Just finished Uncharted 2: Among Thieves...

I sort of feel the same about it, but it's still one of my favorite games just because of all the varied and fun gameplay, unique level design, etc. Of course it's a standard story, but unless you're playing something on the level of The Last of Us (which, last time I checked, is incredibly rare), that's all you're going to get. I think much of the praise for the storytelling of the Uncharted series is in how cinematic is; as you said, it's very Spielbergian. They truly do feel like action-adventure blockbuster movies, which, I think, was pretty revolutionary for the medium at the time these games came out. 

I'm a big fan of the series overall. I'd rank the games: 2 > 4 > 3 > 1. The first is a good entry into the series, though I dislike its repetitive gameplay and am bothered by how dated it looks and feels. The third has some insanely fun gameplay, but isn't as memorable as the second. I really loved the fourth; it does feel a bit dragged out, but they did a nice job of continuing to innovate the gameplay. The fourth also probably has my favorite story of the bunch; nothing mind-blowing or anything, but it's a nice way to finish off the saga. 

For me, that's really where the game shines is in its simplicity. I love the fact that it doesn't waste time getting into the adventure and the epic set-pieces, which are some of my favorite action sequences in any game ever. Overall, I think it's a huge step up from the somewhat monotonous Drake's Fortune, adding new locations and new environments to test your skills with tons of variety, integrating puzzle solving much more naturally, gun fights are far less cumbersome and genuinely intense, pushing the system to its limits in the case of the beautiful imagery, and the difficulty curve is much more balanced, making it tough but fair to run through.

But yeah, I adore the fact that it lets me live my fantasy of controlling my own Spielberg adventure.
Like Raiders, the story itself may not be anything new or revolutionary, but what peps it up is the game's pure, unabashed enthusiasm and heart. It may just be a standard look for clues and go after the treasure journey, but I think that's really all they needed, and the banter of the cast, endearing character moments, and the thrills and breathing room in between each action scene do their job at keeping me engaged and make me want to keep going. I really love these characters, and I think Nate is actually better defined here than in the last one, his trust in others often seen as just as much a character flaw and a virtue, and that Everyman attitude that grounds him (an Everyman with enviable upper body strength, but never mind). But it's the likes of Chloe, Flynn, and especially Elena (the latter one of my favorite game characters ever) who really steal the show from under him. The Last of Us far outshines it in story, but what it does, it does really, really well. It's in my top ten favorite video games.

Im really curious to see how you're gonna take to 3 and 4. 3 has the thrills and the great character moments, but without giving much away, the story itself gets messy with how it picks up and drops certain threads at random, almost as if there were more to them that were cut or drastically modified just before release. And 4 I'd argue is the best of the series technically. It's beautiful, rich in character (it shares the same director as The Last of Us), thrilling (but in a more reserved way), and it also has the best villains. Even if it does drag a bit in the second half, it's still a great finisher. And oh my god, swinging around on a grappling hook like I'm Spider-Man has been out of my life for far too long!

Thanks! I know, a lot of people have said they're thrown off by/don't like the name change, I've considered going back to the one most people first knew me by. 

And I love all of the games you mentioned, though haven't played the Half-Life series yet. Heavy Rain definitely has one of the best stories of a game that I've played, and was surely a huge influence on films like Prisoners which mirror it in similar ways. The Batman: Arkham games, especially City, blew me away with their storytelling quality, which is actually much better than a majority of comic book films. So I can totally relate to being underwhelmed by the storylines in the Uncharted games, as I do feel the same, but it doesn't take away from my enjoyment. 

And you totally won't be bored to death by the third one! I remember having a ton of fun with it. 

Oh yeah, Hamill makes the series. You can't really compare him to Ledger, just because a voiceover performance isn't really comparable to a full-body one, but they're both perfect at nailing their respective interpretations of the character. The Joker's last scene in City in particular is easily some of the finest acting I've seen in a video game. Hamill's work is so haunting and bizarrely heartbreaking in that moment; City was one of the first things I played when I finally got into gaming, and that scene totally opened up my eyes as to what the medium could achieve. 

And yeah, I dug the hell out of Arkham Knight. The ending was something of a letdown, but I had a ton of fun with it. The story was strong, and I really appreciated the way they worked Hamill's Joker back in, in a very comic relief-y way. I also personally think Arkham Origins is underrated; despite its glitchy-ness, I had so much fun with it. 

Oh yeah, I heard about that Spider-Man picking up a lot of buzz at E3, but I still need to make it a point to look into it more. It'd be awesome to get more Arkham series-esque games that focus on other characters.