Naughty Dog has tapped into that sense of movement, and made one hell of a thrill ride from beginning to end. For its entire history, cinema has been predicated on creating drama from movement. Usually that comparison has something to do with a game’s cinematic cut-scenes or voice acting, but in the case of Uncharted 2 it’s something much deeper. By now, it’s become de rigueur to compare good games to good films. It’s impossible to talk about Uncharted 2 without alluding to the movies. As much as Among Thieves is a rousing adventure tale, it’s also the story of Nathan’s redemption. Nathan’s still got plenty of doofy one-liners to spare, but he’s also someone you believe would have no problem snapping a guy’s neck.

He hasn’t quite gone the emo route of Condemned’s Ethan Thomas and started growing his hair long and popping pills and booze, but he has acquired the more furrowed brow of rascally prototypes Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds. His boyish charm is now buried beneath a crusty layer of old man’s cynicism. Nathan Drake’s also grown older since we last saw him.

Uncharted 2 among thieves