Insomniac’s Resistance 2 tacitly confirmed that Sony still needed a killer exclusive franchise in the vein Of Halo or Gears Of War, and now there is a growing feeling that Uncharted 2 could position Nathan Drake as PlayStation 3’s poster boy. We certainly hope so, because everything we’ve seen of the game to date suggests an even stronger grip on character and plot, exposing Master Chief and Marcus Fenix for the ciphers they so clearly are.

Naughty Dog is filling every moment with dialogue that reinforces Drake’s irreverent slacker persona, while adding new characters to keep the narrative fresh. Yet despite the incredible visuals, peerless animation, souped-up enemy AI, and an intriguing plot surrounding Marco Polo’s ill-fated journey home from the court of Kublai Khan, we have a nagging sense of doubt.

In recent interviews, Naughty Dog has suggested that Among Thieves will tip the balance away from the exploration that made the original such a breath of fresh air, and towards the sort of cover-based gunplay that we’ve been choked with for so long. We remain optimistic, of course – particularly given that the gunplay itself is immensely satisfying – but we’d hate to see Nathan Drake become just another homicidal maniac for the sake of appealing to the lowest common denominator.