I’ve been waiting for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves for about as long as the next guy (which has been since the precise moment I finished Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.)  The wait was excruciatingly long, the media teases were rough, and finally seeing “the helicopter battle” unveiled on that giant screen at E3 without being able to play it was pure torture.  Sony sent me a copy of Uncharted 2 last week and I’ve finally had my special “alone time” with the game but I’ve realized something over the last few days… something Sony and Naughty Dog aren’t talking about, but it NEEDS to be discussed.

Uncharted 2 is an amazing effort; it truly is “the complete package.”  The gameplay is varied, the graphics are detailed and top notch, the audio is phenomenal, the soundtrack is fitting of the game/movie/mood they’re going for, the voice acting is best-in-class, and above all… the fun-factor is there in copious amounts.  There isn’t just one or two amazing parts of the game, the single player game doesn’t only last six or seven hours, there’s no single hook it will eventually be remembered for.  It’s a long, well made, funny, fun, action-packed great time for the same $60 other games ask.  That… is precisely where the problem is though.

Sure Uncharted 2 rocks by almost any metric… but unlike Taco Bell winning the restaurant wars in the amazing cinematic adaptation of Judge Dredd Demolition Man [So much for fact-checking editors, LOL!] , Uncharted 2 isn’t your only available choice for gaming… there are other games available… Uncharted 2 wipes the floor with virtually all of its gaming competition.  I’ve heard others say it and I’m feeling it myself right now; after playing Uncharted 2 all you want to do is play Uncharted 2 again!

I can’t look at other games without feeling I’m getting a “lesser effort” from other developers.  I can’t see character animation from other games (even the good ones) without thinking it’s not as good as the animation system Naughty Dog has refined since the first Uncharted.  Voice acting in most games is laughable to begin with, but even good voice acting pales in comparison to what Nolan North (Nathan), Emily Rose (Elana), Claudia Black (Chloe) and the others have brought to the table with this game; nothing seemed forced, but delivered believably and often hilariously.

Naughty Dog, I fear for the short term, you’ve pretty much ruined all other games for me.  I wasn’t prepared for that.  Thankfully, you’ve delivered a commendable amount of single player, co-op, and multiplayer gameplay so I will get quite a bit of time out of the game while other developers play catch up, but this was an awfully ballsy move on your part.  You do know the expectations you’re creating for your next game, right?  That… way up there??? That’s the bar… YOU put it there!  Have fun besting Uncharted 2 Among Thieves…

I guess my next best hopes for a game that can stand up are with Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time and Modern Warfare 2, but even then… I’m just not sure.  Are we going to have to wait another two years for Uncharted 3? Ugh… I think I just learned why people warn you to be careful what you wish for.

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