Does anyone else have trouble with the brutal combo? After I press square, I press triangle, but the enemy is able to punch me before I get a second punch in. Is there a certain timing to it or something else I'm missing?

Thanks

Does anyone else have trouble with the brutal combo? After I press square, I press triangle, but the enemy is able to punch me before I get a second punch in. Is there a certain timing to it or something else I'm missing?All about timing. Hit, pause, hit, pause, hit. Don't just button-mash.

Yeah, I was not a huge fan of the plot twist towards the end of the game, regarding the "new enemies". My immediate reaction towards that cut scene where they're revealed was, "...", followed closely by, "You gotta be kidding me." It didn't ruin the game for me, but I was more than a little disappointed that they chose to go that route, especially so late in the storyline.

Actually, what upset me most was how it completely changed my attack strategy. Up until then, I was using the cover system for about 99.9% of all of the enemy encounters. All of a sudden, these new guys appear and I have no choice but to run 'n gun. However, it did pay off during that terrific chase scene where Drake is running towards the camera.

Anyways, LOVED the game, and color me thrilled that they left a little room for character and relationship development if they ever make a sequel. I actually applauded the second the music swelled and the closing credits began. Great job, Naughty Dog.

Yeah, I was not a huge fan of the plot twist towards the end of the game, regarding the "new enemies". My immediate reaction towards that cut scene where they're revealed was, "...", followed closely by, "You gotta be kidding me." It didn't ruin the game for me, but I was more than a little disappointed that they chose to go that route, especially so late in the storyline.

Actually, what upset me most was how it completely changed my attack strategy. Up until then, I was using the cover system for about 99.9% of all of the enemy encounters. All of a sudden, these new guys appear and I have no choice but to run 'n gun. Luckily this stuff was short-lived. It was a fun little diversion. If not for that section of the game, I probably never would have used the run-n-gun technique.

Does anyone else have trouble with the brutal combo? After I press square, I press triangle, but the enemy is able to punch me before I get a second punch in. Is there a certain timing to it or something else I'm missing?

Thanks
time your button pressing with Drake's actions. its really very easy... i laughed when GT said it was difficult in their review.

i finished the game last week. it's rather impressive and i'm looking forward to the sequel.

Well then you may be happy to hear that a French magazine (http://www.jeux-france.com/news23379_uncharted-2-en-approche.html) says a sequel is going to be made with a likely 2009 release. A co-op mode is suggested to be included apparently.

I am still blown away (playing through this a second time) on how well Drake's facial and body expressions reflect what he is saying. Its very believable. Actually had me smiling/interested at the right moments, just like a real actor in a movie. Well done, extremely impressed with this title.

I finished it (finally) last night. I thought it was extremely fun. Great storytelling, top notch production, some of the best tech.

I only disliked one thing. I could never seem to get the cover system to work well enough. I would sometimes cover on the side of a box instead of the back, and would get killed (especially in the final game level). I thought that could use some fine tuning.

Spoilers!
I liked how the game progressed. It had a feel at the beginning and as soon as you got used to how the game mechanics were working and got proficient at it, they then put some element in the game that made you adjust. Like the creatures. They made you totally abandon the cover system and made it total run and gun. Then when you get good at that, they throw in normal people at the same time, so you have to adjust to half-cover, half-run/gun. Then, at the end, youre really good by now at using weapons, so they take away your gun.

I really liked this game. Most under rated video game of 2007.

Yeah, I was not a huge fan of the plot twist towards the end of the game, regarding the "new enemies". My immediate reaction towards that cut scene where they're revealed was, "...", followed closely by, "You gotta be kidding me." It didn't ruin the game for me, but I was more than a little disappointed that they chose to go that route, especially so late in the storyline.

Actually, what upset me most was how it completely changed my attack strategy. Up until then, I was using the cover system for about 99.9% of all of the enemy encounters. All of a sudden, these new guys appear and I have no choice but to run 'n gun. However, it did pay off during that terrific chase scene where Drake is running towards the camera.



I had the EXACT same reaction... except, combined with the rest of the annoyances, it did ruin it for me.

Hope they fix up the story and game in the sequel. My changes would be:
1. Make guns kill like guns... why can a deagle from half a map away blow a guy 5 feet back in one shot while an M4/AK etc take 3+ shots from close range? Why do enemies wearing tanktops absorb bullets like a tank?

2. put more of the driving/shooting sequences in. That was more fun than the jetski.

3. make it coop...every game needs a coop mode.

4. keep it a treasure hunting game... NO MORE STUPID "NEW" ENEMIES!!

5. tighten the story up.... why am I working my ass off to jump from ledge to ledge when the next "impossible to figure out room/cave" is lit up with torches and grunts.

I had the EXACT same reaction... except, combined with the rest of the annoyances, it did ruin it for me.

Hope they fix up the story and game in the sequel. My changes would be:
1. Make guns kill like guns... why can a deagle from half a map away blow a guy 5 feet back in one shot while an M4/AK etc take 3+ shots from close range? Why do enemies wearing tanktops absorb bullets like a tank?

2. put more of the driving/shooting sequences in. That was more fun than the jetski.

3. make it coop...every game needs a coop mode.

4. keep it a treasure hunting game... NO MORE STUPID "NEW" ENEMIES!!

5. tighten the story up.... why am I working my ass off to jump from ledge to ledge when the next "impossible to figure out room/cave" is lit up with torches and grunts.
While I was shocked at first by the..development, and even a little mad about it, by the end I was happy for the diversion.

As for your changes, they don't take bullets like tanks on easy, the driving sequences got old fast, as did the jetski, and you, unlike the bad guys, go in the back door, since you don't have a truck full of explosives, nor 30 henchmen to help you fight your way through the people standing in your way. In almost every instance there was an obvious "other way" that the pirates either made or used to get in.

You're sneaking around, they aren't. Additionally, it's not reality, suspend your disbelief.

Oh, and I never found the shotgun to work very well over long distances.

Beat the game on normal and found 54/60 treasures. The change up in the later part of the game did not bother me at all. Very reminiscent to Tomb Raider I. The only reason I'm upset at the short length is because I just didn't want it to end. What a great game. I normally don't play games through a second time but this one may get a second run through. Great graphics, great story, great gameplay.......GREAT GAME!!

Uncharted won Best Action Game for 2007 on IGN: http://bestof.ign.com/2007/overall/1.html . It was also runner up in a few others.

Brandon

A well deserved award. I'm sure its technical prowess was close to the top of some of those categories as well.

Ripten is doing a three part interview with ND lead character artist Richard Diamant. The focus is on the technical side of Uncharted, interesting stuff.

Part one is up now.
http://www.ripten.com/2008/01/17/richard-diamant-uncharted-interview-part-1-background-and-character-creation/

Thanks! Nope, the in game models are the exact same models that are used in the cutscenes. They also use the exact same textures. There really is no difference between them at all.


He mentions the main characters use 25 to 30 thousand polygons. Drake's hair alone is around 2,500! Also there's 10 to 15 megs of texture maps for each of the mains.

Drake's hair alone is around 2,500!

Now I know why Drake's hair looks so good..damn!

Oh, and I never found the shotgun to work very well over long distances.

Are you kidding? They are not supposed to, but they certainly work for me. Seems I can even hit a slightly revealed head 30 yds away.

Yeah, I was not a huge fan of the plot twist towards the end of the game, regarding the "new enemies". My immediate reaction towards that cut scene where they're revealed was, "...", followed closely by, "You gotta be kidding me." It didn't ruin the game for me, but I was more than a little disappointed that they chose to go that route, especially so late in the storyline.

I'm not there yet, but I think I must be close. And I'm VERY curious to see what this big plot twist is! I'm wracking my brain trying to come up with something that turns the game around so definitively, like everyone suggests...but I can't think of anything! I'll just have to keep going, I guess!

So far, I'm LOVING this game. It's like a perfect little adventure for me. Ok, maybe too many pirates waiting for me in weird places. I get on the jet ski...and what, they were all just waiting for me to come driving by? How bored they must have been just sitting in the hiding spots all that time! :p It was kind of a tough level until I realized I could blow them away playing as the girl with a massive rocket-launcher type gun. The jet ski became pretty fun after that! :p

I would have liked to see a little less bad guys camping out, and more exploring...the graphics are just soo amazing, that I could have explored the entire game and not gotten bored! It's really a fun game, no matter what, though. Can't wait until I get to the big twist! I think preparing myself for something kinda disappointing will lesson the impact of it.

I'm stuck in the game. I'm on the level where you have to hop across the broken wood pieces above the church. I think I'm on level 5, I forget. This is the challenge point after the 4 statues where you have to turn them NSEW..

So on this level in the church, what am I supposed to do at the end when I get to the glass with the heart and swords? I tried to jump to it but I always fall to my death. What do I do exactly from the swinging chain to the brick on the wall..then what?

Well, i played the demo, it really didnt catch me. My brother was asking about what games to buy for his ps3 and i told him everyone was going nuts over Uncharted, he bought it, and didnt like it (he doesnt have patience, but either do i). He played maybe an hour of it and got bored, so he let me borrow it for a week, I played for about an hour and also got bored with it, and went back to COD4. Anyway i told my brother i would buy it from him for 30$ (i felt bad he ended up not liking it because i told him to buy it). So i will be giving it another go. The reviews are too good to ignore. i hope i end up liking it this time. Its a beautiful game no doubt, but thegame play seems kinda Ehh (so far). i had been hesitant about this game since release. I do plan on beating this game, even if it is as boring as it seems throughout the whole game. I want to get the experience you guys are getting, it doesnt make sense to me lol! O well im giving it a go. either way its a good game to show off my ps3 to my buddies .

Well the beginning was amazing. Slowly and slowly there is more and more boring repetitive gunfights though. I havn't beat the game yet so can't comment on it as a whole but its getting a bit boring and I havn't been playing real long maybe like 3-4 hrs.

Uncharted is by and large a shooter. A shooter with top-notch production values, story, and characters, but still a shooter. There's a fair bit of platforming and a few very basic puzzle sequences but nothing particularly challenging.

I'm really surprised at the negative comments (not just here) about "the twist". It's only a very small portion of the game and I thought it was handled perfectly. Compared to a movie like Raiders or The Last Crusade, Uncharted is pretty down to earth.

I played through twice and am still trying to figure out what the twist is or was?

Spoiler Alert!:

Don't tell me it was those monsters?

Yep. I had no problem with it myself. It added variety to the entire experience.

Having played Resistance I wasn't surprised or didn't feel a twist...you guys that have played R:FOM know what I mean.

I'm stuck in the game. I'm on the level where you have to hop across the broken wood pieces above the church. I think I'm on level 5, I forget. This is the challenge point after the 4 statues where you have to turn them NSEW..

So on this level in the church, what am I supposed to do at the end when I get to the glass with the heart and swords? I tried to jump to it but I always fall to my death. What do I do exactly from the swinging chain to the brick on the wall..then what?
I think you missed the giant bronze keys on both sides just before you start swinging on the chain. Once you find the keys, the falling to you death will likely stop.

I'm playing this right now and it's definitely much better then the demo suggests. This game actually involves you to use your mind and figure out where to go next.

Definitely a great game!

I'm playing this right now and it's definitely much better then the demo suggests. This game actually involves you to use your mind and figure out where to go next. Hmm. I mean I love this game and all, but I'm not so sure I agree with the whole "figuring out where to go next" thing. It's pretty much a linear experience. But whatever works for you!

I'm playing this right now and it's definitely much better then the demo suggests. This game actually involves you to use your mind and figure out where to go next.

Definitely a great game!

Very much agree.

Brandon

I think you missed the giant bronze keys on both sides just before you start swinging on the chain. Once you find the keys, the falling to you death will likely stop.


Crap I didnt know theres keys on BOTH sides, I got the one on the obvious side I guess. Now I have to jump to the other side?

I'm playing this right now and it's definitely much better then the demo suggests. This game actually involves you to use your mind and figure out where to go next.

Definitely a great game!

Agreed too but I think it may be a bit easy for hardcore gamer.

well i just started playing it, got around 3-4 hours into it, and im not bored with it at all, So far its been an incredible experience, looks like i just needed to give it more time.

Although this game seems more like a rental more than and own. Its Great Quality and hard work, which is let alone worth the price of admission i think, but for average gamers, its definately a rent. I feel like its going to get kinda boring, the gun fights are cool, and actually take strategy, which i like alot. But once the game is over, i honestly would have no desire to collect all the treasures or play it on a different difficulty, and i am usually a completionist.

So far, i am very happy with my experience, im sure its going to change when i finish the game though :\

well i just started playing it, got around 3-4 hours into it, and im not bored with it at all, So far its been an incredible experience, looks like i just needed to give it more time.

Although this game seems more like a rental more than and own. Its Great Quality and hard work, which is let alone worth the price of admission i think, but for average gamers, its definately a rent. I feel like its going to get kinda boring, the gun fights are cool, and actually take strategy, which i like alot. But once the game is over, i honestly would have no desire to collect all the treasures or play it on a different difficulty, and i am usually a completionist.

So far, i am very happy with my experience, im sure its going to change when i finish the game though :\

I almost never play games through more than once, but I am now approximately 50% complete on hard, after originally beating the game on medium. The game never seems to become tedious and the gameplay is excellent throughout. I can see myself playing through a third time on crushing after I finish on hard.

Did any of you get all of the medals and points? I can't for the life of me get Steel Fist Expert,Headshot Expert, Dyno-Might/Expert.

Part 2 of the Richard Diamant interview.
http://www.ripten.com/2008/01/21/richard-diamant-interview-part-2-art-style-water-and-the-advantages-of-blu-ray/

Patrick: It’s been common in other games for shadows to either shimmer or have jagged edges. How did Naughty Dog achieve such sharp dynamic shadows?

Richard: That’s all technical!! But honestly, it was a huge goal of ours to make everything smooth and sharp. I think we rewrote the shadow engine like 10 times. We also wanted one global shadow solution. That is why you can see everything cast a shadow on everything else. It’s one giant shadow map!

Really though, I can’t begin to try and explain the technical end of that. All I can say is we have some damn smart programmers working here.


Patrick: It’s almost universally agreed that Uncharted has the most impressive looking water on consoles.

Evan expressed in a recent interview that you had bigger goals for the water. In what ways could you improve upon it? Would there only be an improvement in the splash effects, for example?

Richard: Splash effects are one example which can, and will, be improved. We had some really great technology which didn’t make it into this version of the game way back when. It pretty much dealt with the interaction between the water and objects. You were actually able to effect how the water flowed as well as the ability to start and stop where the water comes from. This means changing the environment and having the water react accordingly. You can imagine the game play possibilities with something like that.

That is one example of some of the possibilities we intended with the water. Really we want the water to be as much a part of the game play as it is a visual effect. Hopefully we can incorporate some of this in a future project.

I am Ready. Assasins Creed + COD4 + Rainbow 6 LV all played since Christmas (that is when I got PS3) but none of their reviews are as good as these. This gaming experience is geting a bit expensive ($60 a game) but I have to go for UNCHARTED. Thanx for help guys, you make a great comunity!

I am hoping to rent this game soon. It has been checked out for the past few weeks so once I see it available I will rent it.

I have not rented a videogame probably since Sega Genesis days, but I have gotten older and do not consider myself a 'hardcore' gamer anymore so I know I will only play through it once.

"Patrick: It’s almost universally agreed that Uncharted has the most impressive looking water on consoles."

Universally?

I dunno, Bioshock had much better water, IMO. What impressed me about Uncharted's water was that Drake actually got wet, although that has little to do with the actual water itself.

Finally beat Uncharted last night (somewhere in the 7-8 hour range). Awesome game!!! My favorite PS3 game so far. Do not pass up this game. From the gameplay to the graphics, this is an A+ title. I enjoyed it so much I'll probably play through it again on the hardest difficulty. I sure hope Naughty Dog plans on Uncharted 2- this has potential to be a great new franchise for the PS3.

Bought this last night as my first game for my new 40GB. I got home from Gamestop and the power was out in the whole neighborhood from a pretty bad little winter storm we had :( .
Hopefully I can play tonight.

Finished it last night as well, I guess you have to complete it on hard to unlock crushing?

Just completed crushing difficulty. I love this game! I now have 850/1000 points and want more to play of course. Glad they are working on a sequel :)

Can someone on here post the pdf game guide off IGN insider for Uncharted?

Can someone on here post the pdf game guide off IGN insider for Uncharted?

I second that request!!

I finished on easy already and am half way through Medium/Normal but I'm still missing quite a few of the treasures. I'd love to have an idea where they all are so I can unlock all ther rewards.

Just go to Gamefaqs.com to avoid legal issues and still get all the info you need.

On the subject of treasures, are there really 61? My save says 60 out of 60 100% complete.

Third and final part of the Richard Diamant interview.
http://www.ripten.com/2008/01/23/richard-diamant-interview-part-3-we-want-melee-objects-in-the-second-version/

Patrick: We couldn’t help but notice that dead bodies and animals don’t react to gun shots. We understand that this was taken out for ratings purposes.

Would there be any chance of a downloadable update that would include this? A “Gore Patch” if you will.

Richard: I wish! It was really funny when it was in there. You could walk all over the dead bodies and shoot them to your hearts content and they would react accordingly. Unfortunately we had to remove it due to ratings.

I’m not sure we would be able to release a “Gore Patch”. That probably would cause some legal issues regarding the ratings as well. Would be nice though!


Patrick: In your original Uncharted trailer, Drake wielded a gun and a metal bar. Were you intending to allow Drake to use other objects in his melee combat? Could we expect this in a future game?

Richard: Yes and hopefully. That was always our intent from the beginning. Again, there was a time issue. We really wanted to focus on the main mechanics and that one fell by the way side. It is something that we all still want and will probably be trying very hard to incorporate into the second version. So, who knows? Keep your fingers crossed!

I beat this game last week. What an awesome game! I had fun all the way through it. Not only are the graphics absolutely gorgeous, the controls are outstanding. It was overall a really FUN experience. It feels good to play a game where the controls are intuitive and do NOT get in the way. The same can be said of COD4.

There are definitely 61/60 treasures.

Can someone on here post the pdf game guide off IGN insider for Uncharted?You'll find that people on these forums don't like to break the law. Just go to gamefaqs and refer to the user-created guides.

There are definitely 61/60 treasures.

Yup, one is the Jaxt and Dexter egg thing.

There are definitely 61/60 treasures.

Yup, one is the Jaxt and Dexter egg thing.Thanks. I remember finding that one, wonder what I missed...

Gives me an excuse to play some more Uncharted anyway. :)

Just picked up a copy after checking out the demo. I'm a rank amateur but this game definitely seems like a keeper. I may be back with questions! Thanks to all for the feedback.

If I were to start again on Crushing, do the achievements start over? Do I have to find all 60 treasures again, do my kill counts with weapons start from 0, etc.?

The visuals just keep getting better in this game. Boards 16-20 are simply amazing!

Best looking game ever. Hands down.

You retain all treasures and other unlocked goodies whenever you replay the game.

After starting it last night, I have to say I'm more impressed than I thought I'd be. I haven't played a game in over ten years, and while I got stuck a few times (most notably trying to get into the u-boat), the gameplay was easy to pick up and more importantly a lot of fun. Stunning on my 50" plasma.

Can someone give a brief explanation of how medal points work? Should I focus on trying all the specific skills? I noticed I have 10 head shots so far, what happens along the way as that number goes up?

Since I only recently picked up a 360, I only recently got a chance to try playing Gears of War. Anyone else amazed at how much Uncharted plays and looks like Gears of War? I'd read in reviews about the similarities, but I didn't realize just how much the two games are alike. I'm not trying to detract from the greatness of Uncharted (I still prefer it over GeoW), but I'm wondering if others have noticed how similar these two games are?

Can someone give a brief explanation of how medal points work? Should I focus on trying all the specific skills? I noticed I have 10 head shots so far, what happens along the way as that number goes up?There's a whole slew of various "achievements" you can accomplish over the course of the game. A certain number of kills with a particular weapon. A certain number of headshots. A certain number of treasures found. Etc. Etc. Most of the requirements are listed in the menu for medals and whatnot.

As you earn medal points, you unlock cool little extras and bonuses like videos, art, the ability to play using other character models or other weapons, different gameplay tweaks, and so on.

It's a great addition that adds lots of legs to the game. Awesome that you're having so much fun with it, especially after being away from gaming for so long! Cool to know that it's a game worth coming out of "retirement" for.

Yup, similar to Gears gameplay but much more refined and flexible minus the extreme gore. I do wish you could crouch out in the open on both games.

Well certainly both Gears and Uncharted were started years ago... well before either one saw the other.

Well certainly both Gears and Uncharted were started years ago... well before either one saw the other.

Games before have used that style of combat as well like Kill.Switch. I can't wait for Uncharted 2.

Games before have used that style of combat as well like Kill.Switch. I can't wait for Uncharted 2.Yeah, I know kill.Switch is used as the ur-model for all recent cover system games. Both Naughty Dog and the Unreal folks have openly acknowledged their debt to that game. And rightly so.

I was just a bit taken aback at how incredibly similar not just the play mechanics are between GeoW and Uncharted, but also the level layouts and art design. I do think ND managed to improve in some key areas on the cover mechanics (and definitely in the story), but really the two games are very similarly designed. I was just surprised is all.

I wouldn't say ND "stole" anything from Rein and co.; but there's definitely a stronger influence than I had assumed.

Really, art design in your opinion? I feel they are completely different. Gears is drab with a tiny color palette versus Uncharteds very lush worlds. Character models are night and day as well. Agreed on the layout being similar with objects strategically in place for cover and all.

I can't imagine Gears with platforming elements, just would seem out of place. Co-op on Uncharted would be pretty cool as well.

Definitely not the color palette (except when you enable the funny "next gen" filter on Uncharted), but yeah quite a bit in the art design department. I think it's because both games arrange cover similarly. So then each game needs to come up with similar architectural justifications and reasons for why the cover is there, and because the mechanics are so similar, both games use very similar types of cover and level layouts (the now-infamous pillar room in Uncharted is so GeoW-esque!).

If I didn't know better, I'd also assume that both games used the same core graphics engine. The kinds of character interactions and cut-scenes are also reminiscent of one another, and the overall cartoonishness of both games is very similar.

It isn't a case of "copying" or even "borrowing" ideas. Instead, it's almost like they were two different games made by the same development team. Again, I think Uncharted is the better game for a variety of reasons, but I'm just amazed by the similarities that people haven't really pointed out.

Good point on that level especially and I agree. Geometry design is similar in quite a few scenarios. We just need Marcus Phoenix riding a SeaDoo underground. I did read Naughty Dawg originally let you kill animals as well but took it out for ESRB rating.

There are definitely 61/60 treasures.Got it! I was missing the gold snuff box.

This is a completely unfounded rumor right now but word is Ready at Dawn will be doing Jak and Daxter for the PS3, freeing up Naughty Dog to concentrate on the Uncharted franchise.

Got it! I was missing the gold snuff box.

This is a completely unfounded rumor right now but word is Ready at Dawn will be doing Jak and Daxter for the PS3, freeing up Naughty Dog to concentrate on the Uncharted franchise.


Hmmm, RaD is the PSP developer right? Hopefully they use the Uncharted engine for J&D to make the transition a smooth one. I for one would be pleased if Uncharted 2 came out sooner than later, so this is good news if true.

Hmmm, RaD is the PSP developer right? Hopefully they use the Uncharted engine for J&D to make the transition a smooth one. I for one would be pleased if Uncharted 2 came out sooner than later, so this is good news if true.Yeah, they're responsilbe for Daxtar and GoW: Chains of Olympus on the PSP. Daxtar was a great game and Chains of Olympus looks really amazing as well.


Not to get off-topic but the new Indiana Jones trailer came out today!

480p (http://downloads.paramount.com//mp/indianajones/trlr1/IJ_KOTCS_trailer1_480p.mov)
720p (http://downloads.paramount.com//mp/indianajones/trlr1/IJ_KOTCS_trailer1_720p.mov)
1080p (http://downloads.paramount.com//mp/indianajones/trlr1/IJ_KOTCS_trailer1_1080p.mov)

A couple of scenes look like something straight out of Uncharted. It's still a ways off (May 22nd), but how awesome would it be if Sony could get an Uncharted trailer to play before this? They'd probably move another million games.

Hah, I just commented on the similarities to to Uncharted in the blu-ray software forum. I doubt we'll get a Harrison skin for Uncharted.

Despite being a Paramount movie it is confirmed for blu-ray :)

Hah, I just commented on the similarities to to Uncharted in the blu-ray software forum.After seeing the trailer all I have to say is -- wow, you weren't kidding! At times it almost looked more videogame-like to me than Uncharted, which is just weird.

Is Uncharted 2 going to have a whip? ;)

So I just finished playing through Gears of War. Afterwards, I went back to my crushing difficulty playthrough of Uncharted. A couple further comparison comments:

-Overall, I would say that Uncharted improves in nearly every way on the cover system play-style of Gears.

-Character movement in Gears of War is "tighter" (quick response time, immediate turns, and so on), but it's also less forgiving than in Uncharted. For example, it can be difficult to "un-stick" from cover.

-Movement in Uncharted is a little "floaty," but it's also a lot more context-sensitive, so the movement mechanics are much better at interpreting what it is you're trying to do.

-The Gears cover system gives you a lot more options in moving between, over, and around cover, but it's also a lot harder to transition to free (non-cover) movement.

-Blind fire is more effective in Gears, but it's more precise in Uncharted. Uncharted's blind fire, thus, is more technically demanding, but it's also easier to pull off more precision-fire techniques (like head shots) without aiming.

-Levels in Gears have much more of an "open" design than in Uncharted. That is, there are a lot more places to find cover. There are a lot more options for how to go about completing a level effectively. Uncharted has a much more "linear" cover layout. There are usually just a few key pieces of cover for a given shoot-out area. Uncharted, then, is much more efficient in its layouts, but it's also fairly linear (I'm talking about level design, not plot).

-Melee in Gears is very klunky and FPS-like. Uncharted found a very innovative work-around for the melee problem. I do like the chainsaw in Gears, but it's not the easiest thing to use. Melee in Uncharted is a smooth transition from distance fire and is easy to use once you get the timing down.

Just a few thoughts after finishing Gears. The games are obviously different in a bunch of other ways, but since the cover system and general level design were so similar in both games, I thought those deserved some attentive comparison. Thoughts?

Melee in Gears has to be a little clunky since its a 1 hit guaranteed kill....so they had to make it so you couldn't just run around sawing everyone up.

I admit its a bit frustrating when you're near a bad guy but can't get your saw revved up in time, or are stuck to some cover or something, but thats just the limitation of the play style.

Totally true. Here's another way of thinking of the subtle differences in combat and cover: Gears of War is a TPS coming from the FPS tradition, and Uncharted is a TPS coming from the platformer tradition. They both end up in roughly the same place, but they have different gameplay philosophies.

Those one-hit melee strikes make sense in the world of FPS gaming, but they don't translate well to TPS gameplay. RE4 found a more workable solution: melee is more for putting distance between yourself and your opponents. In Gears, melee just feels too FPS-like. In Uncharted, it may not always be necessary to use melee, but it has its own strategies and unique applications.

Anyhow, coming back to Uncharted after playing through Gears of War, I have a renewed respect for all that Naughty Dog did right with the combat and cover system. Remarkably well done!

I just started to play this game last night but I do have a couple complaints.

1. Drakes face seems way to reflective for me; during cutscenes its pretty bad.
2. I wish I had just a little bit of auto-aim, just enough to get me in the general area of a bad guy so I dont have to move my cursor sooo much when I first peak out.
3. Drake has too much stamina, I think they should have given us a "haul ass" button that only works for 2-3 seconds to increase his speed. After running and jumping long distances I think his speed should have dropped just a bit. Drake always feels like he moves the same speed and that makes him feel slow to me.
4. Drake should have had a knife; I generally HATE knives in games but if they allowed you to be a little steathier and use a knife to silently take out a foe for better position that would have been GREAT!
5. They should have given rewards for headshots (not talking about the medals) so if/when you get multiples of ten you get a "run and gun" boost that auto aims for 15-20 seconds upon activation so you can run straight into an ambush firing both guns at the same time at multiple enemies. Having a screen that pop up saying 30 headshots is great and all but give me an award for being a good shot damnit :P

Other then those minor tweaks the game is truely phenominal in many aspects. I'm glad I got this instead of DMC4 because Drakes Fortune seems to be a HUGE game as far as story and scenery (even if it is short). I might actually play this again on a harder difficulty once I beat it...UNHEARD OF for me!!

Dregun

1. Drakes face seems way to reflective for me; during cutscenes its pretty bad.Seems to be common this gen. With all the new shader technologies now available for console games, most developers are still getting used to how to use it right. Some games (like Stranglehold) are much worse. Few are better.
2. I wish I had just a little bit of auto-aim, just enough to get me in the general area of a bad guy so I dont have to move my cursor sooo much when I first peak out.Do some "pre-aiming" (aiming before you peak and shoot. But I generally like how precise this game is (see above discussion). No room for slop. But I can understand the desire for some auto-aim, especially on the easier difficulties.
3. Drake has too much stamina, I think they should have given us a "haul ass" button that only works for 2-3 seconds to increase his speed. After running and jumping long distances I think his speed should have dropped just a bit. Drake always feels like he moves the same speed and that makes him feel slow to me.this is why some people play with the fast-motion bonus enabled. But you have to unlock it first.
4. Drake should have had a knife; I generally HATE knives in games but if they allowed you to be a little steathier and use a knife to silently take out a foe for better position that would have been GREAT!It wouldn't fit with Drake's character at all. Can you imagine someone like Indiana Jones doing a knife stealth kill? :eek:
5. They should have given rewards for headshots (not talking about the medals) so if/when you get multiples of ten you get a "run and gun" boost that auto aims for 15-20 seconds upon activation so you can run straight into an ambush firing both guns at the same time at multiple enemies. Having a screen that pop up saying 30 headshots is great and all but give me an award for being a good shot damnit :PDoesn't quite sound like a "complaint" so much as an idea for another feature.

It wouldn't fit with Drake's character at all. Can you imagine someone like Indiana Jones doing a knife stealth kill? :eek:


Well if I remember correctly indy would sneek up behind an unsespecting foe, tap him on the shoulder and then lay him out with a haymaker. I wasn't asking for a MGS or Splinter Cell type of stealth kill more of a cheesy 80's adventure stab him in the stomach while putting your hand over his mouth type of thing.

Most of my complaints aren't so much complaints as what was pointed out, additions or features. ND did a fantastic job on this game, I'm sure they had reasons for not doing what I want. :D

I just started to play this game last night but I do have a couple complaints.


2. I wish I had just a little bit of auto-aim, just enough to get me in the general area of a bad guy so I dont have to move my cursor sooo much when I first peak out.
You pre-aim with the right stick when hiding. With practice you can get easy kills the moment you peep out. An alternative method is to not use the cover system at all in some areas... just manually stand behind a pillar or wall and then come out shooting when you want. This keeps the cursor up the entire time. Finally, the game does have limited auto aim when using run and gun attack methods. Simply run towards a foe without bringing out the cursor and if he is near the center of your screen he will get hit.

3. Drake has too much stamina, I think they should have given us a "haul ass" button that only works for 2-3 seconds to increase his speed. After running and jumping long distances I think his speed should have dropped just a bit. Drake always feels like he moves the same speed and that makes him feel slow to me.
One of the bonuses in the game after a certain achievement is to speed up the game roughly 30%. You won't think he is slow with that turned on, believe me. :)

4. Drake should have had a knife; I generally HATE knives in games but if they allowed you to be a little steathier and use a knife to silently take out a foe for better position that would have been GREAT!
Unnecessary since the game allows you to sneak up on a foe from behind and silently break his neck. This way you get your wish for stealth kills while still being able to hate knives in games!

But I can understand the desire for some auto-aim, especially on the easier difficulties.

Good suggestion.

Brandon

Naughty Dog did a quick presentation at GDC on the pre-production of Uncharted.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/180700.html

I hope Uncharted 2 has a lot more water sequences, like underwater. It looks so amazing.

At the very least, I hope they can give us better splashes the next time around. They stick out like a sore thumb in the first game, especially the exploding barrels.

the only complaint i have with uncharted: no teaser for uncharted 2 at the end. i ****ing loved this game.

I'm a little late to the party but I got this game just a week ago. I'm on chapter 10 on hard difficult. The reflections and ripples in the water is the most impressive of any graphics I've seen in any video game. I quite like the cover system and that says alot for me because I'm the "run n gun" type. Thus I don't care for combat sims cuz you hide 90% of the time and can only take three shots before you die. (I hated Rainbow Six)

Would I like COD4?

Thus I don't care for combat sims cuz you hide 90% of the time and can only take three shots before you die. (I hated Rainbow Six)Then be prepared for some fun frustration when you attempt Crushing difficulty.

great game graphics were great, liked the variety of things you did, story was great. But I did get a little bored with having to jump to something just right or figuring out what they wanted you to do on some of the puzzles. All and all my favorite game so far.

Then be prepared for some fun frustration when you attempt Crushing difficulty.Exactly. Crushing difficulty is a real test of patience, planning, and careful and quick aim. Not really suited to run-n-gunners.

On that topic, I'm on chapter 15 or so of Crushing. The infamous "pillar room" in the fortress wasn't as hard as I expected. By far, the most difficult section for me was the fuselage-in-the-tree area (just before you get to the fortress) in chapter 4 (I think). The enemies had too many avenues of approach, and far more of them charge in that section than in the others.

Playing through this game again, I'm absolutely floored by how much development focus was put on the gunplay/cover controls. So, so good.

On that topic, I'm on chapter 15 or so of Crushing. The infamous "pillar room" in the fortress wasn't as hard as I expected. By far, the most difficult section for me was the fuselage-in-the-tree area (just before you get to the fortress) in chapter 4 (I think). The enemies had too many avenues of approach, and far more of them charge in that section than in the others.
I was just the opposite. Yes the fuselage-in-the-tree section was hard - but once you figured out where to camp and pick them off, it wasn't nearly that hard. You just had to be very quick to get the front runners, or they would surround you all to quickly. Now the "pillar room" that was a horse of a different color. I think I originally went in with the wrong weapon selection. After 35 tries and dieing in the first wave of guys I was officially fed up with that room - there is no good way to proceed other than quick kills and timed cover. On replay, I found it not too hard - but I walked in with the Wesson.;)

Would I like COD4?

Honestly, if you don't pick up a copy of COD4, I'll find you and beat you with a broomstick. :p

The game is AMAZING, and a MUST buy.

Everything you wanted to know about the tech behind Uncharted as explained at GDC (in cliffnotes form (http://xemu.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/2/20/3536343.html)):

The Technology of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

Christophe Balestra & Pal-Kristian Engstad

Naughty Dog


Codename “Big”. 3 yr project. 10 people on 12 month prepro. 70 people by the end, +5 contractors. 6 design, 18 programmers, approx 50 artists.

Started the project with zero lines of code. Old internal programming language, transition to C++. Work quickly on shaders with experience from PS2 tech. Prototyped shaders on PC. Animation was priority #1. Also started tools over from scratch. Over-designed first set of tools. Extend what you have vs changing pipeline completely. Tools not stable = not good, unhappy artists.

Tools: Keep them simple! People will actually use the tools this way. Have a few tools rather than a centralized uber-tool. Easier to expand one tool among several than a huge one. Expanding your current set of tools.

Cygwin: Like a linux shell. Helps controlling people’s environment. All tools must be run from cygwin.

BAM: Asset manager. Everything is always “live”, don’t want people isolated. If there is a problem, just fix it. Check-out, check-in, but no sync! Every checkin is automatically propagated without any explicit step. If something wrong happens, probably something wrong with the tool, so fix it immediately. Linux server, using symlinks. All data on the network.

BuildBig: GUI tool to describe what actors and levels are made of. Actor made of skeleton + animations. Level = static geometry. Everything stored in MySQL, ok at first but then changelists killed it – bad idea. Switched to text files and Perforce.

BA / BL – simple command line tools. Build Actors / Build Levels. Compression, format conversion for BA. BL generates the lighting files and other processing. Express stats on assets for artists. Help artists determine efficiency of mesh / SPU conversion.

Visibility: During BL a PVS is pre-computed per level. Render the level with OpenGL from sample points. Tree, each cell contains sample points. Computed once a day and re-used caches.

Distributed Build: Using ND internal distributed system. Very simple, runs command line tools. Output stored in MySQL. So scripts call the executables to distribute to the work.

Shaders: Uber-shader file. Use #define to build features. Not great for dependencies, lots of shader recompilation. Mitigated by distributed build system. Shaders compiled during BA/BL process. Each actor level contains its own shader code.

Material Editor: GUI tool connected to Maya to create shaders. Select .fx file, choose features. Artists loved it but it was not very stable. Next version will connect directly to the game.

Charter: Maya too slow, so created GUI tool to create game-play contents. Regions, Nav-meshes, spawners, cover points. Quick iteration time. 5 seconds between editor and game.

Remember, building good GUIs is hard, you can’t just put your junior programmers on it.

DC: Data Compiler. LISP based, used originally to define data structures. Added scripting to it. Render settings, AI, animation trees, region scripts. Realtime linking for fast iteration.

Static lighting: Global Illumination. Direct color, indirect color, direction per vertex. Blend realtime shadows with this static lighting. Moving objects used light probes & SH. Objects look around and pick the closest one. Convert SH to cubemap (via SPU). Not texture bound. Biggest problem: Too slow, and couldn’t be distributed.

TAME: GUI tool for managing text localization. Very important, very helpful! Producers in Europe and Japan can manage everything independently.

Fileserver: We love Linux, Linux is fast. Game connects to our own file system running under linux using the PS3 debug port. 80 MB / sec. Cached files to devkit.

Programmer Pipeline: Linux again. 1 Linux box for every 2 programmers. Use putty to connect to it. Fast, multithreaded build. SN Debugger.

Artist Pipeline: Maya & ZBrush. Material Editor, BuildBig, BA/BL.

Designers: Charter, BuildBig, BA/BL, DC

86 MB level loading heap. 8 megs for mesh processing, stolen from movie memory. 2 MB water memory. 5 MB of script memory, 4 MB for sound memory.

FIOS: All IO done with FIOS. Everything compressed with Edge. Stream a lot and all the time: levels, actors, sounds, music, textures. Never read data off directly, everything is precached via HD. Want to maintain audio and overlap with gameplay.

Loading Scheme: Levels and actors are .pak files, made of 512k pages. Heap of 172 pages. No fragmentation. Did suck to use a 512k page for a 100k asset. So there was some page relocation at runtime.

Texture Streaming: HD on every PS3 is *huge*. Very easy to do, 3 days of work. Adds a lot to the quality of the game. Everyone must stream textures! Defragment memory every frame. Move up to 16 MB per frame. Simple collapsing mechanism, just move each block forward. Maximize 120 MB texture usage. Needed a 20 MB buffer to seed loading of next level.

Collisions: Sphere, convex polytope, capsule. Wrote their own system. Concave geometry, kd-tree Polygon soup. SPU elf per shape. 32 objects per batch. ~ 500 asynch ray casts every frame.

Physics: Split world into “islands”. One SPU job (solver) per island. Successive Relaxation LCP solver. General constraint system: rag-doll motion animation. Anim generated in Maya then extract parameters for ragdoll.

SPUS: lots of stuff. Scene traversal, water, decompression, particles, etc. Using only 30% of SPUs.

Animation: Using SPUs to decompress and blend animation tree. Blend tree with up to 25 animations, use DC to describe animation states. Layered animation system (running + weighted shooting, etc.)

Scene Traversal: Visible frustrum culling, PVS lookup, sorting, render setup, mesh processing setup. Sorting and setup on the PPU, everything else on SPU. Goal to get everything independently on the SPUs.

Mesh Processing: SPUs to offload RSX. Decompression, skinning, backface culling. Also collision with rendered geometry: decals, IK. Get exact positions.

Scene Rendering: 5 phases: Shadows, dynamic lighting, opaque geom, alpha blend geom, post processing effects.

Sunlight Shadow: Tried many solutions, but all had problems. Idea from Killzone: Reduce flickering: fixed world space sample points. Shimmering caused from slight differences in maps due to movement, so wanted to fix that. So use stable grid, just scroll around on it. SSM: orthographic shadow map. How to determine resolution? Cascaded shadow maps.

Shadow blockers > shadow pass > depth buffer

Opaque geom. pass

Dynamic lighting: Render opaque dyn lit geom.. Generate world normal and specular exponent in screen space. Divide screen into a grid, and then figure out which lights interact those. Render quads over those and accumulate light. Do everything in screen space!

Opaque rendering: easy, shadows and lights already done. Just have to do materials. Output is HDR.

Alpha-blended geometry (water). Uses color buffer, water mesh, shadow depth. Reflection rendered in separate pass, used as texture.

Particles: Sim and render setup done on SPUs. Wrote specific shaders for each particle. Switch to sample buffer if framerate spikes.

Lots of post effects. Blur, DoF, tonemap, saturate, distortion. Adds a lot to the game!

Try to keep it as simple as possible.

Playing through this game again. It is easily one of my top 5 best video games of all times. It is one of the few video games where I felt like I was there, I was Drake doing this. I wanted him to win, I wanted to explore areas, I wanted more. Very few times do I chuckle during cut scenes and I eagerly await the next one. Incredible game.

So I just finished playing through Gears of War. Afterwards, I went back to my crushing difficulty playthrough of Uncharted. A couple further comparison comments:

-Overall, I would say that Uncharted improves in nearly every way on the cover system play-style of Gears.

-Character movement in Gears of War is "tighter" (quick response time, immediate turns, and so on), but it's also less forgiving than in Uncharted. For example, it can be difficult to "un-stick" from cover.

-Movement in Uncharted is a little "floaty," but it's also a lot more context-sensitive, so the movement mechanics are much better at interpreting what it is you're trying to do.

-The Gears cover system gives you a lot more options in moving between, over, and around cover, but it's also a lot harder to transition to free (non-cover) movement.

-Blind fire is more effective in Gears, but it's more precise in Uncharted. Uncharted's blind fire, thus, is more technically demanding, but it's also easier to pull off more precision-fire techniques (like head shots) without aiming.

-Levels in Gears have much more of an "open" design than in Uncharted. That is, there are a lot more places to find cover. There are a lot more options for how to go about completing a level effectively. Uncharted has a much more "linear" cover layout. There are usually just a few key pieces of cover for a given shoot-out area. Uncharted, then, is much more efficient in its layouts, but it's also fairly linear (I'm talking about level design, not plot).

-Melee in Gears is very klunky and FPS-like. Uncharted found a very innovative work-around for the melee problem. I do like the chainsaw in Gears, but it's not the easiest thing to use. Melee in Uncharted is a smooth transition from distance fire and is easy to use once you get the timing down.

Just a few thoughts after finishing Gears. The games are obviously different in a bunch of other ways, but since the cover system and general level design were so similar in both games, I thought those deserved some attentive comparison. Thoughts?

I think you are being way to generous to Uncharted. I love the game, and am enjoying it (Im almost finished on hard difficulty), however when it comes to controls and smoothness of the game, Gears absolutely crushes Uncharted, and pretty much most other games. Uncharted's movements are floaty, clunky, and just a bit awkward at times......other than sticking in cover occasionally, Gears is silky smooth. I got so annoyed trying to leap around the top of the church only to have Drake jump slightly left or right of where I wanted him to.

Basically, I would agree that perhaps Uncharted and Gears slightly resemble one another, but thats about it.

when it comes to controls and smoothness of the game, Gears absolutely crushes Uncharted, and pretty much most other games. Uncharted's movements are floaty, clunky, and just a bit awkward at times......other than sticking in cover occasionally, Gears is silky smooth.I wouldn't be so sure. I definitely enjoyed Gears quite a bit, but the shooting/cover system is way too forgiving and not particularly accurate. It's a game far more suited to run-n-gun style play. Enemies are just too easy to hit. Every weapon has an enormous reticule, the enemy hit-boxes are very wide, and there are only two different target areas (head and everywhere else). It's tons of fun, but it's just a tad too forgiving.

The "floatiness" of Uncharted doesn't really come into play in the shooting and cover. That's more of a platforming and running around feel. I agree the floaty controls are there, but not during gunfights. I would say that Gears feels more "solid" than say it feels "smooth." But because there's no platforming to speak of in Gears, it's a fairly simple feeling to pull off.

Gears, though, does more than just stick at unwanted moments. It also won't unstick from cover very easily. Gears' cover system is just a bit too gummy and occasionally very frustrating. Uncharted's system is much looser and does a better job at predicting what you want to do.

Even if I think Uncharted is a better overall game, I'm really just interested in the similarities between these two games' cover and shooting systems. In every other respect, the games are just too different to draw too many comparisons (other than level design, perhaps).

I just finished the game over the weekend (according to the save file it took me about 9 1/2 hours and I tend to take my time with these games). I thoroughly enjoyed it and have already started a second playthru; although the last encounter in the game was a real pain and also a little bit on the cheap side.

I also found the platforming controls a little loose and floaty; although I think a lot of that is also due to the shape and placement of the left analog stick on the PS3 pad. Given the way you have to hold the pad and place your left thumb, precise movements can be a bit tricky, especially after playing for a few hours. If the left stick and D-pad were reversed, the left hand and thumb would be in a more relaxed, natural and comfortable position and a lot of the control problems would probably be drastically reduced.

Okay, so I took a closer look at the grave stones and tombs in the monastery. I tried translating them from memory last time. Now, I've gotten a chance to look at them again and copy down what they say. Here's what they say in (very bad) Spanish as best as I can figure:

"Si su lectura esta piedra
sepulcral el (su) y al extremo
para arriba (vajo el).
Si usted esta leyendo esta
piedra sepulcral usted es un
nerd enorme. Consiga por favor
una vida y consiga el (----)."

As you can see, there are a couple of words I can't make out that I left in parentheses and my Spanish isn't perfect (but I also think theirs isn't too good either), but I haven't seen this translated in any game guides or easter egg lists. To get this much, I had to compare four different versions of the tablet on three different tombstones in the monastery cemetery. If anyone with better Spanish language skills than mine wants to take a stab at translation, that'd be great. As best as I can translate, it's trying in poor Spanish to say something like:

"He who reads this burial stone is (?) and is way beyond an (idiotic person). If you are reading this burial stone, you are a big nerd. Please get a life and get a (?)."

I'm not sure what the illegible words are, but you get the idea. I think overall they must have written this with a simple Spanish-English translation dictionary because a lot of the words and grammar don't make sense.

For example, in the first line, they write "si su lectura" and I think they mean literally "if you're reading." Except that they used the English word "your" instead of "you're" and translated it into Spanish as the possessive "su" instead of the second person pronoun and progressive verb "if you are reading this" (which they translate more correctly in the second sentence as "si usted esta leyendo").

I also think that "vajo" is meant to be "vago," which almost makes me think this might have been written by a native speaker, since that's the sort of spelling mistake a native speaker would make.

But that just makes me a "nerd enorme," right?

Anyone else able to take a stab at it?

Just picked up a PS3 and downloaded the demo of this highly rated game, but was disappointed BIG time :(

I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with these controls. I was a big Tomb Raider II fan (back on the PS1) but while Drake's Fortune looks great with lush enviroments & great jungle sound effects the aiming system is just impossible for me. Sure glad I downloaded and didn't buy this or I'd be totally pissed off. So, if anyone has any tips for aiming I'd welcome them. I tried reversing the controls, I tried hiding behind cover lining up my shots (as best as possible) then coming out to shoot but the elevation changes and the fact that AI isn't stupid (they duck and cover very well) I just get wasted while just trying to get them in my crosshairs. Clearly I'm in the minority here as everyone else loves this game, but if the demo on easy is this frustrating for me I'll pass on this game.

If you are used to mouse+kb from PCs, I understand your frustration and can only say you should stick with it (playing the demo) if you can. Firstly, you are bound to get a lot better as there are a lot of subtle techniques not apparent at first, and secondly you shouldn't miss out on the best PS3 exclusive of 2007, let alone all the other quality control-pad-cursor-aiming games that are either out or eventually coming.

Just picked up a PS3 and downloaded the demo of this highly rated game, but was disappointed BIG time :(

I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with these controls. I was a big Tomb Raider II fan (back on the PS1) but while Drake's Fortune looks great with lush enviroments & great jungle sound effects the aiming system is just impossible for me. Sure glad I downloaded and didn't buy this or I'd be totally pissed off. So, if anyone has any tips for aiming I'd welcome them. I tried reversing the controls, I tried hiding behind cover lining up my shots (as best as possible) then coming out to shoot but the elevation changes and the fact that AI isn't stupid (they duck and cover very well) I just get wasted while just trying to get them in my crosshairs. Clearly I'm in the minority here as everyone else loves this game, but if the demo on easy is this frustrating for me I'll pass on this game.

Just as an FYI, I had the same problems as you when playing the demo and avoided buying the game for a while because of it. However, I found shooting accurately in the actual game to be much easier than the demo. Not sure if Naughty Dog tweaked the aim assist or if the difficulty was tweaked, but either way, combat in the actual game was very manageable and I was able to beat it without too much trouble (and I am by no means a hardcore gamer).

Just as an FYI, I had the same problems as you when playing the demo and avoided buying the game for a while because of it. However, I found shooting accurately in the actual game to be much easier than the demo. Not sure if Naughty Dog tweaked the aim assist or if the difficulty was tweaked, but either way, combat in the actual game was very manageable and I was able to beat it without too much trouble (and I am by no means a hardcore gamer).

Thanks... I might have to rent it then. I love the idea behind this game (and it's look) but I've always had this problem with those stupid little "sticks" on the PS controller. Instead of smooth, linear motion like this 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, thru 100% I get a choppy 10%-30%, 30-70%, 70%-100%. I've got the same issue with EA's skate game (which is much better then the old Tony Hawk games) where I can't pull a manual to save my life because it requires you to quickly but accurately move the stick to an exact position within its tiny range.

If you are used to mouse+kb from PCs, I understand your frustration and can only say you should stick with it (playing the demo) if you can. Firstly, you are bound to get a lot better as there are a lot of subtle techniques not apparent at first, and secondly you shouldn't miss out on the best PS3 exclusive of 2007, let alone all the other quality control-pad-cursor-aiming games that are either out or eventually coming.

Will do. I'm not a FPS fan/PC gamer but the mouse based games I've played seemed to be very natural in their aiming system as they take acceleration into account. IE: the faster you move the mouse the quicker but sloppier your aim, thus you move the mouse quickly to get close to a target, then slow down right before you pull the trigger to line up your shot perfectly. Even with multiple targets scattered all over the screen I could can pick them off accurately, but with narrow range of motion on the short PS3 sticks I sweep right past the target and find myself in a constant battle of over-correcting for wild crosshair movement.

I'll keep trying... as mentioned almost every game uses the analog sticks in some way so I've got to figure them out. Strange because I'm decent at almost any racing game that uses the left stick to steer, so its hard to tell if the game's controls or a lack of thumb skill on my part - most likely the later ;)

^^^ Hmmm, that's too bad.

Your not trying to shoot and run at the same time are ya? I never really had to do much of that.

I don't remember the learning curve being too long for me, and I'm not the best gamer ever or anything. Just hide out, and pick off the guys as quickly as you can. Not too difficult. I think the aiming may have been a little akward at first, but it became second nature after a couple levels.

I actually had a harder transistion to Call of Duty 4. I was so used to the way Uncharted aims, my target aquisition was terrible. I just had to re-learn how to aim again. After a couple levels, it became second nature there also.

Just picked up a PS3 and downloaded the demo of this highly rated game, but was disappointed BIG time :(

I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn with these controls. I was a big Tomb Raider II fan (back on the PS1) but while Drake's Fortune looks great with lush enviroments & great jungle sound effects the aiming system is just impossible for me. Sure glad I downloaded and didn't buy this or I'd be totally pissed off. So, if anyone has any tips for aiming I'd welcome them. I tried reversing the controls, I tried hiding behind cover lining up my shots (as best as possible) then coming out to shoot but the elevation changes and the fact that AI isn't stupid (they duck and cover very well) I just get wasted while just trying to get them in my crosshairs. Clearly I'm in the minority here as everyone else loves this game, but if the demo on easy is this frustrating for me I'll pass on this game.

Every game isn't for everybody...no matter how highly praised it may be. My recommendation would be to just try the demo a couple more times if you can stand it, and if you're still not interested then pass up on it.

Brandon

Does anyone have tips for beating the pillar room on crushing? I did not have major problems on normal and hard, but it seems absurdly difficult on crushing. I made it to the last guy once, but was killed with a shotgun blast. Aside from my one close call, I have not been particularly close to beating it.

I posted some tips earlier...

- Use MANUAL cover at times for best results instead of always using auto-cover. This is where you manually get behind a pillar but don't press the 'o' button to hide. You still won't be shot, but it is easier to shoot one foe while protected from the bullets of three other bad guys that way.

- Blind fire will save your butt sometimes. While using auto cover, if you use the right stick to center a foe rushing to you (horizontal AND vertical centering), you can shoot and kill without using L1 to lean out and aim, which makes you vulnerable.

For the pillar room, I take out goons right in front, and then the ones up high at a distance. I use the methods above to kill those closing in on me, then I make my way to the back right of the room and turn around (manual cover instead of auto cover where possible) to kill the next wave.

You can kill them as they drop down BTW, and explosive weapons (grenades, the explosive pistol) can be used to kill enemies who are behind cover.

- Blind fire will save your butt sometimes. While using auto cover, if you use the right stick to center a foe rushing to you (horizontal AND vertical centering), you can shoot and kill without using L1 to lean out and aim, which makes you vulnerable.This technique is vital to beating the game on crushing and will come in handy for a few other tricky spots later on. Enemies will often retreat and/or run for cover where you guide them with your blind firing. It's sort of a "corraling" technique.

Thanks for the tips guys. After about 10 more attempts, I finally beat the pillar room. The key to beating it was to have perfect aim and a lot of luck. If you don't kill the first few guys very quickly, they flank you, and then it's all over.

All of Naughty Dog's GDC stuff is on their site now in PDF form, including all the slides. There's the full Uncharted Post-mortem and other more technical presentations.

http://www.naughtydog.com/corporate/press-events.html

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/oddbodyAS2/uncharted/Image2.jpg

Naughty Dog's take on auto-aiming
For a long time, in fact through the late winter of 2006 (through our first year of full production), we’d planned to use an automatic lock-on aiming scheme.

We were skeptical that manual aiming could create the fast-paced kind of gameplay we wanted to go for, and we were worried that the transition between the Mario 64-style “follow” camera we were using for traversal and the over-the-shoulder camera that manual aiming implies would be jarring.

We tried every possible lock-on auto-target selection mechanic and target-selection control scheme perturbation that we could think of, and lock-on aiming didn’t give us the visceral fun of taking a bead and loosing a round that we wanted to capture. Also, it wasn’t challenging and interesting enough from a gameplay point of view.
A number of people on the team felt that manual aiming could work, and we were already big fans of Resident Evil 4.

So in Naughty Dog’s spirit of experimentation and iteration, we tried it – and liked it! We managed to solve the camera transition issues, making it nice and snappy so that the game didn’t feel like it had two gameplay modes, and was one seamless experience instead.

It seems like we were telling ourselves even back in the days of our first E3 teaser trailer, then that manual aiming would be possible. Though we then had a lot of new issues to puzzle over…
Manual aiming in a Third-Person Character-Action Game proved to be a lot harder than we thought it would be.

We knew that we would have to have an assisted-aiming, or Enemy Adhesion, system that was as superb as that in Halo – so that when the player aimed near a target, the game would have to subtly, almost imperctibly, move the reticle onto the target, and travel with the target, to help the game be optimally fun.
We also knew that we’d have to overcome the issues associated with manual aiming in a third-person game as well as Gears of War had done (which is a game that we really love, BTW) - issues like those arising from the differences between the line of sight from gun-to-target and camera-to-target, among many other things.

So we studied those games a lot, and we eventually managed to get it right.

...and all of this could've been easily fixed (for FPS titles as well) if the PS3 came with a thumb-trackball in the place of the right analog stick as standard. Many that would've been an awesome marriage of control pad character control with the precision of mouse-look aiming.

With that said, Uncharted felt as smooth as can be expected with the control scheme available.

When playing on crushing, blind shooting with the shotgun prolly killed about 100 foes or so, and I blind threw grenades too, which killed a hell of a lot more guys than i expected... I'd recommend it!

Yeah, as long as the enemies are kind of in the middle of the screen, blind shooting works rather well. It gives you an extra strategic option to use in some sections that reward aggressive tactics.

Finally rented this game from Blockbuster. All I can say is that it brought back memories of how I felt playing Tomb Raider I. The sense of awe and mystery that has long left the Tomb Raider franchise returns in Uncharted.

The fact that the combat is top-notch is actually just a bonus for me. I thought I was going to dread the combat, feeling it would ruin the sense of exploration, but surprisingly enough, it is quite fun.

The lighting and shadows are the best I've ever seen. The sound effects and music add to the suspense.

I've been waiting a long time for a game to remind me of the original Tomb Raider, and I think it's finally here. I say think, because I am only on level 4, although I have no reason to believe that I will be disappointed.

It gets better as you go on ;)

Just don't be too discouraged if the difficulty seems to ramp up; it;ll be manageable overall by the time you finish it and the overall experience is worth it.

This game really grew on me. I enjoyed it a bunch when I first played through it, but by the end of the game I was really into it. A second playthrough on Crushing brought it all together. Keeps getting better.

I started playing on normal, but realized that I wasn't even trying to fight with any strategy, which was not challenging at all. I didn't want to rush through the game, so I think I'll restart on hard. I already put it on hard for a couple of gun fights, and found it more satisfying.

I don't know if it was a glitch, but when playing on normal, I died during a gunfight, and when I came back to life, everyone was gone. I think I died a couple of times in the same area, so I was thinking it might be some auto-difficulty adjust thing. If that's the case, I felt like the game must of thought I really sucked!

Seems like games today often lack challenge on the default difficulty. I guess it's for the non-hardcore gamers to not give up so fast. Personally, I like a challenge, otherwise I get bored. Halo on legendary was intense. Ninja Gaiden Sigma was tough, but satisfying. As long as the difficulty is based on skill, and not cheap deaths.

Sounds like this would be a good game to play on Crushing. So is it true that I need to play the entire game on one difficulty setting to open up Crushing?

Sounds like this would be a good game to play on Crushing. So is it true that I need to play the entire game on one difficulty setting to open up Crushing?

To unlock Crushing you have to beat it once on Hard (never changing the difficulty).

Seems like games today often lack challenge on the default difficulty. I guess it's for the non-hardcore gamers to not give up so fast. Personally, I like a challenge, otherwise I get bored. Halo on legendary was intense. Ninja Gaiden Sigma was tough, but satisfying. As long as the difficulty is based on skill, and not cheap deaths.

Sounds like this would be a good game to play on Crushing.?


I agree 100%

I'm not to sure who these game magazines are hiring, but it is apparent that they think the best games are those where you blow through 100K enemies easily with cool weapons, story and difficulty be damned.

Seems they never got over the "Uberness" of the BFG to appreciate the story and gameplay in Doom (for it's time).

I just completed the game for a third time, this time on Crushing. It was tedious at parts, but still a good experience. Although I've put more hours into CoD4, I still think Uncharted is the PS3 game of the year for 2007. The gameplay, graphics and story are all so well done and everything fits together perfectly. The game may not have had the most ambitious design like Assassins' Creed, but the execution was nearly flawless.

One thing that I would have liked has to do with the camera. Now that most of us are used to using dual analog controls to move a character and the camera at the same time, why do game designers insist on having the game still control the camera?

The camera has an auto-centering feature so that if you want to walk/run and look up, it will automatically go back to centering. Irritating. At least give you the option to disable auto-centering.

Also, when moving forward and you turn left or right, the whole screen moves, causing the game to stuffer more than necessary. I play on a projector, so these things are more noticeable than for most I would imagine.

A good way to compare the difference in screen stability is to press the first person mode and move around. Notice how the environment is a lot clearer and stable. Now when you move in normal third person mode, move around, and notice how the environment gets blurry. Just because your character moves, doesn't mean the camera has to be adjusted as well. If framerates were locked in at 60, that would be one thing, bust most games are struggling to get 30.

Like I said, you may not get bothered as much by such things, but on a large screen, it can make your eyes get tired.

I think Splinter Cell has a great camera, so that it never moves on it's own. Hitman has a constant over the shoulder camera that works as well.

Maybe I just like the camera control on first person games. It's always the third person games that run into problems.

I'm still looking for a deal on this game... So far I've gotten/beaten Resistance, Call of Duty 4, and Ratchet & Clank. This is next on my list... but I gotta get it first... why doesn't anyone have it on sale?! I can't even find it used for cheap... :( It must be that good?...

It must be that good?...
Yup.

Though I did manage to find a copy (new) from one of the Amazon "sub-retailers" for about $50 delivered. That's probably the best deal you're going to find for a while.

Trust me though. It's well worth it. :)

When is Uncharted II supposed to come out?

When is Uncharted II supposed to come out?

Not soon enough! Next time, I'll need to set a gameplay time-limit for myself so I don't get through it too quickly the first time. Still the best experience on PS3 thus far, IMO.

They are rumored to be working on Uncharted 2, but no details are confirmed.

What would be cool IMHO is if they did something like the movie Godfather II where it switches back and forth between the past and the present. The "past" can be game sequences where you are controlling Drake on one of his earlier adventures before he died after some lost treasure, and the "present" sequences would have you control Nathan as he follows clues that you (as Drake) leave behind for him to solve. That way you can have some interesting puzzle sequences that involve two characters, but the characters would be separated by a few hundred years instead of the normal way games have you work out co-operative puzzles.

They are rumored to be working on Uncharted 2, but no details are confirmed.

What would be cool IMHO is if they did something like the movie Godfather II where it switches back and forth between the past and the present. The "past" can be game sequences where you are controlling Drake on one of his earlier adventures before he died after some lost treasure, and the "present" sequences would have you control Nathan as he follows clues that you (as Drake) leave behind for him to solve. That way you can have some interesting puzzle sequences that involve two characters, but the characters would be separated by a few hundred years instead of the normal way games have you work out co-operative puzzles.

That would be cool!! Great ideas!

They are rumored to be working on Uncharted 2, but no details are confirmed.

What would be cool IMHO is if they did something like the movie Godfather II where it switches back and forth between the past and the present. The "past" can be game sequences where you are controlling Drake on one of his earlier adventures before he died after some lost treasure, and the "present" sequences would have you control Nathan as he follows clues that you (as Drake) leave behind for him to solve. That way you can have some interesting puzzle sequences that involve two characters, but the characters would be separated by a few hundred years instead of the normal way games have you work out co-operative puzzles.That is a neat idea. I wouldn't mind playing as Sully in his younger days either.

The only thing I hated about this game is the damn zombies. It took out the realism away.

The only thing I hated about this game is the **** *******. It took out the realism away.Why should it be realistic though? Does that stuff bother you in the Indiana Jones movies too?

You should probably spoiler that too. I know it's been a while but not everyone here's got around to playing it yet.

Why should it be realistic though? Does that stuff bother you in the Indiana Jones movies too?

You should probably spoiler that too. I know it's been a while but not everyone here's got around to playing it yet.
Agreed, on both points. :)

Well, I finished this game. I must say that I totally agree with the Official Playstation Magazine's review on it. The best part of the game was the first third of it. After that it turns into a shootout.

Now if that's your kind of game, then great, but I was really looking forward to playing a true adventure that focused more on the environments than on countless enemies.

It got to the point that every couple of feet you walked, you could expect another ambush.

The graphics were incredible the whole way through, but I kind of got tired of the destroyed look of everything. By the way, I didn't like gears of war either, just so you know where I'm coming from.

I kind of had the feeling like they ran out of time towards the end of development. It started off so promising, then degraded rather quickly.

I guess my hopes of a game that brought Tomb Raider back from the dead are dashed again. Why can't anyone make a game that focuses on exploration and adventure, and let combat take a back seat for once? Is there something wrong with idea that the environment is the main enemy, and not a million clones shooting at you around every turn?

The story and cut scenes were very enjoyable. Great acting and animations. These characters really grow on you.

For the sequel, I would love to see a game that focuses more on exploration and REAL puzzle solving. Another suggestion would to have more options on the camera. Instead of the Super Mario 64 follow camera, why not also have the option for a passive camera that will not change at all unless you change it (splintercell). The level where you jet skied up the river was ridiculous. The camera was going crazy!

All in all, what is in the game is of a very high quality. It's just not what I was hoping for.

Well, I finished this game. I must say that I totally agree with the Official Playstation Magazine's review on it. The best part of the game was the first third of it. After that it turns into a shootout.

Now if that's your kind of game, then great, but I was really looking forward to playing a true adventure that focused more on the environments than on countless enemies.

It got to the point that every couple of feet you walked, you could expect another ambush.

The graphics were incredible the whole way through, but I kind of got tired of the destroyed look of everything. By the way, I didn't like gears of war either, just so you know where I'm coming from.

I kind of had the feeling like they ran out of time towards the end of development. It started off so promising, then degraded rather quickly.

I guess my hopes of a game that brought Tomb Raider back from the dead are dashed again. Why can't anyone make a game that focuses on exploration and adventure, and let combat take a back seat for once? Is there something wrong with idea that the environment is the main enemy, and not a million clones shooting at you around every turn?

The story and cut scenes were very enjoyable. Great acting and animations. These characters really grow on you.

For the sequel, I would love to see a game that focuses more on exploration and REAL puzzle solving. Another suggestion would to have more options on the camera. Instead of the Super Mario 64 follow camera, why not also have the option for a passive camera that will not change at all unless you change it (splintercell). The level where you jet skied up the river was ridiculous. The camera was going crazy!

All in all, what is in the game is of a very high quality. It's just not what I was hoping for.Good summary. My feelings exactly. (Although I now know what I suspected (i.e. frequent pirate attacks) as I proceed through the game. I am probably not half-way through yet).

I enjoy the puzzle apects of the game, and can't help feel disappointed when the pirates appear (again). Once in while is okay. But I feel it is too often. I come from gaming like the 'Myst' series on the PC. So the puzzle challenges within Uncharted are my main likings in this game.

Overall though, it is a great game so far for me, and hope improvements will be made in future adventures.

I guess it's all about how the emphasis is decided by the developers. If they make it too "adventurey", then the action fans will complain there is too much mindless wandering.

The developers clearly wanted to make a linear, straight forward action-adventure with a heavy emphasis on action. They succeeded in achieving that goal, and due to the VERY strong positive response of Uncharted they will likely deliver a similar experience in the sequel(s). Adventure fans who want less shooting may have to hope another franchise has what they want.

I'd like to see more of both. The game was too short in my opinion. I'd like to see maybe twice as much adventuring and maybe 50% more gunplay. That would make for a PERFECT sequel.

I'd like to see more of both. The game was too short in my opinion. I'd like to see maybe twice as much adventuring and maybe 50% more gunplay. That would make for a PERFECT sequel.

Definitely would like to see more of each. I enjoyed the few parts where I felt like I was exploring eve if it was linear. More open ended exploring would be cool as well. Say chapter 4 for example where you try to get to the castle on the cliff, perhaps have a few routes to get there. Some maybe going deeper into the jungle and more wild life exposure as well.

I'd also like a few more instances to sneak up on guys knock them out from behind as I did enjoy the few times it was possible. Heck maybe even a silencer. Of course a whip wouldn't be too obvious would it ;)

I wish there were some "natural" type enemies that are random. Black Panther attacks in the forest, maybe a giant snake, a shark in the water... Big Monkeys are ALWAYS good.

I'll never forget the first time I heard the great "boom", "boom" footsteps, then saw the T-Rex for the first time in Tombraider. One all my all-time video game frights!

Big Monkeys are ALWAYS good.

lmao :D

i found the balance of combat vs tomb raider style puzzles to be perfect. i prefer a game that empasizes combat. hope the sequel uses the same formula.

I'll never forget the first time I heard the great "boom", "boom" footsteps, then saw the T-Rex for the first time in Tombraider. One all my all-time video game frights!

x2. That was awesome for its' time.

I loved Uncharted and I thought the action was plenty but I would prefer a little more puzzle solving. Also, with a little more difficulty in the puzzles. Uncharted's were pretty easy.

x2. That was awesome for its' time.

I loved Uncharted and I thought the action was plenty but I would prefer a little more puzzle solving. Also, with a little more difficulty in the puzzles. Uncharted's were pretty easy.According to the developers they had originally used much more challenging puzzles and trickier platforming, but ultimately decided against it after playtesting. Blame the current state of the industry for that one. Everyone's out to make better looking and much easier games these days.

Luckily, the shooting sections are wonderfully challenging, especially on Crushing difficulty. It's much easier for developers to put in a difficulty setting that makes the shooting sequences tougher than it is for them to add a difficulty setting that makes the puzzles and jumping tougher.

After those changes, it's now an outstanding third-person shooter with some simple puzzle-solving and platforming to break up the shooting bits.

I wish there were some "natural" type enemies that are random. Black Panther attacks in the forest, maybe a giant snake, a shark in the water... Big Monkeys are ALWAYS good.

I'll never forget the first time I heard the great "boom", "boom" footsteps, then saw the T-Rex for the first time in Tombraider. One all my all-time video game frights!

Agree 100%!

There's nothing really scary about seeing human enemies. Challenging, but not very shocking.

That was what made the first Tomb Raider cool. You never felt safe walking anywhere because who knew what would jump out. With Uncharted it's like wow....more pirates...whoopie!

I noticed most games don't have anything that can attack you in the water. Yet, that is one of the most frightening things because you are in such a vulnerable state. Instead, they have people shooting you while you are swimming. How creative.

I know it's a matter of taste, but seems like the market is already flooded with a ton of shooters. I guess developers/publishers just want to play it safe.

I guess Uncharted is just another action game, but with great graphics and control. Personally, I had a much better time with Farcry on the PC (not the console ports!). Similar concept, but more of the feeling of freedom and suspense. The combat wasn't as good, but it wasn't so prominent either.

I can guarantee that if someone can come along and make a true Tomb Raider type game, that is suspenseful and unpredictable, filled with wonder and the thrill of discovery, it will be a huge success. You don't have to kill a human every other second to make a good game.

And for crying out loud, if the puzzles need to be made for the brain-dead youth of today, at least have a higher difficulty setting for us veteran, seen it-all before types. The puzzles in Uncharted were like taking a multiple choice test with the right answer already circled for you.

I can see who Naughty Dog made with game for, and obviously, that is a pretty big market. Hopefully another developer can come along and give the rest of us what we've been waiting far too long for.

I know it's a matter of taste, but seems like the market is already flooded with a ton of shooters. I guess developers/publishers just want to play it safe.


Agreed, it's a crying shame when something like Kane and Lynch outsells things like Katamari Damacy or Odin's Sphere

I wonder if they could implement a couple of difficult settings, ie one for the combat side of things and another for the puzzle or platforming aspects?

Agreed, it's a crying shame when something like Kane and Lynch outsells things like Katamari Damacy or Odin's Sphere

I wonder if they could implement a couple of difficult settings, ie one for the combat side of things and another for the puzzle or platforming aspects?

Not so much a crying shame as it is a simple question of preferences and taste.

If there were more games like Katamari Damacy, and less shooters, I'd probably give up gaming. I enjoy shooters....I enjoy the genere.

Of course I also love a game like Lemmings, or even Chess.

Don't forget marketing plays a HUGE role, especially here in the U.S. I've seen more ads for K&L than I have for Odin's Sphere and Katamari, that's for sure. Marketing certainly helped Assassin's Creed over-perform in sales (IMHO) despite the lukewarm reception from gamers once they played it.

I loved the game but my biggest problem with it was that enemies were mostly stupid, but detected you immediatly, and were crack shots at great distances!

I would have preferred to have much smarter enemies that have accuracy depending on distance to character, and about half as many of them. This would probably make the enemies rush you as soon as possible while diving for cover on the way.

Well, I finished this game. I must say that I totally agree with the Official Playstation Magazine's review on it. The best part of the game was the first third of it. After that it turns into a shootout.

Now if that's your kind of game, then great, but I was really looking forward to playing a true adventure that focused more on the environments than on countless enemies.

I agree with you here. That's why my personal rating of the game was a 9.2. I wanted more adventuring, platforming and just general interacting with the environment than shooting.

Also, when the opportunity for action did present itself, I would've preferred more opportunity for stealth kills. I don't want every interaction to be a shootout at the ok corral.

Still, as you can see I do rate it very highly. One of the most immersive experiences and highest production values I've had a chance to partake of.

Brandon

I put this game back in after taking a long break after beating the game. WOW, this game is freaking just as fun as the first time around. Probably more so since I am focusing on finding the idols, etc. Absolutely love this game.

Ok, I completed the game for a second time last night, first on normal then on hard. How do I get the crushing difficulty, it doesn't appear; only easy, normal and hard.

I even double checked to make sure the game shows me as completing it on hard and I did receive the medal for hard completion.

Am I doing something wrong? Once I started the game on hard I never changed the difficulty level.

I would like to complete it on crushing before GTA 4 comes out because once that is out this will be put on the shelf.

Just finished my first play through, this was a truly awesome game. Can't wait to go for a second time.

Kevin,

You have to have completed Hard without switching difficulties from beginning to end. If you completed it that way, you can then start a new game from the main menu and the option for Crushing should be available.

Kevin,

You have to have completed Hard without switching difficulties from beginning to end. If you completed it that way, you can then start a new game from the main menu and the option for Crushing should be available.

That is just it, I never changed difficulties, I even turned the PS3 off/on and crushing doesn't appear :(

You started a new game after completing Hard and no Crushing option appeared in the difficulty section? You can't load your successfully completed Hard game. You have to start a brand new one for it to work.

You started a new game after completing Hard and no Crushing option appeared in the difficulty section? You can't load your successfully completed Hard game. You have to start a brand new one for it to work.
So are you saying that you have to immediately begin a Crushing game after completing Hard? You can't come back and start Crushing later?

So are you saying that you have to immediately begin a Crushing game after completing Hard?No, he's saying you have to start a new game after having unlocked Crushing. Doesn't matter when you do it.

@ Kevin-
I know this sucks, but it sounds like somewhere along the line the game was set to a different difficulty level. Some folks had a similar issue when they started their game (even before doing any fighting) and it was set to a different difficulty. Even if you do all of your fighting on Hard, if it was ever set to another difficulty level, you won't be able to unlock Crushing. You have to begin the game on hard and never change it, even for a second.

That is just it, I never changed difficulties, I even turned the PS3 off/on and crushing doesn't appear :(

Is the reward unlocked for beating the game on the hard difficulty? Look in your bonuses section to see if you have that reward.

You need to select a new game from the main menu. It will then ask if you want your rewards and treasures transfered to the new game... choose yes and save a new file. You will then have the option of selecting the crushing difficulty before the game starts.

It sounds to me like you're not choosing to start a new game... you're choosing from the main menu to continue... and doing so will not let you choose the crushing difficulty.

Is the reward unlocked for beating the game on the hard difficulty? Look in your bonuses section to see if you have that reward.

You need to select a new game from the main menu. It will then ask if you want your rewards and treasures transfered to the new game... choose yes and save a new file. You will then have the option of selecting the crushing difficulty before the game starts.

It sounds to me like you're not choosing to start a new game... you're choosing from the main menu to continue... and doing so will not let you choose the crushing difficulty.

Yes, the reward was unlocked as soon as I beat the last guy (can't remember his name). I think you hit the nail on the head though as far as me not selecting new game then having the game transfer my treasures. :o

I'll try this and report back, thanks.

Yes, the reward was unlocked as soon as I beat the last guy (can't remember his name). I think you hit the nail on the head though as far as me not selecting new game then having the game transfer my treasures. :o

I'll try this and report back, thanks.

I had the same problem. I tried to start crushing last week but I didn't see the option anywhere. I had to check online and someone stated you needed to start a new game (and save a new file to your PS3)..

I know I'm really late to this, but finally started playing this. DISCLAIMER: This is the first PS3 game I've actually played, even though I've had my PS3 for over a year and got Uncharted, MGS4, and RFOM for Christmas....just haven't got to them due to the glut of 360 games I had to get through, combined with my limited amount of time available to play games nowadays.

Anyways, really enjoying it thus far, but do I ever get out of the jungle? Seems I've been in jungles forever (currently on chapter 5....I think....whatever the one with the big fortress on the cliff is).

Anyways, I dig the story, and the cutscenes and acting are first rate.

Complaints are the linear gameplay and the enemies (no variety....thus far anyways). AI is poor, but I'm only playing on "normal" so I assume that's part of it. Puzzles are painfully easy, but I finally found the option to turn off the on-screen button hints, and that has helped a little. I also thought this was the game where everyone oohed and ahhed that the vegetation moved out of your way when you ran into it, but I just seem to run through it and it doesn't do anything but pass right through me. Maybe I'm thinking of another game.

Anyways, no idea how far into the game I am into it, but enjoying it thus far. Just getting tired of the jungle environment and the repetitive enemies, but enjoying the story and some of the stuff I've seen (like the U-Boat in the middle of the jungle).

Oh, one other complaint I just thought of....I hate how the "shoot" button is not the trigger (R2). I've never played a shooter game the trigger is not the shoot button, but like I said earlier, I'm mainly a 360 gamer. It seems strange to me. Not sure if that's just this particular game or typical of PS3 games in general.

The jungle's a big part, but you're almost out of the strictly jungle part. The scenery changes quite a bit after it, while still taking place in the jungle.

Enemies are all "human", but they'll step it up with better weapons once you get further. Lack of enemy variety was also one of my complaints. As for the puzzles, they're pretty simple which is the norm now a days. Find a key, or get up to a area to pull a switch.

Good to know about the scenery.

Yeah, the puzzles are painfully easy. It basically holds your hand through stuff. I remember early on you're in the temple, and the journal tells you to light the thing on fire, then your partner is like "we need to burn down this debris. Try shooting the lanterns"

I really don't need or want my hand held that much, thanks. Too many games are like that nowadays...

I really don't need or want my hand held that much, thanks. Too many games are like that nowadays...

It's pretty much everything now a days. Every game needs to be dumbed down so the masses can finish it mindlessly.

Even RE and SH have been hurt by that mentality.

Actually, the enemies do switch up eventually... I'll just leave it at that.

Sorry about bumping an old thread. It seems that this game is broken. After updating to all the latest firmware and patches this game constantly locks up. I have to force reboot the system.

Its too bad because I would like to play this game again along with Unchartered 2. I have a Slim PS3. It does the same thing on my brother's (less than a week old) new Slim PS3. I inspected the disc for scratches, dust, and fingerprints. The disc is brand new.

I looked at the Naughty Dog forums and there are a lot of people having the same issues as me.

May be the oldest thread Exhumation I've ever seen.

That does suck about this old classic not working any more.

Sorry about bumping an old thread. It seems that this game is broken. After updating to all the latest firmware and patches this game constantly locks up. I have to force reboot the system.

Its too bad because I would like to play this game again along with Unchartered 2. I have a Slim PS3. It does the same thing on my brother's (less than a week old) new Slim PS3. I inspected the disc for scratches, dust, and fingerprints. The disc is brand new.

I looked at the Naughty Dog forums and there are a lot of people having the same issues as me.

I just got this game a few weeks ago and I haven't had a problem. Fun game. I got a used non greatest hits version if that makes a difference.

Sorry about bumping an old thread. It seems that this game is broken. After updating to all the latest firmware and patches this game constantly locks up. I have to force reboot the system.

Its too bad because I would like to play this game again along with Unchartered 2. I have a Slim PS3. It does the same thing on my brother's (less than a week old) new Slim PS3. I inspected the disc for scratches, dust, and fingerprints. The disc is brand new.

I looked at the Naughty Dog forums and there are a lot of people having the same issues as me.

Have you tried deleting the game save file and or game data? Not sure what would cause it.

I tried it out for awhile, loading up a save from the waterski level. No freezes and it all worked just fine (launch 60 GB PS3, launch copy of UC1). As an aside, while the entire game still looks good, the water in particular is amazing.

Have you tried deleting the game save file and or game data? Not sure what would cause it.

I deleted the game file and it seems to work ok for now. Thanks. I forgot about the game data files.