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ESRB: Uncharted, PAIN and more become Pinball Heroes on PSP

by Andrew Yoon { Nov 9th 2009 at 5:02PM }

*Not what you're getting.

This probably wasn't what fans had in mind when they demanded an Uncharted game for Sony's handheld. A series of new ESRB ratings reveals a new pinball franchise, most likely under the PSP Minis label, based on various first-party PlayStation properties. Pinball Heroes: Uncharted is the most noteworthy of the bunch which according to the ESRB descriptor, is based on Drake's Fortune. "Players use flippers to hit the ball around a crashed airplane, into silhouetted character targets, and off bumpers shaped like gold coins to score points."

In addition to Uncharted, other franchises will be getting the pinball treatment, including High Velocity Bowling, PAIN and Hot Shots Golf. Wait, no Pinball Heroes: God of War? That's a missed opportunity!

Unfortunately, no further details of the Pinball Heroes franchise can be garnered from the ESRB listings. We're submitting a few questions to Sony (like "how much?" and "why?") and will update when we hear back.

[Via GamerBytes]

Pepsi partners with Uncharted 2 for PS3 bundle giveaway

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 3rd 2009 at 6:15PM }

Sure, you could be like one of those tea-bagging Mountain Dew drinkers, clearly unprepared for The Ride of Your Life™. Or, friend, you could be a hero. A Pepsi drinking hero.

And that's exactly the choice that folks living in select states have to make when they go to their local supermarkets starting this week. If you dare to purchase specially-marked 12-packs of Pepsi, you could be 1 of 20 equally daring folks who wins a PlayStation 3 system and the entire Uncharted series (yep, all two games!). If not, you could be 1 of 200 intrepid adventurers who wins a copy of the most recent -- and most excellent -- game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. If none of those, well ... you should probably switch to Coke.

All the nitty gritty details are right here.

Uncharted 2 getting title update, Halloween festivities

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 2:30PM }

Okay, so our initial observation that Uncharted 2 would soon receive skeletal Helghast was a bit far from the truth. Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer recently announced on Playstation.Blog that the half-tucked title would receive an update which addresses a number of multiplayer issues today. On top of that, anyone who plays the game online during this Halloween weekend will receive a treat infinitely more sweet than a fistful of Necco Wafers: Loads and loads of (in-game) cash money.

Yes, the next few days will be a "Double Cash Weekend" for Uncharted 2 multiplayer matches. As you can probably suss out from the title, you'll earn double the rank-progressing moolah you would normally gain for playing the various online playlists. In addition, a bunch of Naughty Dog staffers will be playing this weekend -- presumably appearing as the crimson-eyed, skinless abominations seen above. We appreciate the work these folks have done, but following our strict undead infestation protocols, they must be purged.

Naughty Dog teases spooky Uncharted 2 image

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 9:52AM }

We figured that Naughty Dog would tire of its propensity to tease us once Uncharted 2: Among Thieves had finally hit store shelves. However, if the developer's recent late-night tweet is any indication, its still got a few surprises up its sleeve. The aforementioned tweet simply read, "working late tonight, got a ton of things that need to get done," and included a link to the unsettling image above.

If we were to wager a guess as to what those ... things are, our early analysis would be Helghast skeletons. Now, with Halloween coming up, the skeletons thing makes sense. Helghast, though? That's just garishly non-canonical.

Nolan North imagines Hugh Jackman starring in Uncharted film

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 28th 2009 at 9:20PM }

Who's going to play Nathan Drake in the upcoming Uncharted movie? Well, don't expect Nolan North to reprise the role for the silver screen. In spite of his stellar performance in the games, North knows he's not big enough to headline a big budget film like Uncharted. "I've done film and television and I understand the reality of the business," North said on the OPM UK podcast.

The frontrunner for the role for Nathan appears to be X-Men star Hugh Jackman. "Jackman is who I'd like to see. I think the producers would like to see Jackman too, because he has that tough guy exterior," North explains. But, Jackman can bring more than just muscles to the character. "There's also a lot going on behind his eyes. A lot of emotion and sensitivity on that brusque exterior, and he has great comic timing."

Oh, and he can sing and dance, too. Just in case we needed a musical featuring Nate and the gang.

[Via PushSquare]

Uncharted 2 exceeding sales expectations, DLC coming 'before the end' of 2009

by Ben Gilbert { Oct 23rd 2009 at 6:30PM }

With all the resounding critical praise that Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 has received thus far, it's good to see creative director Amy Hennig speaking up on the possibility of DLC for the game. "We're working on that now ... there will be DLC available before the end of the year," she told IndustryGamers today. Though she's not yet revealing very much on what exactly the content will entail, she did say it may include, "new maps, new characters, things like that ... some of it will be free of charge and some of it will be purchasable."

She wouldn't directly quote sales of the title thus far, but she did allow that the title is "exceeding expectations" and outselling the original game "by many, many times" -- a fact no doubt aided by the PlayStation 3's primary position among consoles on last month's NPDs. Hennig seems to embrace this head-on, referring to the confluence of events that lead to the current success of Uncharted 2 -- a hardware price drop, a handful of games being pushed back, and critical acclaim for the game -- as "serendipity." That doesn't mean the game ends in an expensive ice cream shop, right?

Gallery: Uncharted 2

Uncharted's Amy Hennig 'thrilled' by Nolan North's newfound success

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 23rd 2009 at 11:29AM }

Chances are, you recognize Nolan North as Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series. However, ever since the debut of the first game in the franchise, North has gone on to play a number of leading men, including the titular Prince of Persia and Jason from Shadow Complex. Uncharted creative director Amy Hennig admits that she's "thrilled to see people recognizing Nolan's talent and to see him getting all of the work that he can get and all of the recognition he can get." However, she tells Bitmob that she's "a little possessive" of North because "we were the ones with Uncharted who tapped into that talent in a way that I don't think anyone had recognized and done yet."

North will undoubtedly continue to find success as the charming "everyday" man (who happens to be gifted with extraordinary acrobatic prowess). Hennig admits that "Nolan's going to get typecast because that is his persona. He's a funny guy and has that easy-going, roguish charm." Yeah, charming -- until he throws you off a cliff.

Naughty Dog's Evan Wells: Motion controls will 'live alongside' conventional games

by David Hinkle { Oct 16th 2009 at 10:00PM }

With this week's release of Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog's Evan Wells is likely finding it difficult to catch his breath while being buried in praise -- praise which is most certainly deserved. In an interview with VG247, Wells offers his opinion on the impact of motion controls on the future of gaming and he even rolls his sleeves up and wades into the console wars, addressing the always present question of platform superiority.

In regards to motion controls, Wells doesn't expect the new tech promised to "supplant the traditional gaming controller any time in the near future," citing that there are just too many games that benefit from traditional controllers. He says these games "would lose something significant" when redesigned for a motion control experience, painting a picture of a future where these new motion-based titles are offered next to more traditional experiences.

As for comments that Uncharted 2 could never work on the Xbox 360, Wells stresses that a platform does not dictate a game's worth and "the differences that you see between any two games has much more to do with the developer than whether it's on the Xbox or PS3." He says that great "programmers and great artists are going to make a great game" and we all know Uncharted 2 certainly had both in spades. In the end, it's not like the Xbox 360 would benefit from having Uncharted 2, anyway. We all know two identical entities can't occupy the same space at the same time.

Uncharted 2 sells well in Japan despite unsightly handicap

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 16th 2009 at 12:01PM }

After Uncharted the First hit Japan with the force of a thousand baby chicken feathers, we didn't think the game's sequel would have much of an impact in the region. It seems we were mistaken -- according to a gaming retailer blog called Sinobi, Uncharted 2 sold 47,000 units in its first day at retail in Japan. Sure, it's not the biggest launch ever, but it's a huge improvement over the original Uncharted's first-day sales of 7,300 units.

Of course, the original Uncharted didn't have the massive install base and Sony marketing support that Naughty Dog's latest endeavor has -- nor did it possess the simply stunning box art seen above. Seriously, Japanese Uncharted 2 box art, we're gonna need that breath back. You know, that breath that you took away.

[Via Andriasang; image credit]

Nate Drake's origins to be explored in Uncharted prequel motion comic

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 14th 2009 at 10:45AM }

Ever wonder how Uncharted protagonist Nathan Drake got so darn pithy? Curious how he developed his Spider-Man-like acrobatic finesse? Want to know how he met up with his cigar-chomping partner in crime, Victor Sullivan? All these questions and more will (probably) be answered in the next piece of Uncharted errata coming from developer Naughty Dog: A motion comic set before the events of the first game, titled Uncharted: Eye of Indra.

The project was announced during yesterday's PlayStation.Blog live chat with Naughty Dog's Travis McIntosh and Neil Druckmann. According to them, the motion comic will be voiced by many of the actors from the game series, and focuses on "a prequel story that we eventually cut" from Uncharted 2. We hope the story reaches back far enough to show when Nate's mother taught him how to dress himself in such a slapdash manner.

Uncharted 2 Fortune Hunter Edition hits eBay, costs a (wait for it) fortune

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 13th 2009 at 12:15PM }

Wait, wait, wait! Tell us you haven't already purchased Uncharted 2 on this, the day of its release! Oh, you haven't! Great. Why purchase the boring ol' standard edition of the game when you could just as easily purchase the ultra limited Fortune Hunter Edition on eBay. Sure, it's $2,990 more expensive than the regular edition, but it comes with a dagger which will unlock ancient, wondrous portals to treasures untouched by human hands for a millennium. So, you know, the cost should be fairly easy to recoup.

Gallery: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Play Uncharted 2 beta, win Uncharted 2 Fortune Hunter edition

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 10th 2009 at 11:30AM }

You know what you really need? Like, really, really need, and you don't even know it? One of our kidneys.

That's what we're putting on the table on the off chance that you're the winner of Naughty Dog's latest contest -- the prize for which is one of the limited, sexy, leather-bound, dagger-infested copies of Uncharted 2 Fortune Hunter Edition. All you have to do to be eligible is play in the Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Beta this weekend, and you'll automatically be entered. They're handing out 10 copies of the special edition every day until the game's released, meaning our chances of receiving one are slim.

Hence, we offer one of our kidneys as an exchange to any potential winner under the sound of our voice. They're fresh, they regulate the balance of our electrolytes superbly, and, best of all, they're ours! Don't you want to put a bit of Joystiq inside you?

Uncharted 2's cinematic properties parodied in PS3 commercial

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 3rd 2009 at 5:30PM }

It's really difficult for us to write clever observations about any installments in Sony's "It Only Does Everything" ad campaign. For instance, the recent commercial for Uncharted 2 (posted after the jump) is already really funny -- trying to get a few cheap lulz at its expense would be a Herculean comedic task.

Regardless, we'll give it the ol' college try: Man, that guy's girlfriend sure is confused, isn't she? She thinks it's a movie! What a silly misconception. Oh, look, she's got popcorn! Man, don't you hate it when you eat popcorn and a piece of shell gets stuck in the back of your throat? That's the worst, isn't it? You're all like "Hacccckkkkk! Caahllllkkk!" And it just won't come out!

Yeah, we're done here.

Continued →

Meet the characters of Uncharted 2

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 3rd 2009 at 2:30PM }

Uncharted 2's release is only ten days away (unless you're Justin McElroy -- then you've already beaten it). Considering the Joystiq community's excitement for the game is palpable, we decided to showcase the various characters you'll encounter in the game. Thankfully, these mini-bios, provided by SCEA PR, are spoiler-free.

Click to begin the tour!

PSA: Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo is live for all on PSN

by Randy Nelson { Sep 29th 2009 at 11:30PM }

If you didn't pre-order, reserve or otherwise "guarantee" your day-one copy of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (we hear the game's pretty good!), your waiting to try out the game's life-eating multiplayer modes has come to an end. As promised by Naughty Dog, the multiplayer demo for Nate Drake's latest adventure is now available (albeit a bit behind schedule) via the PSN's PlayStation store for everyone.

If you own a PS3, it's pretty much your honor-bound duty to download it. You should also track down your pre-orderin' friends and prove that the head-start they got on you isn't going to help them in the slightest. (Insert diabolical laughter)

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]