His friends and enemies are just as well-developed. Nathan Drake is a funny, self-deprecating guy. This is one of the rare games that I played without subtitles, because they move faster than the spoken word, and the jokes and dramatic sections work better when you don't know what someone will say next. Character interaction is natural, nuanced, and constructed in a way that actually makes sense. In some places, the silences are more telling than the words. Watch the body language and expressions on characters that aren't the focal point of certain scenes they'll react to what's going on. The net effect is a game that isn't as good as a movie-it's actually better than most movies. The conversations flow naturally, no one breaks character, and people actually have interesting things to say. This is the new high water mark for writing and voice acting in video games. That's what makes him great though we get the sense if we had just a bit more upper body strength, or if we read just a few more books, then we could do the things he does in the game.Īlso spectacular is the voice acting. Drake is an oddly human lead for a video game, even if his escapes do stretch the bounds of the believable. Nate understands the same thing the player does: if she had to ask for them, they wouldn't be heroics. "I didn't ask for your heroics," a woman tells Nate at one point in the game. So what does the game do so right? I'm glad you asked. Complaining about Uncharted 2 being reminiscent of past games is like tearing down Christina Hendricks because other women also have breasts. It's not just a good game, it's a game that makes you wonder why other games aren't better. On the other hand, this may be the best action game released in the past ten years. You could turn Uncharted 2 into a fine drinking game if you want to start yelling out where these set pieces and action scenes come from. At one point-and boy was it a facepalm moment-he solves a puzzle by moving mirrors to redirect light. He hangs out in environments that look like they were taken from the Tomb Raider series. You can point to a half-dozen heroes Nathan Drake looks and sounds like. When you get right down to it, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves doesn't blaze any trails.