Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 has awesome graphics, a complex storyline, great voice actors, and high production values.  To hear all about those great things, check out every other review of the game.  But here's what sucks and ultimately brings down an otherwise top-notch game; 
 

1. Lack of Tension

 An early level in the game has you hanging off a falling train (it's depicted on the game's cover art, too).  What a thrilling & seat-of-the-pants adventure!  Not really, this event is completely scripted & you have no option but to succeed.  there is no way to die on the train, and no time limit.   Let Drake hang there while you get lunch, he won't mind.
 
 This false tension is a re-occurring pattern in the game, much like your average 80's action movie.  I love commando as much as the next guy, so why does the game still fail?
 

2.  On McGuffin's, Ruling the World, and Relate-able Characters

"We need to get the key to unlock the chest to get the talisman to present to the guard to get the bullets to kill the yeti to..."
"But before I kill you, I'm going to explain my secret plan"  
"sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads"  
 
Uncharted 2 has the feel of a story being planned around a set of levels.  It feels like the scripted set pieces had already been completed and the final task was to figure out some story to string them together and  It shows in the way characters follow the most nonsensical path and make incredibly poor choices.  

• The game's main antagonist has 'killed thousands' and leads a small army, but can't bring himself to kill one person who betrays him?
• How does all of this wooden machinery work after a thousand years just sitting there?  Does it run on a battery? 
  
• How does a small rock open up some massive door?  Why can't you just wedge some silly putty in there? 
  
• Why build a fortress that has a back door? 
  
• Why send your army out wave-by-wave, six men at a time?  
  
• Who put all those climbing grips on the mountain side?  
• Why would you build a railway where the signs are inches from the sides of the train?  What if some extra luggage were stowed on top?   What if someone put their hand out the window?
• If the secret sap makes the drinker so invincible, how come he can be brought down with hand grenades?  Seems like a lot of work all the power of a bomb suit...
• Why is our antagonist so intent on killing Nate when he's given 'the ultimate power in the universe!'?  Why not just leave & forget about him?
• The stone sounds pretty cool.  But have you ever seen a nuclear bomb?  It seems like a better idea to peruse getting a few of those, instead.
• The ultimate power in the universe and the Nazi's could only spare a squad of 4 troops?  They put more effort into finding Ann Frank.
• Did anyone check for Shambhala on Google Maps? 
  

 
Okay, the story has a few holes.  But Mario didn't have a great story and It was still fun.  Tetris is contrived.  It's the gameplay that makes a game fun, right...?
 

3. The Core Gameplay is Weak

If putting your shoes on each morning is a puzzle to you, then this game presents a moderate challenge.  Everyone else will find the puzzles mind-numbingly simple and boring.  
 
Shooting is bearable, but the regenerating health saps any challenge - harder difficulty levels just mean more time spent waiting for your health to regenerate, not more challenge.   Doing better doesn't reward you with extra levels or better weapons.  In fact, there's no incentive to do better at all. 
 
The only real challenge is when the game locks you in a room and spawns waves of enemies.  Fun...  
 

In Summary

My point is simple:  This is a VCR game.  There's little difficulty, no choices for the player to make, and no control beyond 'rewind' and 'fast-forward'.  If the story were more interesting, I wouldn't mind.  But the story is painfully boring and contrived. 
 
You could do worse, but you could also do a lot better.