Released on 16/10/2009

• Uncharted 2 Celebrity Review by Noel Clarke

  Better late than never...

  Noel Clarke is a BAFTA Award-winning British actor best known for his appearances in TVs Doctor Who. What many people don't know, however, is that he's also an avid gamer. So when he offered to share his opinions with us on the year's biggest games, we jumped at the chance! First up, the year's biggest PS3 release...

  So I’m shooting a movie and have hardly any time to do anything when Uncharted 2 arrives. Then the day I finish the film I’m on the game. Here’s what I thought...

  Uncharted 2 sees Nathan Drake return to the gaming fore with Naughty Dog’s sequel to 2007’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.

  His latest journey sends you all across the middle-east and south-east Asia, to discover the lost city of Shambala/Shangri-La and a treasure known as the Chintamani Stone. The stone happens to be hunted by the villain of the piece, an ice-cold soldier called Laserevic and his private army who believes that with the stone comes ultimate power.

  Mr lover lover

  Our hero, Drake, is once again a reluctant one, swayed at first by the promise of treasure and adventure, but later turned by the sense of responsibility of stopping an ultimate evil. Along the way, he’s joined by the bawdy Sullivan, the tougher-than-she-looks Elena, and by a one-time lover, Chloe.

  Let’s start with the looks of the game. Uncharted 2’s scenes range from lush forests in Borneo, to the war-torn streets of Nepal, to the glistening ice and snow of the Himalayas; at one point you actually become snow blinded, and all of this, amazingly without a hint of repetition.

  My favourite sequence involved being chased by a tank around a small Nepalese village, scurrying for cover and fighting past dozens of soldiers.

  The graphics are beautiful, expansive, and incredible detailed scenes regularly draw out, up and down to reveal vast backgrounds, monstrously tall heights to climb, and deep drops down cliff-sides. Drake’s adventure is truly epic. I’d say that the PS3’s graphical limits have been pushed by Uncharted 2. If they haven’t then god knows what else it can do. The sound hasn’t been ignored either, with emotional and sweeping orchestral pieces adding to the drama.

  The gameplay of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is familiar, featuring controls that are easy to manage. Whilst not as gymnastic as his rival, Lara Croft, there is no doubting Drake’s athleticism as he springs between pillars, ledges and crumbling platforms.

  Gunplay is also very satisfying with frantic changes between side-arms and main weapons, as well as scrambling for ammunition and grenades. A great addition here is the use of cover in firefights. Riot shields can be picked up and used, as well as corners and obstacles to hide behind; great detail has been put into this with moments like Drake sliding to low cover. My favourite sequence involved being chased by a tank around a small Nepalese village, scurrying for cover and fighting past dozens of soldiers. Your AI partners are all intelligent (a problem in other games) and a genuine asset in tight squeezes.

  Tomb Raider meets CoD

  The adventuring side of the game is subtle and forgiving, providing the player with several hints along the way about the correct path to choose. There is a very linear feel to the game, with one correct route through, but there is a genuinely huge pay-off at the end of each scene, with terrific cut-sequences which add to the storyline. Uncharted 2’s puzzles meanwhile are massive and require a genuine eye for detail and the use of Drake’s notebook where he records, scribbles and doodles.

  The storyline is gripping, starting with a trainwreck on a mountain side and then going to flashback, before leading us to his current state. The script is lively, with banter and remarks all adding to the characters.

  To wrap up, with its stunning visuals and score, massive set pieces, fun sense of adventure and gripping storyline, Uncharted 2 superbly surpasses the original. If Tomb raider had the thrill and excitement of call of duty modern warfare, you’d get and idea of how good this was. Who wants to make movies when you can play games?

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • One of the best games on any platform.
  • Amazing look, feel and sound.
  • Easy to get into – especially if you’ve played the first.

  

  • Felt like I wanted more, could have done with more hours.
  • Some voice acting could be a little better (I’m being fussy).
  • Now I want a third game. Oh the wait!

  Review by: Noel Clarke
  Version Tested: PS3
  Review Published: 05.11.09

  Noel's upcoming movie, Reign of Death, is due for release later in 2009. Keep your eyes peeled to the GAME website for more of his reviews!

  Published: 05/11/2009

• Uncharted 2 Review

  Game of the decade?

  At a time when traditional PlayStation brands have begun moonlighting on Xbox (see: Tekken 6, MGS: Rising and FF XIII), it's of the utmost importance that Sony's remaining genuine exclusives be of system-selling quality.

  That goes some way to explaining why Uncharted 2, sequel to PS3's first must-have game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, has been so massively hyped. It got a Eurogamer 10; PSM3 mag gave it a 21/20 ("Whu Tt Ff?"); and one member of our Facebook Fan Page even labelled it "Game of the Decade". High praise indeed.

  Being late to the PS3 party, I overlooked the first Uncharted. So with the sequel out and all that hype swirling ominously, I decided to do what any self-respecting reviewer should: I embarked on an intrepid quest to finish both titles in one epic weekend.

  Fortune's favourite

  Surprisingly, after 'charting' Drake's Fortune, I found that I wasn't especially looking forward to the follow-up. Despite the visual polish, rollocking Indiana Jones-style story, likable characters and an opening half that blended the best bits of Tomb Raider and Gears of War, Drake's eventual descent into frustrating trial-and-error deaths-aplenty gunplay had left me a little cold.

  Thirty minutes into Uncharted 2's considered, gorgeous and at times downright funny stealth-recon opening act, my preconceptions had been shot well and truly in the head. See, Uncharted 2 feels like the first game, but the level design is tighter, the gameplay more diverse, the script wittier, the characters more charismatic, and the deft balance between Lara's leaping and Delta Squad's shooting makes, arguably, for a gaming experience superior to either.

  As an adventure-platformer, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is up there with the best of 'em. Progress is linear, but routes are disguised expertly to provide a pleasing sense of achievement, giving the illusion that each environment is an expansive, cohesive locale, rather than an enclosed, purpose-built level.

  The locations themselves are also vastly more varied than the original. Yes, there's still mysterious stone ruins and dense tropical jungles, but also MGS4-esque city-wide warzones, icy frozen caverns, snow-topped villages and more besides.

  Drake himself is an agile lead. He bounds between handholds, swings across chasms, dangles precariously from road signs, scales crumbling buildings and wangs himself flailing over improbable distances, only to reach out a hand and miraculously stop his downwards momentum dead before ending up so himself. Guiding him is fun, effortless, and added to the level design, achieves the gratifying feeling of that you're solving one huge, kinetic puzzle, not unlike the Prince of Persia's majestic adventures in Sands of Time.

  
  
  

  Epic FAL!

  As a shooter, meanwhile, Among Thieves makes many pure run n gunners feel dated. It's not just that the cover system and aiming have been tweaked; nor the expanded weapon set which now includes more sniping options (I LOVED the satisfying scope on the FAL). It isn't even the way you can now hang and shoot, or advance behind a riot shield. Or the enhanced, QTE-style melee combat or softly-softly stealth options. Though these all help add to the sense of experimentation and sandbox fun.

  Nope, it's that Uncharted 2 packs this staggering gameplay variety into those levels, with those gameplay devices, and never feels contrived (with the exception of all those weapons lying around conveniently, which does ask that you suspended disbelief somewhat!). It's that the areas you'll visit are rich, diverse and teeming with detail. And it's that the set pieces you'll experience - from fighting an attack chopper on a moving train, to escaping collapsing buildings, to pelting away from a tank - will, just by sheer force of momentum , explosiveness and cinematic scale make your jaw drop. Indiana Jones has nothin' on Nathan Drake.

  Did we mention the production values? They're phenomenal; right up there with Killzone 2 and MGS4. But Uncharted 2 has something distinctive - its world is bright, vibrant and begs exploration, inviting you in with neon glows and warm oboe sounds, then switching up the mood with thrashing rain and a sinister sonic edge. The change in pace is just enough to give you a breather before the next beautiful, bombastic set piece, playing on your emotions like the best DJ sets.

  And that's just the singleplayer. Uncharted 2 proffers a full multiplayer suite, too. Like Gears, up to ten players can compete here in various objective, team and solo-based matches, or you can get three people together for co-op modes reminiscent of CoD's Nazi Zombies.

  Brilliant

  Speaking of CoD, there's also a perks system in place to have you purchasing new abilities and weapons in multiplayer - something which has roots in the singleplayer mode too. Each of the 100 treasures found here provides more money for purchases, which even extends to cool little 'making of' video featurettes.

  That's perhaps the biggest success of Uncharted; the way it cross-sells its single and multiplayer modes and keeps you coming back for more. That, and there's barely anything to criticise, aside form the odd graphical glitch, or occasional annoyance with the cover system. Oh, and very, very rarely you may die because a ledge you thought climbable inexplicably wasn't. Moments like that bring you crashing back down to earth with the realisation that, yes, this is still a game. But it's likely to happen but a handful of times across the entire 12 hours, and stands equally as a testament to how polished the rest of Uncharted 2 feels that it would bother you at all.

  I may have been wary after finishing the first game, but Naughty Dog's sequel easily put my fears to rest with one of the most powerful, balanced and utterly brilliant system-sellers for any console in the last ten years.

  Game of the decade? It's certainly one of 'em. Game of the Year? Quite possibly.

  

  Charted

  • + No other game blends platforming, hand-to-hand combat and gunplay like this.
  • + An incredible-looking, lavishly-polished, utterly jaw-dropping cinematic action masterclass.
  • + Multiplayer modes will have you coming back for more.

  
  

  Uncharted

  • - Occasional random deaths break the spell sometimes, reminding you that it is a linear game.
  • - The cover system has its irksome moments.
  • - It's a shame the Campaign isn't playable in co-op.
    
• Uncharted film gets new writer/director

  Uncharted film gets new writer/director

  Truly great videogame movies can be counted on the fingers of no hands, but we might finally be getting a good one. After much umming and aahing ? he'd been linked with the project before but apparently turned it down ? it now turns out David O. Russell will be helming the film version of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

  The maverick director, best known for quirky indie hits like I Heart Huckabees and Flirting with Disaster, will also be penning the script, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter over the weekend. Anyone slightly concerned about his apparent lack of action chops might do well to remember 1999's terrific Three Kings, in which George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg attempted to secure a cache of Iraqi bullion.

  Russell is known for his fiery temper, having violently fallen out with Clooney during the shooting of Three Kings, so it'll need a cast who can hold their own in an argument. No word yet who might be playing Nathan Drake, but Firefly/Castle star Nathan Fillion tweeted about the film over the weekend which suggests he'd be keen to get involved. For what it's worth, we think he'd be the perfect choice, though it's been reported that the studio would be more interested in Hugh Jackman.

  There's still a long way to go, however: the film's tentatively pencilled in for a 2013 release date.
  

• Uncharted 3 set in the desert?

  Uncharted 3 set in the desert?

  Rumours and speculation: where would we be without them? Last week we brought you a report that Uncharted 3 was looking likely to be revealed at the Spike Video Game Awards in early December. Now we?ve got a bit more ?news? on the subject - Kotaku?s reporting that the game is going to be set in the desert.

  According to Kotaku, Nathan Drake?s taking his platforming and cover-based shooter into the shifting sands, which would provide a nice counterpoint to the jungles of the first game and the craggy, frosty mountains of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

  Actual confirmation will have to wait until December 11, of course, but the new setting would certainly work well with the game?s Indiana Jones vibe. Drake?s a treasure hunter, and there?s certainly a lot of epic loot to search for amongst sand dunes around the world.

  Wherever Uncharted 3 is set - if it even exists - we can?t wait for it to arrive. Uncharted 2 raised the bar for cinematic adventures, while reminding gamers how good characters in a videogame could be. With crazy set-pieces, huge puzzles, dazzling combat, and great multiplayer, it?s well worth tracking down if you haven?t already picked it up.

  Uncharted and Uncharted 2 are PlayStation 3 exclusives.

• Official: Mark Wahlberg is Nathan Drake

  Official: Mark Wahlberg is Nathan Drake

  The Uncharted movie has been a Hollywood rumour since the release of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune introduced us all to the wise-cracking treasure hunter. Now, it looks like it's going to be a reality. Mark Wahlberg has been cast as Nathan Drake.

  The Boogie Nights and Funky Bunch star apparently revealed the news while talking to MTV's Multiplayer blog (thanks, Eurogamer) and announced that Three Kings director David O Russell would start the cameras rolling in the summer.

  "David is one of the best writer/directors I've ever worked with," said Wahlberg. "The idea that he has is just insane." He went on to suggest Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci will also be getting parts.

  "That's who he wants to write the parts for," Wahlberg said. "I talked to Pesci about it and I know David's people have talked to [Robert De Niro]. I'm obviously in whatever David wants to do but the idea of it is so off the charts: De Niro being my father, Pesci being my uncle. It's not going to be the watered-down version, that's for sure."

  This is all great, obviously, but we're more excited about the rumours that Uncharted 3 is going to be revealed next month. That one will star Nathan Drake as Nathan Drake.

• Uncharted 3 to be announced this December?

  Uncharted 3 to be announced this December?

  Who wouldn't want another adventure from modern day Indiana Jones-alike Nathan Drake? We can't wait, and it looks like our crayon-written letters to the developer may have been answered. Sony plans to announce a PlayStation 3 exclusive on December 12, and there are plenty of rumours zipping around saying that it's Uncharted 3.

  According to sites like Kotaku, we can expect to see a video for the game at the Video Game Awards on the 11th, with Sony making a proper announcement the next day. This is hardly a surprise, to be honest: Nolan North, the voice of Nathan Drake has already hinted another game was in the works, and platforming action masterpiece Uncharted 2 is one of the highest rated titles ever released, getting a 10 from the likes of Eurogamer.

  And last year, Amy Hennig, the series' creative chief, said she thought the franchise has plenty of steam in it. "Our expectation with Uncharted is that it can be an ongoing franchise as long as people want more of it," she said. "[Drake's] going to have lots of adventures!"

  If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can pick up either Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, or Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves right now for the PlayStation 3.

• Video Games Awards reveal games & more games!

  Video Games Awards reveal games, games, and more games

  This weekend saw the Video Game Awards rock the US of A, and while there were prizes, speeches, and parties, there were also announcements of new games. Lots of them. Here are the biggies.

  Mass Effect 3 is on the way from BioWare. The sci-fi sequel will see Commander Shepherd protecting the Earth from alien invasion, and will be hitting the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 somewhere around Christmas 2011. We love the first two games, so we're excited.

  Sticking with RPGs, Bethesda's unveiled Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the sequel to sword and sorcery classic Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It's coming out in November, 2011, but we've got no firm word on which platforms it's going to land on just yet, or what kind of epic fantasy story it's going to tell.

  Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro's working on a game for THQ called inSane. Aside from the fact that it's out in 2013, that's literally all we know about it from the reveal.

  Prototype 2 is on the way from Radical and Activision. The sequel to the superhero open-worlder features an interesting twist: rather than pick up the story of wall-crawling mutant Alex Mercer once more, you're cast as the man who has to bring him down. No platforms have been revealed, but the game's on the way in 2012.

  Finally, we knew it was in development, but now we also know Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will be hitting PS3s in America on 1st November, 2011. Whether Europe gets it the same day we don't yet know, but it's nice to know roughly when to expect it.

  But it wasn't only action and role-playing fans who have things to look forward to following this weekend's Video Games Awards in the US. Sports gamers are getting a few treats, too, with new instalments for the SSX and Forza series being announced.

  SSX: Deadly Descents reinvents the classic snowboarding game for the current console generation, although no formats - or dates were revealed.

  According to the publisher, EA, players will explore the story of a team who seek to be the first to descend the faces of the most treacherous mountain ranges on the planet. The team will travel the world to face the worst that Mother Nature can throw at them. From the peaks of the Himalayas, where the air is so thin that riders have to descend through the death zone at breakneck speeds to keep from blacking out, to the solid ice ranges of Antarctica, where a sunlit line is the only survival option when temperatures drop 50 degrees centigrade in the shade.

  Sounds great. If you're a driving fanatic, though, you'll be excited to hear about Forza 4. The latest game in Microsoft's simulation racing series will be revving up on the Xbox 360 in the second half of next year, and although details are scarce, you can expect some kind of tie-in with Top Gear, apparently, and some Kinect integration to boot.

• Scarlett Johansson for Uncharted role?

  We all know that Mark Wahlberg will be half-tucking in Nathan Drake's shirt when the Uncharted movie hits cinema screens, but now Empire Online (thanks for the spot, Eurogamer) is suggesting that Scarlett Johansson may be in the spotlight to fill the role of Elena.

  During an interview with the director, David O Russell, Empire discovered that there are a number of women being considered for the part including Amy Adams, who's just worked with Russell on The Fighter. "Oh I would love that too, I love Amy,said the director. "I also love Scarlett Johansson; there's a lot of great actors I think might suit. Hopefully, we'll see how it works out with everybody who are being scoped to do that role..."

  Russell added that he's spent a lot of time thinking about Elena's role, saying, "I've cultivated her quite a bit and I think I've added a lot of dimension to her so that's all I'm going to say. I love the woman characters and the more robust they are, the more robust the movie."

  Beyond Elena, rumours are flying thick and fast that Robert De Nero and Joe Pesci have joined the cast as Drake's father and uncle. Sounds like a big deal. We'll keep you posted.

• Russell: trust me on Uncharted movie

  Feedback from gamers on David O. Russell forthcoming Uncharted film has so far been overwhelmingly negative, many responding angrily to the director plans to make hero Nathan Drake part of a Sopranos-like family in the world of art and antiques. Speaking to website Slashfilm recently, Russell implored gamers to give him the opportunity to create really great film

  s far as I concerned, I very respectful as far as the core content and spirit of the game,Russell explained, ut beyond that it my job as a filmmaker to make what I think is going to be an amazing movie./p>

  eople have to trust that and let that go,he continued. here not a bunch of movies you can point to that are made from games that are amazing movies, that stand up to time as a franchise or as [individual films]./p>

  The man has a point. The Resident Evil films may have been profitable but few would claim theye compelling cinema. And, to his credit, Russell has done his research, playing the game and meeting with Naughty Dog Amy Hennig, who directed the original game as he pursued his own vision for the film.

  o grow a game into a movie is an interesting proposition because a game is a very different experience than a movie,Russell rightly points out. want to create a world that is worthy of a really great film that people want to watch and rewatch.Here hoping the firebrand director manages to cope with the abuse and make what could be the first truly great videogame adaptation even if it doesn closely resemble the game that inspired it.

• Uncharted movie loses director

  Uncharted movie loses director

  Uh-oh. And just when everything was starting to come together. If youe been looking forward to this new Uncharted movie that everybody talking about, the production had a bit of a setback. The director, David Oussell, has left the project.

  It not game over, but it a bit of a blow. Still, according to Variety thanks for the spot, Eurogamer the split has been friendly enough, and it was just a matter of creative differences. Sony is still eager to proceed with the action movie, and the team is looking for a new director.

  What isn certain, apparently, is whether Russell take on Uncharted, with Mark Whalberg starring as Nathan Drake, and Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci tagging along as members of his antique-trading family, will survive the transition to a new director.

  It a shame to see Russell go, particularly since he just picked up an Oscar nomination for The Fighter. Whatever happens, Uncharted will still continue to provide gamers with great action and adventure. Uncharted 3: Drake Deception is on its way to the PlayStation 3 on 4th November this year, and promises lots of jumping, shooting, and quipping with an exciting desert setting.

• Uncharted Collection on the way

  With Nathan Drake latest adventure due to hit PlayStation 3 shelves this November, Sony been busy collecting together the treasure-hunter first two outings. The Uncharted Collection will be available as of the 22nd of July, by the looks of things, and will offer gamers the chance to pick up both Uncharted: Drake Fortune, and Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves.

  That won be all the collection includes, of course. You can also expect an Uncharted 3 theme, and an avatar to go with it.

  According to CVG thanks for spotting this, Eurogamer Sony also working on similar collections for the first two Resistance games, and the Ratchet & Clank adventures Tools of Destruction and A Crack in Time.

  Both of those collections will also be out on 22nd July, the first coming with a Resistance 3 skin, and the second with a theme and a collection of avatars.

  As for new games in all three series, Uncharted 3 is out on the 4th of November, while Resistance 3 touches down 9th September, and Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One will hit shelves on 21st October. All of these games are exclusive to the PlayStation 3. Busy Christmas, then?

• Uncharted movie lands Limitless director

  Swashbuckling hero Nathan Drake returns to the PS3 later this year, and may still find his way to the silver screen after the proposed movie version of the critically acclaimed action adventure parted ways with original director David O. Russell (The Fighter).

  Russell planned to expand the story to cover a whole family of globe-trotting fortune hunters, played by Mark Wahlberg, Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. This deviation from the games prompted complaints from fans and an inevitable cry of reative differencesas Russell vacated the project. Now the delicious sounding Neil Burger has settled into the director's chair, following solid box office and complimentary reviews for his sci-fi flavoured thriller, Limitless.

  According to movie biz bible Variety, Burger was picked to write and direct an adaptation of original game Drake's Fortune after the movie producers parked to his new take on the pic - one that's more closely tied to the game

  It's unclear what this will mean for Mark Wahlberg's proposed starring role, as his involvement would have marked his third collaboration with Russell. Maybe Burger is eyeing his Limitless star, Bradley Cooper, as a potential Drake...

  
  

• Battlefield 3 holds steady atop UK charts

  Smash-hit shooter Battlefield 3 has retained its position atop the UK all-formats chart, despite a strong challenge from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

  EA and DICE's acclaimed action game managed to continue its blockbusting pace to see off Naughty Dog's latest PlayStation 3 adventure, topping the official GfK-ChartTrack rankings for a second week.

  However, second-placed Uncharted 3 was still able to generate massive numbers of its own, recording the 11th best PlayStation 3 launch ever, while far exceeding the debut of 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

  Third place went to FIFA 12, while the ever-popular Batman: Arkham City and Just Dance 3 rounded out the top five.

  Sega's latest Sonic the Hedgehog adventure, Sonic Generations, also cracked the top ten, slotting in at tenth place.

  Next week's chart will be rocked by the imminent launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which is likely to break more than a few sales records when it debuts on Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3.

  Published: 08/11/2011

• PlayStation 3 - The Essential Games

  
  

  So, you've got yourself a shiny new PlayStation 3. You know all about its fantastic online features, like PlayStation Network, BBC iPlayer, 4OD and more. You know about its awesome graphics and Blu-Ray player. What you really need to know is - what games should I get?

  Well, help is here! We've taken on the hard work and come up with our PS3 Essentials List - the 'hot half-dozen' you really need to get your game collection going.

  

  Action/Adventure

  SONY's flagship console needs SONY's flagship title - the Uncharted series. Since 2007 we've seen three adventures for Nathan Drake, the everyman hero whose treasure hunting escapades take him all over the world - and into all kinds of trouble. Featuring visually stunning locations and traditional action adventure gameplay like running, shooting and jumping, the Uncharted games are ideal for just getting stuck in and having fun while playing. Grab Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves in a special double pack, or jump straight into the latest instalment Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

  

  Shooter

  Killzone 3 is the latest chapter in PlayStation's signature shooter series. Putting a sci-fi twist on the traditional first-person shooter, Killzone 3 takes place across a range of locations from alien jungles, to nuclear wastelands, to outer space, marking a strong visual change to the usual combat zones found in FPS games. There's the usual single-player campaign and a host of multiplayer maps and mission-types to keep things interesting. Plus there's a choice of classes to play as and the use of things like jet-packs which put a new slant on the genre. And if you really want to, you can grab the first two chapters too!

  

  Sport

  Sports on the PS3 are taken to the extreme in SSX. A revival of the classic snowboarding series that helped launch the PS2, SSX presents players with an assortment of mountain slopes to conquer, and whole heap of tricks, moves and skills to learn, and playing modes that reward speed, skill and survival. While the single-player mode is fun enough, the online multiplayer works in such a way that you don't actually have to be playing at the same time to challenge your friends, with a league-like system that makes every race very competitive. If you're looking for a new sporting challenge, SSX is the game to beat!

  

  Sci-Fi/Fantasy

  The Resistance series was a bit of old-school sci-fi, an alternative history where alien race the Chimera had invaded and overrun the planet, thanks to a virus that turns humans into, well, more Chimera. Your job is to stop the Chimera take over Europe (in the first game) and North America (in the second and third), using a combination of contemporary and futuristic weapons. The alt-history setting makes for an interesting storyline with some fun 'what-if' scenarios, while the multiplayer options expand not only the world of the game, but also the fun you can have within it. Grab the first two games in a Platinum Double Pack and start fighting those aliens!

  

  Party

  If you really want to get the party going, you want to get the party singing, and what better way to do that than the SingStar series. The gameplay is simple - two people competing to out-sing the other... or at least trying to score higher than the other while singing, as actual singing ability is far from required to make this game enjoyable! With a range of games and songs to suit almost any age and taste, SingStar has proven to be one of the most inclusive and easy to play franchises to hit any console. For the ultimate in friendly competition, SingStar is the winning choice.

  

  Racing

  The Gran Turismo series has been a stalwart of the PlayStation brand for more than a decade, and Gran Turismo 5 continues the fine tradition of ultra-realistic driving simulation that leaves other racers in the dust. Like the earlier games in the series, GT5 is a showcase of the PS3's lifelike graphics and gameplay physics, this time incorporating realistic damage to your car as you compete. There's an enviable range of locations (26), tracks (71) and cars (over 1000!), and combined with the gameplay choices of career mode, arcade mode and online multiplayer, Gran Turismo 5 is the racing game that puts you on the right track.

  Of course, this list is far from definitive, but it does showcase some top games in each of the major categories of modern gaming. If you think you have a better champion for any category, or can think of a key title we've missed, please feel free to share your advice below!

  Published: 10/04/2012

• Uncharted's Nathan Drake to appear in new Star Trek movie

  Veteran videogame voice actor Nolan North, who has over 200 credits to his name including the role of Nathan Drake in Sony's hugely successful Uncharted series, recently filmed a part for the upcoming Star Trek movie sequel, and it's all thanks to gaming.

  "I just worked on Star Trek 2 with J. J. Abrams," he told Eurogamer. "I met him doing some work on Super 8 and he said 'We're doing Star Trek, you wanna do it?' And I said I'd love to. He's a huge fan of gaming and he was telling me how people just don't understand [the medium] yet, but they're going to catch up. They don't understand how amazing this technology is and it doesn't get the respect it deserves, but if it keeps making the money it makes you're going to see more and more people converted."

  North will next be heard in another of his blockbuster gaming roles, as Desmond Miles in Assassin's Creed III this October. Star Trek fans can look forward to the release of a new action game based on Abrams' popular movie reboot this summer. It's a co-op action game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC with players controlling Kirk and Spock through a series of missions.
  

• Uncharted 2 Among Thieves - Review

  
  

  

  Game of the decade?

  At a time when traditional PlayStation brands have begun moonlighting on Xbox (Tekken, Metal Gear Solid: Rising and FF XIII), it's of the utmost importance that Sony's remaining genuine exclusives be of system-selling quality.

  That goes some way to explaining why Uncharted 2, sequel to PS3's first must-have game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, has been so massively hyped. It got a Eurogamer 10; PSM3 mag gave it a 21/20; and one member of our Facebook Fan Page even labelled it "Game of the Decade". High praise indeed.

  Being late to the PS3 party, I overlooked the first Uncharted. So with the sequel out and all that hype swirling ominously, I decided to do what any self-respecting reviewer should: I embarked on an intrepid quest to finish both titles in one epic weekend.

  Fortune's favourite

  Surprisingly, after 'charting' Drake's Fortune, I found that I wasn't especially looking forward to the follow-up. Despite the visual polish, rollocking Indiana Jones-style story, likable characters and an opening half that blended the best bits of Tomb Raider and Gears of War, Drake's eventual descent into frustrating trial-and-error deaths-aplenty gunplay had left me a little cold.

  Thirty minutes into Uncharted 2's considered, gorgeous and at times downright funny stealth-recon opening act, my preconceptions had been shot well and truly in the head. See, Uncharted 2 feels like the first game, but the level design is tighter, the gameplay more diverse, the script wittier, the characters more charismatic, and the deft balance between Lara's leaping and Delta Squad's shooting makes, arguably, for a gaming experience superior to either.

  

  As an adventure-platformer, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is up there with the best of 'em. Progress is linear, but routes are disguised expertly to provide a pleasing sense of achievement, giving the illusion that each environment is an expansive, cohesive locale, rather than an enclosed, purpose-built level.

  The locations themselves are also vastly more varied than the original. Yes, there's still mysterious stone ruins and dense tropical jungles, but also MGS4-esque city-wide warzones, icy frozen caverns, snow-topped villages and more besides.

  Drake himself is an agile lead. He bounds between handholds, swings across chasms, dangles precariously from road signs, scales crumbling buildings and wangs himself flailing over improbable distances, only to reach out a hand and miraculously stop his downwards momentum dead before ending up so himself. Guiding him is fun, effortless, and added to the level design, achieves the gratifying feeling of that you're solving one huge, kinetic puzzle, not unlike the majestic adventures in Prince Of Persia.

  Epic FAL!

  As a shooter, meanwhile, Among Thieves makes many pure run n gunners feel dated. It's not just that the cover system and aiming have been tweaked; nor the expanded weapon set which now includes more sniping options (I LOVED the satisfying scope on the FAL). It isn't even the way you can now hang and shoot, or advance behind a riot shield. Or the enhanced, QTE-style melee combat or softly-softly stealth options. Though these all help add to the sense of experimentation and sandbox fun.

  Nope, it's that Uncharted 2 packs this staggering gameplay variety into those levels, with those gameplay devices, and never feels contrived (with the exception of all those weapons lying around conveniently, which does ask that you suspended disbelief somewhat!). It's that the areas you'll visit are rich, diverse and teeming with detail. And it's that the set pieces you'll experience - from fighting an attack chopper on a moving train, to escaping collapsing buildings, to pelting away from a tank - will, just by sheer force of momentum , explosiveness and cinematic scale make your jaw drop. Indiana Jones has nothin' on Nathan Drake.

  Did we mention the production values? They're phenomenal; right up there with Killzone 2 and MGS4. But Uncharted 2 has something distinctive - its world is bright, vibrant and begs exploration, inviting you in with neon glows and warm oboe sounds, then switching up the mood with thrashing rain and a sinister sonic edge. The change in pace is just enough to give you a breather before the next beautiful, bombastic set piece, playing on your emotions like the best DJ sets.

  And that's just the singleplayer. Uncharted 2 proffers a full multiplayer suite, too. Like Gears, up to ten players can compete here in various objective, team and solo-based matches, or you can get three people together for co-op modes reminiscent of Call Of Duty's Zombies.

  

  Brilliant

  Speaking of Call Of Duty, there's also a perks system in place to have you purchasing new abilities and weapons in multiplayer - something which has roots in the singleplayer mode too. Each of the 100 treasures found here provides more money for purchases, which even extends to cool little 'making of' video featurettes.

  That's perhaps the biggest success of Uncharted; the way it cross-sells its single and multiplayer modes and keeps you coming back for more. That, and there's barely anything to criticise, aside form the odd graphical glitch, or occasional annoyance with the cover system. Oh, and very, very rarely you may die because a ledge you thought climbable inexplicably wasn't. Moments like that bring you crashing back down to earth with the realisation that, yes, this is still a game. But it's likely to happen but a handful of times across the entire 12 hours, and stands equally as a testament to how polished the rest of Uncharted 2 feels that it would bother you at all.

  I may have been wary after finishing the first game, but Naughty Dog's sequel easily put my fears to rest with one of the most powerful, balanced and utterly brilliant system-sellers for any console in the last ten years.

  Game of the decade? It's certainly one of 'em. Game of the Year? Quite possibly.

  GAME's Verdict

  The Good

  • No other game blends platforming, hand-to-hand combat and gunplay like this.
  • An incredible-looking, lavishly-polished, utterly jaw-dropping cinematic action masterclass.
  • Multiplayer modes will have you coming back for more.

  The Bad

  • Occasional random deaths break the spell sometimes, reminding you that it is a linear game.
  • The cover system has its irksome moments.
  • It's a shame the Campaign isn't playable in co-op.

  Published: 04/12/2009