Uncharted 2 is enjoying stellar reviews, riding high with a 96 average on Metacritic and standing tall as the critical darling of 2009. In fact, the lowest score a critic could muster was an impressive 9, meaning Uncharted 2 must be damn-near perfect in every way. Unfortunately, my experience with Uncharted 2, which I played to completion, was not that of a 9-10 rated game. Quite the contrary.

Before I launch an attack on Uncharted 2, allow me to proclaim some praise where it is due.

Lush, Detailed Graphics

Uncharted 2 is one of the most beautiful-looking games you’ve ever seen. The attention to detail, set design, and tons of little touches all conspire to push the PS3 to its maximum capability. The artists and level designers truly delivered something fantastic.

Great Voice-Acting

99% of videogames have horrendous voice-acting by 5th-rate talent that would be better served by abandoning the acting and relying solely on subtitles. Not so with Uncharted 2. Here the acting is solid and lines are delivered with something akin to emotion, which is nice to hear.

That’s pretty much it for my positives. Now on with the show.

Great Graphics Do Not Make a Great Game
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Note: Before getting to the actual evaluation of the game, I thought I’d mention a couple things first. I have been a professional video game critic for many years, and I found the review of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra to be one the most difficult and complicated I’ve ever had to do. In the end I believe I have succeeded in presenting an objective and fair (albeit short) analysis of the game that meets the expectations of all of our readers: information hungry video game enthusiasts, value-conscious consumers considering a possible $60 investment, and finally, industry professionals interested in a critical evaluation of the title’s strengths and weaknesses.

But it was not easy.

I am a real fan of the original brand and am very familiar with all the cartoons, comics, and toys.  I collected and played with the action figures far longer than one could ever admit to publicly. I also have to confess to having a real desire to see the property continue to live on, as well as some very strong opinions about how to achieve that. But have no fear, the score at the end of the review is real, very fair, and relevant to every segment of our readership.

My first draft of the review was getting very long and attempted to critique the game separately for casual gamers, longtime G.I. Joe enthusiasts, and then purely as a interactive entertainment entirely divorced from the movie and license. It was nearly an impossible task and what I had was difficult and ponderous to read.

I know that most readers would rather have simple, short, and sweet though, so I tried going with that… read more…