Sony showed off the first playable build of Uncharted 2 at a press event in New York City last night. First impression: it’s damn pretty. The game is running pre-alpha code and it already looks much better than the original (which isn’t too shabby, since I still think it’s one of the better look current gen games). The shaders and textures are nothing short of beautiful.

While we weren’t able to see a levels set in the snow of the Himalayas, the game’s producer, Sam Thompson, assured us the new shaders and textures for the snow and ice will blow away the water effects of the first Uncharted. If that’s true, it’s going to look unbelievable.

While the first Uncharted was a great game, it wasn’t without flaws. Sony and Naughty Dog are looking to enhance the gameplay with more realism. You won’t need ten shots to kill someone anymore, which is a nice touch. Enemies wearing armor will take more shots to kill than those with just a t-shirt, so watch out for what people are wearing if you need them dead. The environments will be much more interactive as well. An example we saw was shooting a car until it explodes to take out nearby enemies.

On the story side of things, Sony wasn’t ready to give away too much information. However, they did share that Uncharted 2 will feature more story-related characters than the previous title. Nathan Drake will also be faced with more moral dilemmas to enhance the drama and allow you to connect with the character.

I picked the first Uncharted as my game of the year for 2007 and I have a strong feeling that Uncharted 2 will be a candidate for 2009. It’s still very early, but the game is shaping up nicely for a release this Fall.