The hype for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has reached an absolute fever pitch. The press is singing it praises, dubbing it the epitome of a summer blockbuster and regurgitating all sorts of hyperbole. It has accrued a ravenous contingent of fanboys that pick apart bad reviews (or in this case, those below 9.5) like vultures drawn to road kill under the beating desert sun. And of course, Sony is advertising it everywhere from obscure TV channels to the sides of soft drinks. It is usually the case that all these signs point to a critically overrated game. Resultantly, I went into Uncharted 2 bearing all of this in mind—hyper critical of everything it had to offer and looking for even the smoothest of rough edges. So in spite of all this, does Uncharted 2 live up to the hype? The answer is a resounding yes, though it isn't without its imperfections along the way.

Among Thieves picks up a few years after Drake's Fortune left off. Nathan Drake is hot on the trail of yet another unsolved ancient mystery—this time, he's looking for the ships that were lost on Marco Polo's long voyage home from China. Of course, things never go as planned, and Nate will be double-crossed, tango with psychotic dictators, and get caught up in a web of romance long before ever finding any treasure. Fortunately, the game doesn't try to preach some heavy-handed metaphorical sermon about the tragedies of war. Rather, it stays cut and dry the whole way through, reveling in its own simplicity.

What truly sets Uncharted 2 apart is the robust cast of characters. The lovable Nathan Drake returns as our spunky, every man lead—half-tucked shirt still intact. Uncharted 2 sees Nate go through some of his darkest moments yet, with the story actually kicking off with him covered in blood and unconscious on a train dangling off the edge of a cliff. Still, even during these times when his will is put to the test, Nate always comes through with his trademark bravado. Whether he's facing the wrong end of a loaded gun, dragging a wounded companion through war-torn Nepal, or even worse, facing an awkward situation between two former lovers, he always manages to come up with the perfect wisecrack for the situation.

Drake is a powerful enough character to carry the whole franchise on his back. Luckily, he doesn't have to—the supporting cast of characters in Uncharted 2 is equally well developed. Among Thieves sees the return of several key characters from Drake's Fortune and adds a smattering of new faces as well. Each character boils down to a stereotypical action movie archetype—you have Chloe: your provocative female co-lead, Sully: the cigar sucking old timer, Elena: the love affair from Drake's first outing, Flynn: Nate's rival foil character, and Zoran Lazarevic: the tyrannical and power hungry dictator. The interactions between characters are extremely well written and help the narrative avoid the pitfalls of your normal adventure title. Of course, the cut scenes are directed in a fashion that would make even the most esteemed of Hollywood’s directors blush, but the real treat is the in-game conversations—while you're exploring new areas, the characters will constantly be joking back and forth, helping to turn what would be a boring traversal segment into something far more enjoyable.