Uncharted 2 Confirmed

[Gorvi]

Uncharted is definitely one of the best games on the PS3, and to many, one of the best games of 2007, period. Well, for those of us that really loved the game, here's some good news from Naughty Dog Co-President Christophe Balestra in an interview with French news channel TF1 (via Playfuls.com (http://www.playfuls.com/news_12054_Uncharted_Drakes_Fortune_2_finally_conf irmed_100.html)):
TF1: At the end of the creation of a game, are there any "feeling-blue" moods?

CB: No, because I came to talk about Uncharted in France. I think that the game has a profound side at the history level which might appeal [to European gamers]. And after all, we're soon going to start working at the sequel. For that we need to sit back for a while and look at the game from a different perspective, in order to see in which direction we're going to push it. But the world is there, it's rich... So there's plenty of space for a new passionate title. Even better [than the first one].
While they've hinted at the fact that Uncharted was meant to be a franchise since before the game came out, it's nice to know that work will begin on a sequel soon

[Deadend]

'08 or '09? I am guessing '09 for it to be GREAT.

[Gorvi]

'08 or '09? I am guessing '09 for it to be GREAT.
You'd think it would have to be '09. I know Insomniac has been able to turn out a yearly game and still maintain high quality, but not many devs can do that. I'd rather they take their time, improve on the engine, and make a kick ass sequel.

Of course, they're still rumored to be working on a Jak game too.

[Mr.Green]

A little less gun-play and a little more puzzle solving/exploration would be nice. If I'm still going to play the sequel with my girlfriend, that is. :)

It's definitely on my 2007 top 10. Good news!

[Deadend]

You'd think it would have to be '09. I know Insomniac has been able to turn out a yearly game and still maintain high quality, but not many devs can do that. I'd rather they take their time, improve on the engine, and make a kick ass sequel.

Of course, they're still rumored to be working on a Jak game too.

I think they COULD pull it off for 2008, but it would not be as good of a game. The Jak games had a large world, cutscenes, but the gameplay was not as heavily script reliant as Uncharted is. Which is why I think 2 years to make a whole new game of Uncharted caliber.

[Gorvi]

I think they COULD pull it off for 2008, but it would not be as good of a game. The Jak games had a large world, cutscenes, but the gameplay was not as heavily script reliant as Uncharted is. Which is why I think 2 years to make a whole new game of Uncharted caliber.
Oh, I agree completely. I'd like to see them do a lot more with it, and there just wouldn't be the time to do that in only 1 year.

[51|RandoM]

Could be some overlap in the schedules of Uncharted 1 and 2, so it may not be safe to assume holidays 2008 is too soon.

Lately, sequels for console games have been more like expansion packs than full sequels. Same engines with a few tweaks and a new campaign/storyline.

I'd be fine with Uncharted 2 going that route and showing up earlier than expected, just like I'd be happy with getting a good Indiana Jones movie earlier than expected.

[TrackZero]

Original IP getting a sequel? God no! /sarcasm

For everyone complaining about the 360s lineup for 2k8 having too many sequels, let this article make a point for you. No one is above sequels, no one.

[Gorvi]

Original IP getting a sequel? God no! /sarcasm

For everyone complaining about the 360s lineup for 2k8 having too many sequels, let this article make a point for you. No one is above sequels, no one.
Who complained about the 360 having too many sequels? Hell, sequels to games we loved are the reasons we buy most consoles in the first place?

[TrackZero]

Who complained about the 360 having too many sequels? Hell, sequels to games we loved are the reasons we buy most consoles in the first place?

Go check the 2k8 360 news post. ;)

[Gorvi]

Go check the 2k8 360 news post. ;)
Ah, ok. Some people are never happy. ;)

[TrackZero]

Ah, ok. Some people are never happy. ;)

Indeed. On topic, good post, I'm glad they're making a sequel to this and not jumping off immediately to some other project.

[The Iron Weasel]

I need a PS3 so I can play Uncharted. Over summer I'm buying one for sure. Its eating away at me that I can't play this.

[digitalErich]

I've rather have a next gen Jack and Daxter.

[KingGorilla]

Was it an interview somewhere, or maybe just the rampant expectation of sequel-itis, but I swear Naughty Dog already said that there will be a sequel for sure.

[Lutheran]

The game is great and deserves to sell a lot of copies , can't wait for the sequel.

[Sonic Wang]

I can't understand why everyone drools over this game.
IMO: It's gunplay, which is most of the game, is some of the worst i've ever experienced. Obviously trying to copy Gears, but failing. There was so much potential for an awesome Tomb Raider like experience, but instead it's a simple linear game with boring platforming (PoP is king here) and frustrating firefights. Also with all Naughty Dog's boasting, the ingame animations simply ended up looking a mess (esspecially the platforming anims), Assassin's Creed's animations were far more impressive and realistic.

[Chameleo]

they could do a sequel in a year if they just used the same engine/graphics/effects ... just left the game engine exactly the same and built a new game around it. sure it'd seem like an expansion, but with good story-telling and action - it'd be just as fun as the first.

[KidCactus]

Was it an interview somewhere, or maybe just the rampant expectation of sequel-itis, but I swear Naughty Dog already said that there will be a sequel for sure.
From a Q&A on Three Speech (http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=766), with Evan Wells from Naughty Dog December 6:

Are you considering a sequel? There are more treasures to be found out there after all. Perhaps some in old Italian cities, like Venice.

We developed Uncharted as a franchise. The pulp action/adventure genre lends itself perfectly to serialization and continued episodes which is one of the reasons we were attracted to it. Right now we are brainstorming on what Naughty Dog’s next project will be, but even if we don’t do an Uncharted sequel right away, you can pretty much count on us doing one in the near future.

[51|RandoM]

I can't understand why everyone drools over this game.

Probably because you played a different Uncharted than the people who liked the game did. At least it seems that way from your description. :D

[Purple Santa]

Probably because you played a different Uncharted than the people who liked the game did. At least it seems that way from your description. :D

Maybe he bought the Wii version ;)

[Chainblast]

Uncharted was definitely one of the best games of 2007 and my personal favorite for best PS3 game of 2007. It doesn't really offer anything new but what it does it does really well. Innovative or not it's probably one of the funnest games I've played in a long time, and sequel is more than welcomed.

[Maskatron]

Probably because you played a different Uncharted than the people who liked the game did. At least it seems that way from your description. :D

No kidding. It's like he took the best parts of the game, and then went all contrarian. The control in this game is pretty much perfect. Very, very polished. And the animation is certainly above average. If it's not as good as Assasins Creed, big deal (I haven't played AC yet so I can't really comment how awesome it is).

[KidCactus]

Innovative or not it's probably one of the funnest games I've played in a long time, and sequel is more than welcomed.
That is what makes this game so great in my opinion too; I actually had pure simple fun while playing it.

[Phades]

This is excellent news. I haven't quite finished it just yet I'm at the point...
just after where the creatures start attacking you and Eddie and you find the old abandoned Nazi station

I think I'm near the end and from what I've played so far this is the best game I've played in a long time. I'm more of a single player guy and I've honestly enjoyed the single player experience of this game more than anything this year except perhaps for Orange Box and that's only because I had never played Half-Life 2. The action is smooth and fun, the puzzles easy but entertaining, and the story and acting are great. This is without even mentioning the graphics or sound which are both fantastic. This might be the best looking game I've ever played.

[karak]

Awesome. I thought the first was "really" boring and I think that it has incredible room to grow. Graphically steller but boring/frustrating/uneventful for me in all other ways. I am stoked for a sequel because unlike most, the subject matter is actually somewhat interesting to me, versus a Space Marine or big boobed chick everytime. I will check this out for sure.
You can almost feel that even if this game sold 1 copy they would make a sequel. Something about it really screamed that they wanted it to be a franchise. I think the second one has a much better chance of hitting it big. Good stuff.

[Sonic Wang]

No, no. It was the proper game, Uncharted: Drake's Fourtune for Playstation 3. Says it on the box :p

Positively, the cutscenes were great, but everything else screamed average to bad, to me. Animation wise, it was very average to downright poor, especially when platforming (too snappy, too quick and as such the weight transference looked wrong). As an animator myself, maybe i'm just more critical.
I was mostly expecting something like adventuring, treasure hunting, solving puzzles with a bit of simple gunplay. What i got was extremely linear (although very beautiful) levels, straightforward and rather dull platforming (no one has ever managed to match Prince of Persia's platforming) and downright frustrating and repetitive gun play. There was never enough ammo, enemies would come from all directions, they were far too accurate far too frequently, bad weapon balancing (the AK47 was a weak piece of crap, and the best is probably the pistol), enemies take a dozen hits to the chest before finally collapsing, the pain animations made retargeting and consecutive hits too hard to pull off, aiming felt really bad (like so many other playstation shooters. CoD4 is the only shooter i've played that felt extraordinary on the Playstation) and the cover system was poorly set up. It's obvious Gears of War was the inspiration behind it's shooter mechanic, but it simply is no where near as well designed.

That's why I, personally, didn't like it. If the sequel tightens up my complaints, then i'll definitely give it a go but since the current one is so pleasing to most people, i doubt they will.

[Johan]

Who complained about the 360 having too many sequels? Hell, sequels to games we loved are the reasons we buy most consoles in the first place?

I for one did, though in an extremely muted fashion:

Sabotage looks extremely interesting to me. None of them are so exciting that I can't wait and get them cheaper several months down the line from their release.

Not enough original stuff, honestly. Lots of licensed games and sequels.

As for Uncharted, that is perhaps the only game on the PS3 that tempts me to buy the system...almost a system-seller for me. Almost! :) I just can't justify another system (I have a 360, DS x 2, PC, and some older systems) when I have games on the shelf for each of the systems I currently own that are unplayed, and others unpurchased that I want to play. For me, buying another system would be like grabbing another menu from another restaurant when I have a table full of food and dozens of other entrees that I haven't had a chance to try yet!!

[Kamalot]

While they've hinted at the fact that Uncharted was meant to be a franchise since before the game came out, it's nice to know that work will begin on a sequel soon
According to Sony's ThreeSpeech blog, work on Uncharted 2 had begun (http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=776) as early as mid-December 2007. But when we look into our crystal ball, what will happen towards the end of 2008 is less clear. Naturally, as the year progresses, we will become aware of new PS3 intellectual properties which are, as yet, being kept under wraps – naturally we’ll bring you the first reports about such things. And there is every possibility that news will emerge of new versions of existing PS3 IPs – we know, for example, that God of War III and a sequel to Uncharted are being worked on but, not, as yet, whether they will arrive in 2008. Plus, of course, we can look forward to new versions of those hardy third-party perennials that are updated every year. You may have felt the pain of 2007 – but it won’t be long before you forget all about that in 2008.

[Gorvi]

I for one did, though in an extremely muted fashion:
Yeah, I'd like to see more original stuff too, I just don't mind the sequels either. I used to actually seek out books that were part of a series because I enjoyed the serialized nature of them.
As for Uncharted, that is perhaps the only game on the PS3 that tempts me to buy the system...almost a system-seller for me. Almost! :) I just can't justify another system (I have a 360, DS x 2, PC, and some older systems) when I have games on the shelf for each of the systems I currently own that are unplayed, and others unpurchased that I want to play. For me, buying another system would be like grabbing another menu from another restaurant when I have a table full of food and dozens of other entrees that I haven't had a chance to try yet!!
Hey, I don't blame you. Right now I find myself sitting on pretty much every system out there (other than a gaming PC), and I know there are a lot of good games I'm just going to have to pass up due to a lack of time to play them all. It is kinda a good feeling, though, to know that I'll almost always have a AAA game out there to play. Of course, that's assuming I have the time to play this year, with kid #2 coming in a couple of months. Man, I don't know how you manage playing any games with the children you have, unless you have them on a pretty good schedule and set bed time. ;)
According to Sony's ThreeSpeech blog, work on Uncharted 2 had begun (http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=776) as early as mid-December 2007.
ThreeSpeech seems to be somewhat out of the loop at times. They've been known to put up PSN store updates, for example, that have been flat out wrong from time to time (though that hasn't happened for a few months).