't get it.

Yeah the game should be nominated as Game of the Year for how well the story is written, acted and portrayed. The level of cinematic immersion in this game is top notch and makes you believe you are playing a Hollywood action movie of the 80s. One minor observation is it's sad allot of people haven't played Cryostasis to see how you do an Arctic backdrop, to see how a room freezes and unfreezes were icicles fly and when you go outside you start to freeze to death and hear the wind. Also it's allot more scarier than RE5. But that's one of my personal and unappreciated games of 2009. Still Uncharted 2 has to compete with Batman Arkham Asylum for the title and maybe Borderlands and The Saboteur.

You're joking right? I don't want to sound like a fanboy, but Uncharted 2 is better than anything the 360 has. That also includes Halo and Gears of War. This game has already won Game of the Year. Trust me, play this game and you'll know why.

Looks like I need to go get a PS3...

I have to disagree with what was called the "anti-climatic" ending. I finished playing the story a few days ago, and it was like I was a kid again and I was seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark again for the first time. Yes, people, its that good.

To get into specifics, it's Onimusha with a jump button.

Yup, it's that part.
It's like you're reviewing a movie without seeing it.
You still have Angry Joe for all-things-360.

Just ordered the game . I'm super psyched. Too bad(or good) that the end of the year will be flooded with games. Demon's Souls or Brutal Legend is next... or Borderlands... MW2 is a must preorder.

This was a good review Bennett. However, I must disagree with your assessment of the ending; I didn't find it anticlimactic whatsoever.
I also didn't find anything wrong with the climbing; you can pull out the "linear" argument all day, but I don't see what's wrong with linear climbing. You want to look around all day for where you're supposed to go? Just to go off on a tangent here, I've never liked it how people complain that a game is too linear; if you like open world games more than linear ones, fine, but just because we have open world games now doesn't mean everything has to be open world. In a game like this, it would really ruin the pacing IMO.
Also, I don't think the multiplayer was the best addition to the game, but that's mostly because I've never really liked any game's multiplayer. It all just gets too repetitive for me after a while, and no one can ever come up with a new mode (and I don't mean rehashed CTF and Survivor modes). Although U2's multiplayer is good, I'm certainly going to be playing its single player a lot more.
Don't take any of this the wrong way, it was a good review, but I'm just stating my opinion (like you were).

I wish Blockbuster actually kept more than two fucking copies of this game at their store!

Seems like just about everyone loves this game. When gift-giving time rolls around, I'll definitely be getting this.

Firstly, Playstation should be ashamed that they haven't fixed their 3.0-3.01 update fiasco by now, especially with all the new games coming out.

Anyway, i consider this a must buy if you own a ps3. The graphics are really incredible; some of the textures are simply amazing like the scar on the villain's face, but i think the best part of the graphics is the lighting and use of it; no lie, your jaw will drop. HDTV ftw. The story is pretty good and i thought the pacing was fine. I think what sage meant about the end is that you end up where you expect you would, but it feels like a lot of back-story is missing about how/why it got that way. No doubt this will be in a sequel/prequel/or spin-off.

(Minor) Complaints: Some of the writing is pretty stale: "Payback's a bitch", "Karma's a bitch", "is that a _ in your pocket..." really? do we really need to hear these stupid ass cliches? There's a part where you "follow" a blood trail that makes absolutely no sense at all.
***Minor Spoiler*** There's a callback to a certain aspect of some dead bodies that has no impact to story/doesn't seem to make sense. ***Spoiler Over***
The game is very heavily scripted, to the point that it feels contrived, especially some of the later platforming. Also a simple silenced pistol would have made stealth play a lot better. But overall the good far outweighs any nitpicks i can find with it.

The game hooks you right away, and doesn't let up til the end. You have a feeling of bliss and sadness when it ends, that's what makes a great game.

Graphics/Sound: Excellent
Controls: Good
Characters/Acting: Great
Story: Good
Multiplayer: Great
Playstation updates: Fail

actually, I'd say videogame sequels being better than their original isn't THAT uncommon...

I'll look into this game.

this game is a must buy
I love this game its amazing