Remember Crash Bandicoot, the lovable mascot for the then relatively unknown Naughty Dog video game company? Well, they've changed things a bit.
Instead of controlling an oversized marsupial to stop an evil scientist, their newest game, Uncharted: Among Thieves, places the player in the shoes of Nathan Drake, a modern day treasure hunter.
The prequel, Drake's Fortune, went down in video game history, selling more than one million copies within its first 10 weeks of release – which made it a part of Sony's ‘Greatest Hits' Collection.
In true cinematic fashion, the game picks up in the midst of a train falling off the side of a mountain in Nepal. Drake utilizes his acrobatic prowess to narrowly avoid certain death, only to collapse on the mountain from the freezing cold and a bullet wound to his abdomen. Naughty Dog uses a series of flashbacks to clue the player in to what led Drake to this moment in the plotline.
The game will certainly please the majority of PS3 players. Simply put, it's a blast.
From the interactive storytelling to a constant feeling of momentum in the game's plot, there's never a dull, uncharted moment.
Players will find themselves up all night constantly saying, 'Just one more chapter, then I'll quit,' and appropriately not quitting until their mother or roommate with a life inevitably snaps.
With 26 chapters, the game it is by no means short, but you will find the credits rolling within eight to 10 hours of game time. An online competitive mode adds shelf life to Drake's escape, surely making it a shoo-in to join its predecessor as a greatest hit.
Even with its average game time, there's more than enough girth to make up for what it lacks in length. Players will find themselves emotionally invested in the plot near its conclusion, as Drake hones in on the lost city of Shangri-La.
In true Indiana Jones fashion, Naughty Dog has surely made an instant classic.
Beautiful graphics, spectacular voice acting and a phenomenal plot make Uncharted 2 one of the best games on the PS3.
With the holiday season right around the corner, this game makes for the perfect present for the Playstation fan-boy on your list - and if you're feeling a little adventurous, even you, too.
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