MINE IS BIGGER: Please don't overestimate the size of your gun; the other guy is in a tank.

PETALING JAYA:With stunning visuals and exciting action sequences, you could be forgiven for thinking that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an awesome action-adventure film instead of an awesome videogame.

I was watching an excellent film the other day. It had all the staples of a thrilling action-packed adventure, including car chases, gunfights, treasure hunts in lost ruins, witty dialogue, and a plot that took the roguish hero (and his sassy love interest) to exotic locations across the world.

In one memorable scene, the hero was clinging desperately onto a train carriage as it hung precariously off the side of a cliff. I was at the edge of my seat in anticipation of what daring stunt the hero would pull off next... and then I remembered that I was controlling this guy.

Wait, hang on, this isn’t a movie — this is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Drakes. Why’d it have to be Drakes? Nathan Drake, the action hero from Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, is back for another adventure.

This time, he and a band of fellow fortune hunters have their eyes on the treasures of Marco Polo’s lost fleet, and they’ll be travelling across the world to uncover its mysteries.

Unfortunately for Drake, he’s searching for treasure in the company of fellow rogues, so he’s going to find out the hard way whether there’s such a thing as honour among thieves.

The most striking thing about Uncharted 2 is the production values that Naughty Dog put into the game. The entire game looks like one beautifully crafted cinematic, and the characters are all played by talented actors.

If you’re a big fan of action-adventure films like Indiana Jones, then you’ll love how Uncharted 2 puts you in the middle of the “movie.”

This is a world where the men quip comedic one-liners as they casually mow down armed villains, forgotten temples are ingeniously devised death traps, and “archaeology” mostly involved escaping rapidly crumbling ruins with the treasure and/or the sexy girl.

The environments of Uncharted 2 — whether it’s a museum in Istanbul or the jungles of Borneo or the crumbling ruins of a lost colony — require a special mention as they’re amazingly rendered. The scenery is so beautiful that you can get lost in it.

Unfortunately, getting lost in the scenery is precisely one of the things you’ll do in this game.

Raiders that got lost

Exploration (or rather, exploratory platforming) plays a significant role in Uncharted 2, and while progressing between levels is fairly linear you’ll need to climb poles, sidle along ledges, race across rooftops and scale walls to get to the next checkpoint.

HE CAUGHT THE BUS: Does this remind anybody else of the minibuses that we used to have in Malaysia?

This is pretty standard action hero stuff so it’s not hard to get the athletic Drake to pull off these death-defying stunts.

However, knowing which roof you’re supposed to jump to or which cliff you need to climb is another thing altogether, and it’s quite telling that the game offers you hints on what to do next if it detects that you’re running around in circles for five minutes straight.

Honestly, I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve heroically leapt to my death in a misguided attempt at reaching the opposite building, not realising that the correct way to proceed was to climb down the protuding bricks that blended a little too well into the wall I was standing on.

Ah well, at least the checkpoints are plentiful, and maybe there’s a Suicidally Lost trophy that I can unlock.

Guns and poses

The gunfights are pretty much what you’d expect from a well-polished third person shooter, but like the rest of the game the fights have a cinematic quality to them.

You’ll be treated to memorable sequences such as when you have to run-and-gun enemies while a helicopter chases you across town, or when you have to trade bullets with baddies as you’re hanging off the side of a speeding train. Awesome!

EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA: The train served Drake some really bad curry, not knowing of the deadly gastrointestinal consequences that would follow.

The two weapon limit (one rifle, one handgun) is surprsingly not very limiting, as the game throws weapons and ammo at you as if it was Christmas and Santa was a firearms enthusiast.

That said, the shooter portion of the gameplay does tend to undersell itself in the initial portions of the game, as early on you only get the .45 Defender handgun.

Seriously, the only reason they’d give you this dinky peashooter at the starting levels is to convince you to try out the melee combat, which basically boils down to “press square button to kick and punch dudes and press triangle button to counter.”

The melee combat is well choreographed and surprisingly deadly, and often (especially when I only have that dumb .45 Defender) I’d just run straight up to a guy whose face I need to rearrange to watch Drake deliver a perfect uppercut in slooow motion.

Wait, hang on, what’s the lesson here? A villain that can casually absorb thirteen .45 rounds in the head will collapse instantly if a flying kick is delivered to his crotch?

Actually, that sounds like an important life lesson.

Solid Drake

In case you like a less direct approach, Uncharted 2 also incorporates some stealth elements. As long as you’re undetected, you’re able to instantly and silently take out enemies by, say, knocking them out from behind or pulling the unsuspecting saps over the ledge that you’re hanging from.

You’re given a few opportunities to practise being sneaky throughout the game, but don’t be surprised if a small mistake on your behalf (perhaps by passing gas a little too loudly) instantly alerts everyone to your presence, thus turning most stealth attempts into all-out gunfights.

Really, the sneaking skills (and the corresponding one-hit-kill attacks) you pick up in the single player game are best served against unsuspecting players in the online multiplayer.

Among online thieves

Uncharted 2 offers a robust online multiplayer experience, and if you’re looking for a bit of PVP then you’re treated to the usual variations of deathmatches and capture the flag (well, capture the treasure) games.

However, while competitive multiplayer is pretty fun, the main reason you’d want to sign on to the PlayStation Network with Uncharted 2 is to experience the cooperative gameplay. Here, it’s just you and up to two buddies against the relentless AI enemies. Ooh!

You’ll really have to cooperate with your partners if you even want to have a hope of completing your objectives. Whether it’s to endure the endless waves of bad guys in Survivial, steal the treasure in Gold Rush games, or rescue villagers in the coop story missions (which are tangential to the single player missions), you’ve got to watch each others’ backs.

I CAN FLY!: No, wait, actually you can't, Drake. But you can run frantically across rooftops as armed soldiers and their helicopters try to kill you.

Additionally, as if the gameplay wasn’t already enjoyable enough on its own merits, Uncharted 2 insists on rewarding you for the various things you do in the game.

You can earn money by discovering hidden bits of treasure in single-player, earning trophies and performing well in multiplayer games. This cash can then be used to unlock more multiplayer skins, Boosts (which improve your abilities in multiplayer) and various single-player bonuses.

Speaking of which, oh ho ho, on your second playthrough I’d heartily recommend purchasing the explosive RPG-7 from the bonus menu, and unlocking the infinite ammo cheat.

Take that, annoying enemies who gave me so much grief in the first play through!

Conclusion

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is one of the best action games for the PlayStation3 currently available. The visuals are stunning, the story will keep you glued to the TV and the cinematic action will get your adrenaline pumping.

Fans of the first Uncharted won’t need much convincing to play Among Thieves, as the sequel once again delivers all the thrills and excitement of a rousing action-adventure movie. (Er, I mean game.)

On the other hand, if you’ve never played a game like this before, well... perhaps it’s time you stepped into some uncharted territory.

Pros: Fantastic presentation and production values; the action sequences have cinematic qualities; it’s like being in an Indiana Jones-esque movie.

Cons: Early gun fights are weak; you might occasionally lose your way in the game.