The Best PlayStation Game Every Year 1994 - 2024
16. 2009 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
If MGS4 is one of the games that defines the PS3, then Uncharted is no doubt the series. Naughty Dog’s new leading man Nathan Drake became something of a mascot for the system.
All three of the PS3 instalments were critically lauded but Uncharted 2 had that extra spark of magic; a transitional moment where you could feel the studio finding the franchise’s identity. Two of the three main elements of Uncharted’s action movie gameplay - shooting galleries and exploration - rotated at the perfect pace, both with improvements over the original.
Climbing now felt as fluid as it looked, whether at your own speed or as the world fell down around you and the locational variety kept exploration interesting. There was a tremendous flow and pacing to the experience, punctuated by its biggest moments.
And these were the final piece of the puzzle; the action setpieces are where Uncharted 2 really changed the game. Spectacles were not only visually stunning but, since the player retained control, summoned a remarkable sense of danger and immediacy. Climbing across a moving train and fighting enemies atop a convoy of jeeps felt like the next generation had arrived, and set a precedent for the series to go bigger every time.
Not only was Among Thieves the standout of Drake’s adventures on the PS3, it was one of the best single-player campaigns of the generation.