From the flurry of early (and overwhelmingly positive) Uncharted 2 reviews that hit as soon as the embargo was lifted some weeks ago came this review by 1UP.com’s Thierry Nguyen.  Thierry awarded Among Thieves an A+, the highest possible grade on the site.  More importantly, he made a point that I think sums up the situation perfectly: Mr. Nguyen compares Uncharted 2 to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise.  In fact, here is the exact section that highlights this comparison:

“For me, Raiders of the Lost Ark is the perfect movie. It doesn’t feature an Oscar-bait story about issues or feelings, nor does it feature a stunning performance from a mute Norwegian captured on 16mm black-and-white film. It just shows what happens when a creator with superlative skill applies his craft towards a genre he loves; Raiders is the ultimate mashup of action, adventure, romance, treasure hunting, James Bond, Uncle Scrooge, Nazis, and relics of Biblical proportions. Similarly, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the ultimate mashup of cover-based shooting, platforming, puzzle solving, sneaking, and character quipping.”

That’s a great way to think about it.  Uncharted (both of the games) doesn’t give us anything particularly new, but the mash-up of different mechanics that it uses, it uses perfectly.  This makes for one very exciting adventure.