European Uncharted demo arrives November 22nd

by Jem Alexander { Nov 9th 2007 at 9:00AM }

IGN has received word from Sony that the European version of the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demo will be available on the PSN store on the 22nd of November. Sure, it would've been nice if the US demo worked on European machines, but there are still conflicting reports surrounding the situation coming in from all directions. Sony's official line, as shown by their blog, is that it was a mistake and that they are in communication with Naughty Dog to see if it can be rectified.

Either way Eurodwellers only have a couple of weeks to wait for the official EU version of the demo, so it could be worse. Despite this, we're intrigued to see how Sony deals with the issue, as it will give an indication of how they truly feel about keeping the PS3 region free. We just hope this entire debacle doesn't reflect badly on what is going to be an excellent game.

Tags: demo, Europe, uncharted, uncharted-drakes-fortune

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tony @ Nov 9th 2007 9:17AM

Ah well, better than a kick in the beans I s'pose. :/

zao @ Nov 9th 2007 9:31AM

Well, byebye Drake.

I hate Sony for it's region policy.

Byron517 @ Nov 9th 2007 9:47AM

@2

Don't hate Sony for a mistake they didn't commit and also give them credit for trying to sort this out! You know Sony is really pushing this region free thing and its not something that can be easily done, I'm sure there's a reason for it and I'm sure you guys in the EU will get the Demo on the 22nd if not sooner just give it some time fellas! Believe me this game is something special it looks amazing!! The best looking game out period for any system!! Don't take my words for it you'll see it yourself!

Akamaru @ Nov 9th 2007 9:59AM

Wow. Some people's sense of entitlement is just insane. Europe was NOT supposed to get the demo. They circumvent that by by creating an online account with a FAKE ADDRESS and get all pissy when they can't play the demo? Wow.... just..... wow.

MGSteve @ Nov 9th 2007 10:03AM

@2 - LOL, I can only assume you're a 360 owner just digging at Sony, otherwise you'd know that the PS3 is a region free console, even the majority of Blu Ray films are region free.

As Sony themselves have said, it was a mistake, probably as they (Naughty Dog) didn't test the download on an EU setup machine prior to it being uploaded to the store. Its more down to Naughty Dog than Sony, IMO.

Akamaru @ Nov 9th 2007 10:02AM

@zao: Go get an xbox or wii and see how many region-free games you can play. Oh thats right Sony is the ONLY ONES who have region-free consoles.

Nice try troll.

SparkyJ23 @ Nov 9th 2007 10:25AM

If its a genuine mistake then fix it. If you wanna region code f-ing Demos then man the hell up and say so.

And why isn't is available everywhere anyway? English works fine for the UK you know. And unlike the US europeans are bilingual.

tomas_sharp @ Nov 9th 2007 10:34AM

@4 "Wow. Some people's sense of entitlement is just insane. Europe was NOT supposed to get the demo."

I can't believe those two sentences followed each other, ROFLMAO.

Richard Comegys @ Nov 9th 2007 10:40AM

@Akamaru:

Screw you, buddy. I am an American gamer living in Japan, and the MAIN reason I bought a PS3 is because Kaz promised it would be a global gaming machine. And now I download the 2.00 firmware and it tells me "Please change your language to Japanese in System Settings... Sorry, only Japanese language..." in that stupid infobox. Then I try to download the Drake demo, and with NO warning, the thing just won't run on my system. The demo description doesn't say it's only playable on US consoles -- for good reason, as the machine is supposed to be able to play demos from any region. And I didn't create a FAKE address in the US because I maintain a residence in the States, as well as a credit card, which I'm sure is what Sony really cares about.

This wasn't a mistake, either: A line producer admitted on the Playstation Blog that it's to give the US consumers a chance to play it before the game is released there. But the simple truth is, if the retail disc is going to be playable on all consoles, then there is no logical reason to lock the demo. Especially without a warning. This is really unacceptable for me as a consumer. This is what's known as a bait-and-switch in the business world -- selling me a product that is supposed to be free of borders, then throwing a brick wall in my way.

I do expect this from Nintendo and MS. They make no pretense about their region-locking -- but even on the 360, the ONLY demo that I've ever not had access to is the Bioshock demo (I was in on the CoD4 beta), all on a supposedly LOCKED system. And yet Sony bashes them for it, sings the praises of their region-free system, and slaps down this rule. (For the record, I'm well aware that Sony didn't make this particular decision, but the fact that the developer can look at where my system was purchased and says "No demo for you!" IS their fault.)

Jakob H @ Nov 9th 2007 10:45AM

It's crap, that they want to translate the demo, so we have to wait a longer time. Most in the Scandinavian contries actually understand English very well, and the same with Deutsch.

Maybe it has something to do with laws in the different EU-countries - I don't know?

Dru @ Nov 9th 2007 10:57AM

Comegys' right. This wasn't a mistake (unlike PS3 Fanboy just totaling disregarding that 10 minute post you work on and get the "you did it!" BS when you've put your password in and then you resubmit about 10 times only to wake up this morning and see it's still not there).

Wow...I digress.

Go read the blog for yourself:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2007/11/08/uncharted-drakes-fortune-demo-update/

It doesn't say anything about being a mistake or that they are trying to rectify it with ND.

gamingeek @ Nov 9th 2007 11:07AM

Sorry that our buddies across the pond have to wait 2 extrea weeks but trust me that the wait is worth it. This game is friggin' SWEET! A must buy for sure!

DEMAN @ Nov 9th 2007 11:50AM

I am inamerica and the demo and the game arefreaking awesome too bad u guys got to wait

Brian Spence @ Nov 9th 2007 11:56AM

That demo was HARD! For most games, that would have been a ten minute sequence, but I just kept getting my butt handed to me again and again. You can't just take cover and shoot the enemy from safety. The enemy WILL surround you, making your cover worthless. Tough game, beautiful graphics, great animation, really looking forward to it.

KiraXD @ Nov 9th 2007 1:41PM

@brian spence

yeah i set it to hard mode for my scond time through and ended up going to bed since i kept dying.. I LOVE the AI... The graphics are truly amazing... and no framerate or vsync problems... this game is truly amazing (omg the animations are the best ive ever seen in a game) Has there been other games that have "Wet simulation" on the character models when you roll around or trudge through water? its damn impressive. (and little things like the wrinkles in Nathans shirt when he runs or walks...)

In regards to the other regions... i believe IT IS a bug they didnt work out before release seeing as the languages available is vast.

MCX @ Nov 9th 2007 1:54PM

You know US always has to wait too. We don't get dual shock till next year. Some games come out in JP before we get ours. Its part of how things work. One day we might get to the point where we all get things at the same time but... we just gotta wait. PS. Cant believe how good this game is.