Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Released 15 Years Ago Today

In 2009 Naughty Dog released one of the best adventure games ever, and 15 years later that game still ranks amongst the best.

Straight up I should probably let you all know that I'm a HUGE fan of the Uncharted series. All four main games, the Chloe Frazer spin-off and the rather solid PS VITA prequel. I loved them all, but there's no doubt that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves still ranks as the best.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the game that pulled me into the franchise. In the past I'd struggled to get fully engrossed with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune back when I got my PS3 in 2008 (complete with copies of Resistance 2, Motorstorm and Haze). To be clear the first title is still a great game (One that I actually find myself enjoying more and more with each subsequent playthrough), but on my first attempt, the close combat mechanics and early chapter design kind of pulled me out of it.

However, the second game upped the ante in every way, much like every sequel tries to do. Instead of an isolated island adventure, Among Thieves became a globe-trotting adventure spanning different locales and giving a great variety of places to explore. Add to that a fantastic story, improved combat and great action set pieces, and there's no wonder why the sequel shaped up as such an exceptional game.

Among Thieves kicks off proceedings with one of the best opening chapters in video game history (Even Star Wars/Star Trek director J. J. Abrams admitted it's one of the best he's seen). It sees Nathan Drake seriously injured, clinging to a piece of unknown treasure, only for objects to fall and the camera to pan out revealing that he's trapped in a suspended train carriage, dangling from a snowy cliffside.

This leaves the player to hurriedly scramble to safety along the side of the carriage, only to be greeted by a huge train crash, packed with soldiers lying above. Shortly after making his way through Drake passes out and we flashback to the events that led him to this less-than-favourable predicament. Leaving the player with a whole host of questions and just the one way of finding their answers. By playing their way through the game.

Thankfully Among Thieves wasn't just a game with a great start petered out as the game gradually unravelled. Among Thieves was packed to the brim with great set pieces, exciting gameplay moments and plenty of memorable moments that would keep players gripped until the credits rolled. Whether that was a helicopter pursuit atop crumbling buildings in Nepal, or battling through a moving train, with angles and hazards constantly changing throughout. There was never a dull moment.

The gameplay was a nice step up from the previous title too. Streamlining the hand-to-hand combat system, introducing an easy-to-grasp stealth system and more vertically designed levels, granting greater freedom in the game's combat encounters. The puzzling sequences were also souped-up, giving larger-than-life challenges and trials that would feel right at home within any high-stakes crusade. In short, it presented itself as one of the best treasure-hunting experiences available.

One thing that doesn't get talked about as much as it should be is how great the new characters are. The game dropped in some very memorable antagonists and heroes, including one of the series' best villains war criminal Zoran Lazarevic and one of Nathan Drake's old backstabbing friends, Harry Flynn. Add to that the introduction of Chloe Frazer, an adaptable thief who proved to be such a hit she returned in multiple adventures including headlining her own shorter, but tremendous spin-off title with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

Back when the game was initially released in 2009 it also included one of my favourite multiplayer experiences, delivering both impressive co-op and PvP game modes. The online components maintained the great core gameplay, which translated seamlessly, allowing for plenty of engaging multiplayer matches. Backed by a variety of well-designed maps, and fun game modes. Whilst it didn't quite attract the same player base levels as say Call of Duty it still managed to find an audience with a good amount of players that stuck around for a long time.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a game that did just about everything right. Even with all the technical developments since its release, the story, pacing and combat have continued to remain at a genre-high standard 15 years on. It's a big milestone to celebrate, and great to see a game that holds up so well this long after its initial release. I still find myself replaying the game to this day, and can't imagine that would stop any time soon. Simply put Naughty Dog dropped a masterpiece action/adventure title back in 2009, and I'm just happy there's another occasion that I get to sing the game's praises.