Product Description

Nathan Drake returns in the sequel to one of the PS3's most successful exclusive games. This time, Nate teams up with new and old friends in a quest to find the mythical Cintamani Stone that Marco Polo had secretly gone looking for before returning home with only one ship and 18 men. Explore a variety of environments from dense cities to swamps to the Himalayas, mixing shooting with free-roaming adventure. And using PlayStationNetwork, you can even enjoy co-operative or competitive multiplayer modes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23 in Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Model: 711719812326
• Published on: 2009-09-30
• Released on: 2009-10-13
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .59" h x 5.39" w x 6.75" l, .30 pounds

Features

• New functionality including the ability to remain with your friends while matchmaking; map customization and the pooling funds gathered in different modes for use in unlocking content and upgrades.
• An game world layout that allows players to take an aggressive or new stealth approach to combat.
• Free-flowing "traversal gunplay" that adds a unique vertical element to standard 3rd-person shooting mechanics.
• Award-winning cinematic storytelling, incorporating new and familiar characters, as well as all new and varied play environments.
• A wide array of gameplay modes including a robust single player campaign and a franchise first online multiplayer modes including competitive and cooperative play options.

Amazon.com Product Description

Follow-up game to 2007's critically acclaimed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a continuation of the adventures of Nathan Drake, a fortune-hunter with a shady reputation and an even shadier past. Chock full of all the action, adventure, cinematic story elements and beautiful graphics that set the first game apart, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves adds deep online multiplayer options, including co-op and competitive campaigns, and a whole new supporting cast of characters, making it yet another must-have title for the PlayStation 3 platform. Drake with his crew. View larger. Online multiplayer modes. View larger. Cinematic, over-the-top action. View larger. Varied exotic environments. View larger. No action-stopping load screens. View larger. New stealth gameplay. View larger. Story In Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves fortune hunter Nathan Drake embarks on a journey that will push him to his physical, emotional and intellectual limits to discover the real truth behind the lost fleet of Marco Polo and the legendary Himalayan valley of Shambhala, more commonly known in the west as Shangri-La. In 1292 Marco Polo departed the court of Kublai Khan in China with 14 ships filled with over 600 passengers and crew. Eighteen months later only one ship remained and 18 passengers survived. Marco Polo never revealed what happened to these lost ships. Embarking on a quest to find the lost fleet, fortune hunter Nathan Drake soon realizes Marco Polo was hiding a much bigger secret - he had gone on a secret expedition to find the mythical kingdom of Shambhala and to recover the legendary Cintamani Stone, the "Wish-fulfilling jewel" of Buddhist mythology. With this new information Drake settles on a new course, following Marco Polo's trail through a diverse range of exotic environments. This quest also pits him against a new, more formidable adversary - a ruthless, rogue paramilitary leader with a private army and a relentless ambition to recover the stone for himself. Gameplay Although gameplay in Among Thieves is similar to that of the previous game, there are several major differences. The most important of these is the addition of several online multiplayer options. Unfortunately, no offline multiplayer could be included in the game due to the impact local split-screening has on the game's graphical quality. Thankfully though, the online modes included cover both co-op and competitive play. See the feature list below for details on these. In addition to play modes players can also expect a wealth of new gameplay features including a new stealth gameplay mechanic and altered climbing mechanic--both of which are extended to the AI of enemies; the ability to create cover by flipping over certain found items; the use of riot shields for defense and offense; and a complete lack of loading screens. Key Game Features Powered by Naughty Dog’s new 2.0 Engine Technology. Open layout allows players to take an aggressive or stealth approach to combat. Free-flowing "traversal gunplay" adds a unique vertical element to standard 3rd-person shooting mechanics. Award-winning cinematic story presentation. A Deep Single Player Campaign An expanded cast of characters who reflect different facets of Drake’s character, including Chloe Frazer, Drake’s current partner and new romantic interest. Varied and exotic locations – from lush, green swamps and dense urban environments, all the way to the ice and snow of the Himalayas. Unrestricted combat allows you to take an aggressive or stealthy approach to combat. Free-flowing "traversal gunplay" adds a unique vertical element to familiar cover-based third-person shooting mechanics, allowing you to engage in combat from any position in the environment – even while climbing and hanging. Introduction of new traversal and free-climbing mechanics allow Drake to navigate through the environments more fluidly and naturally. Gunplay and combat enhancements, including an expanded melee system, and a variety of enemy types with advanced AI routines. High-quality cinematic presentation of scenes, characters and dialogue, all rendered within the Naughty Dog Engine 2.0. Dramatic in-game events that make you an active participant in the cinematic experience. Full character interaction with dynamic geometry. Utilizes Naughty Dog Engine 2.0 purpose-built for the PlayStation 3; utilizes the PS3 technology to hit a turning point in technology innovation by recreating reality and capturing human emotion. No visible loading – a Naughty Dog hallmark – returns along with technology improvements in major game systems such as lighting, shadows, ambient occlusion, animation technology and physics, among many others. A Wide Variety of Online Multiplayer Options. Competitive Multiplayer Competitive multiplayer gameplay includes up to 10 players in heroes-versus-villains matches. Deathmatch: Up to 5 vs. 5 with customizable or pre-set game modes. Plunder: Unique style of multiplayer that encourages team work to transport a treasure across terrain horizontally and vertically over obstacles. Player boosters give you a variety of options to customize your characters to your play style or to provide an advantage over opponents. Co-op Multiplayer Up to three players work together in cooperative modes to accomplish set objectives with increasing difficulty and against special enemy characters. Combo system encourages further teamwork to increase a point total and currency multiplier. Weapon upgrades let you customize your weapons to your play style or provide an advantage over opponents. General Multiplayer Features. Robust party system allows you to remain with your friends in matchmaking and custom matches. Custom matches allow you to customize maps and modes which your party wishes to play. Currency gained in multiplayer matches can be combined with currency gained in single player missions to unlock additional content and upgrades. Character animations and environments taken from single player campaign maintain visual fidelity with no degradation. Gameplay and character mechanics identical from the single-player campaign, ensuring user familiarity and same level of quality. Headset support. Proprietary Naughty Dog Engine 2.0 network code captures a broad range of gameplay data for statistics reporting on the web and for functionality like Cinema, which allows players to watch replays of matches. Cutting edge technology such as cloud-based computing allows for scalable online infrastructure to provide optimal player experience.

Customer Reviews

Speechless...
I don't quite know how to describe how great this game really is...I just sat down for 15 hours straight and couldn't put the controller down until the end of the credits. This game combines everything and anything you could ever want in a movie, a game or any entertainment experience. Uncharted 2 has incredible characters, wonderful story, some of the best acting I've ever seen (Not just the voice acting, but the actual animations of the characters, their facial expressions), everything is done so beautifully I'm absolutely speechless. Among Thieves exceeded the hype in my mind, it immerses you in this incredibly detailed and lush environment, seamlessly bouncing you back and forth from gameplay to breathtaking cinematic wonder, and most often, combines them both at the same time. Just the attention to detail is astounding. I wish I had a better vocabulary so I could give this review justice but you should just see for yourself! You will not regret this purchase one bit, the multiplayer is even fun! If you own a PS3 and don't have this game, then you should sell your PS3.

Worth Buying A Playstation 3 for!
I'm sure if you're reading this you've already read countless other reviews praising the game for it's superb voice acting, mind blowing graphics, wonderful story telling, and it's riveting gameplay. I'm only writing this to enforce all of these things and hopefully tip you over the fence into buying this game immediately. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves contains almost every element that was in the first and improves upon it. For those of you who haven't played the first game it is essentially Gears of War meets Tomb Raider + Awesomeness all rolled into one. For those of you who did play Uncharted: Drake's Fortune you're all too aware of how short the first game was and I'm pleased to tell you that this game is substantially worth it. Not only does it last about 3-4 hours longer buy it features something to do when you're done, multiplayer. The multiplayer is essentially what you'd expect from Call of Duty 4 with and a 3rd person twist and several unique modes to shake up the formula. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is like buying a three entree plate from Panda Express. It leaves you completely full and satisfied and although you'd happily enjoy another serving of Orange Chicken you can leave the restaurant knowing you got what you paid for. Buy this game and enjoy it because although it's built upon the qualities of other games, there's really nothing out there quite like it.

Fall in Love with your PS3 All Over Again
It's been a couple of weeks since the bomb that is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has dropped. Did you get caught in its blast? Or have you avoided its fallout? If you have then I say what the hell are you waiting for?? Go get contaminated!

It's not all the time a game like Uncharted 2 comes around. A game that will say hello to you, then grab you by the neck and slam you around the room a few times, stop, then kiss you a bit and get you all emotionally connected only to take your lips 2 minutes later and tuck them between your legs and pull them up over your ass so fast it'll make your head spin right off your neck. Ok, so that won't literally happen, but if you were to take that energy, passion, climactic intensity, and overall jaw dropping action and crush it all up into one neat little ball of beauty, power, and downright coolness, then you my friend might as well call that little ball Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

You should know the story by now. You're the hero, who goes on a journey of personal fulfillment, only to find yourself in a situation where you have to save to world. It may sound big scale because it is. The way the game starts equals that of most Hollywood blockbusters. And know, that it does not let up.

From start to finish all you will find yourself doing is sitting on the edge of your seat wanting more and more. It has been said that this is not a game, but more like an interactive movie. The nail couldn't have been hit more dead on. The way the story rolls with sequences that take control for seconds at a time and are so fluid you don't even realize you're back in control of the character are amazing to watch. The timing of the action, the dialogue, the scenery, there is absolutely nothing small about this game and it let's you know that with every shoot out, car explosion and helicopter chase. The level of detail from a murky jungle to the ruins of a lost city, would be done no justice by explaining them with nothing but simple words. The character designs, not just the way they look, but their attitudes, their demeanor, the way they act and the things they do, all will leave you loving, hating, laughing and mourning with every step they take, every thing they do and every word they say.

There are moments where you're hurt and can't run at full speed. Moments where you'll be dragging someone around and you feel it in the way you walk, you feel the tense moments of trying to shoot someone with your one free hand. It's almost as if the people of Naughty Dog sat down and asked what would be the most over the top things to experience in a game? And amazingly, without a lack of polish, or quality, they managed to have you saying "no effing way, did that just happen?!" over and over again.

Now, being over the top is not necessarily a good thing. But when it's scripted moments that when thought about, you can actually see happening in the given situation, then over the top is definitely a good thing. Thinking realistically, the outcome may not always be the hero coming out unscathed, but then again, like I said, this is a Hollywood blockbuster type game. So don't expect anything less.

Now, as far as negatives go. It really is hard to sit and look for something bad in something so good. But being on the last leg of my second playthrough of this averaged 10-12 hour game, I can honestly say there is almost nothing I can point out and say this is a flaw. I'd love to sit here and say there is but there really isn't. The only solitary thing I noticed on my second playthrough is the issue of trying to take cover on a wall when it is right next to another wall. The proximity of the two walls make it a little difficult to attach yourself to the one you want to if you're not looking at it at the right angle and it can leave you open for a serious hurting at the wrong time. But like I said, that was noticed on my second playthrough so it's not even really a problem or issue, more of a gripe. Other than that there are people who will nit pick and say something wasn't rendered right or say that's B.S., that can't ever really happen, but when it comes down to it, as far as gameplay, mechanics, background environments, and story go, this package is virtually flawless. The flaws of the first game have been fixed and improved upon, the animation is on point and like I said, the characters make you feel like you know them. I can promise you, if you enjoy playing video games, and enjoy a story driven experience then there is nothing that will stop you from loving this game.

Now, as far as multiplayer goes, I've given my impressions on it before. You can find it here: [...]. And it all still stands. The multiplayer mode of this single player monster was always worried about. But in the end it turned out to be a solid piece of work that surprised a lot of people. It's fun, it's addicting, easy to get used to and full of things to unlock and use. It captures the essence of the single player experience amazingly well and you can't help but feel like you walked out of the store buying 2 games for the price of 1. The only problem with the multiplayer is that more than likely, by the time you read this, a monstrous behemoth of the multiplayer world known as Modern Warfare 2 would have came out. And no matter how amazingly great the multiplayer of Uncharted 2 is, there are few that will be able to contend with the likes of what Infinity Ward is going to bring to the online table. And it's because of that fact this aspect of the game will be considered a lost gem for online players in the near future.

Ok. You've seen the videos, you've read the reviews, and heard the praise. I'm telling you nothing different. Since day one I've had the pleasure of enjoying Uncharted 2 and couldn't be happier. I know this is more of a commercial than a review but it is so hard not to love this game, and even harder to find something wrong with it. Everything I've said is as close to the truth as I know it. There are honestly no games out there that I can say I've completed and not 5 minutes later, started all over again just for fun. The replay value is grand with 100 collectible treasures cleverly scattered throughout the game. Trophies with matching in-game medals that will net you money to spend on their little storefront where you can buy behind the scenes movies, and various items that you can use and apply to a very robust multiplayer if Modern Warfare 2 isn't your thing.

All in all Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is thee must buy for any Playstation 3 owner. Sure, you can rent it, just be warned that by the time you finish it, or maybe even start it, you're going to be wishing you didn't have to send it back and that it was all yours to play whenever you want. This is what gaming is all about. This is why I have a passion for my hobby. And it is the reason why I love my PS3 again.

On my rating scale, I give this experience a stunning:
5 Water Bottles Full of Pee, out of 5.... (that scale should be self explanatory)