Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

From there, double-crosses arrive on a regular basis, with enough alacrity to induce whiplash. The plot and writing are easily superior to almost anything playing at the local multiplex. Everything in the game is rendered with a conviction and confidence rarely seen in games.

Nathan is off on a globetrotting quest to locate a lost treasure before an assortment of villains do. From dank Moroccan caves to snowbound Himalayan villages, no matter where the game goes, the locations always feel germane to the plot. The gun battles verge on becoming tedious, as they did in the original, but this time, developer Naughty Dog seems aware of this issue, and almost always whisks you away before boredom sets in.

The developers clearly took pleasure in beating the tar out of Drake, shooting him, and dropping him from great heights, in the tradition of Sam Raimi’s sado-comic abuse of Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead trilogy. But the real triumph is the painfully real way Uncharted 2 portrays human relationships. People come together and fall apart in devastating, believable ways. The relationship between Nathan and Chloe feels both old—these two have a history together—and new again in an exciting way. It’s the sexiest, most convincing relationship in gaming history.

Of course, Uncharted 2 includes more typical things, like man-vs.-helicopter battles and the requisite number of explosions. But the character interaction and the superb story will stay with players long after they’ve escaped its final trap.