2009 saw a lot of great games come out and Uncharted 2 was definitely one that stood out among the greats (It was our 2009 GOTY) and with good reason: It’s one of the best games out there and an absolute must-play. Recently, Evan Wells, co-president of Naughty Dog, gave a huge interview to G4 regarding all things Uncharted 2 including the inclusion of multiplayer, figuring out the game’s ending, and the general design process. Some interesting points Wells made include:
On the linearity of Uncharted 2:
“I don’t think it’s a valid complaint at all. It’s like saying it’s a negative that we’re a 3rd-person game. I think 3rd-person/1st-person is as much of a choice as doing a linear vs. a sandbox game… it’s another choice to be made, and I don’t think any one game style is going to replace the other. That’s the kind of game we wanted to make, and there are lots of other great examples of games that do exactly that. You got God of War, Modern Warfare… these are all linear experiences and fantastic ones.”
On his most proud segment of the game:
“…I think it’d have to be the train, because that was something that when we started we said we wanted to create these set piece moments, and a train was sort of a classic experience in these stories. But we wanted to do it differently than most people had done trains before where the train is actually static, so all of your movesets and enemies and AI and everything works because you’re traditionally are not playing on moving geometry…”
The entire interview is a very good read and enlightens you to what Uncharted 2‘s design and development cycle were like. It’s great to see Wells be so cavalier and forward with what his likes/dislikes were about the game. Uncharted 2 will definitely be the kind of game that should be played by ANY gamer, young and old alike. It’s not just the idea of being a great game in general, but a game that’s pushing the industry forward and differentiating it from just a “push buttons, watch screen” kind of experience.
Here’s hoping the Naughty Dog team keeps churning out great games. I can’t even begin to speculate what Uncharted 3 will be like.
Source: G4
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The train sequence in that game really is pretty amazing – just the attention to detail of the background landscapes as well as the diverse actions you have to complete…
The “boss fight” in the train car could have been better though.