Game reception and rating: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 received universal critical acclaim, receiving numerous "Game of the Year" awards. The first publication to review Uncharted 2 was the French edition of PSM3. In their review, they called the game "Long, visually stunning, deep and explosive, Uncharted 2 combines all the qualities you can find in a videogame, and more! A new milestone has been reached in the videogame history." The magazine awarded the game its first ever, 21/20.[60] PlayStation: The Official Magazine awarded the game a perfect score. In their review, they stated, "Forget Game of The Year. This is one of the greatest games of all time!".[57] The UK edition of the magazine also gave the game a perfect score,[58] and Uncharted 2 was later awarded "Game of the Year 2009" by the magazine.[citation needed]. Later, readers of the same magazine voted it the greatest PlayStation title ever released.[61]

Several mainstream press reviews praised the game, particularly for its graphics and cinematic quality. Hiawatha Bray, of The Boston Globe, said

...no video game has ever done a better job of capturing the style and rhythm of the movies. The action sequences in Uncharted 2 look as if they were shot by a team of cinematographers, then edited into a coherent and thrilling narrative. The game’s storyline is trite, but a first-rate cast of voice-over actors carry it off with flair.[62]

The Los Angeles Times review suggested the game would "fit better on a big screen in some multiplex", and also added that "Uncharted 2 is ridiculously immersive, so much so that you forget you are controlling the actions of treasure hunter Nathan Drake ... everything is done right."[63] In a review for The New York Times, Seth Schiesel described it as "perhaps the best-looking game on any system, and no game yet has provided a more genuinely cinematic entertainment experience."[64]

The game has a GameRankings score of 96.41% and a GameStats score of 9.6/10.[43][65] The game also received a Metacritic score of 96 out of 100,[44] making it the most critically acclaimed game of 2009.[9] IGN gave the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising its "stunning visuals" and saying "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is fantastic", and calling the multiplayer mode "one of the best multiplayer experiences that you'll find in any game around ... it almost feels like Naughty Dog has given us an extra game for free."[56]

Nevertheless, the game was criticised for some negative issues, such as lapses in the control system. The New York Times noted that "...its finicky controls can frustrate at times."[64] Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer found, "There are ... a few occasions where the platforming lets you down ... despite the feeling you were jumping in the right direction."[48] IGN described certain repetitive gunfight sequences as "a little aggravating" and complained about the "very linear" climbing sections, yet calling it a forced complaint.[56]

The game was placed 19th in Dengeki online's reader poll of the best games of 2009, making it the only western game in the list.