If Sony knows one thing, it's that it owes a good deal of its success to one man: Nathan Drake. It isn't easy to be considered one of the most cinematic games ever created, and the Uncharted series has shown its ability to turn a gaming room into a movie theater. While PS3 owners are looking forward to Uncharted 3, another  title in the series is being developed for Sony's newest mobile device, the NGP. With nothing but speculation over the handheld game's place in the series, and how it could relate to the console release, Naughty Dog has put some of the mystery to bed.

With the release of a new Nintendo handheld early in the year as well as countless rumors surrounding the Wii 2, it's surprising that Sony has been keeping relatively low-key regarding their upcoming handheld. While the company has spent time attempting to soften the blow of the device's price tag, the prospect of day-and-date digital distribution of major releases is sure to win some support from gamers.

With the release of the NGP, Sony announced that they would be bringing one of their largest-scale properties to its smallest platform with a Nathan Drake adventure, developed by Sony Bend.

Even though Naughty Dog isn't building the mobile entry in the Uncharted franchise, community manager Arne Meyer spoke with Gameblog.fr to answer a few questions that fans will be sure to ask, especially with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception quickly approaching:

"Bend Studio is really the best bet for any info related to the Uncharted NGP game, but I couldn't help but want to jump in and mention that the NGP storyline is set sometime before Drake's Fortune (and not a prequel)."

This answers one of the biggest questions gamers had regarding the game: whether the game would act as a complement to Uncharted: Drake's Deception or whether it would have a completely separate storyline had many gamers talking. Following his statement that the new game would not be a prequel, he went on to elaborate, saying:

"Reason we're making the distinction is that it's not a direct lead-in to the story of Drake's Fortune, which many people would expect if you said 'prequel'."

While this is all that he had to say about the game's placing within the series, it is interesting that he made sure to highlight the fact that it would not be a prequel. It remains to be seen why he chooses to stress this distinction, but it could have something to do with the slight gameplay shift made possible with the device's various features.

In this iteration of Uncharted, the series' gun-play will be toned down in order to make way for a more exploration-based game. Meyer stated that this will allow the game to be easier to pick up and play in shorter bursts. Whether this will end up being a good thing or a needless simplification of the series is yet to be seen, but this early into the game's production there's no way to know how it will turn out.

Finally, Meyer also stated that the NGP Uncharted will "most likely" integrate with the upcoming PS3 title Uncharted: Drake's Deception. Like his statement about the NGP game's gameplay though, no further details were given, so gamers are left to speculate for the time being.

What are your thoughts on this new Uncharted game taking place before Drake's Fortune? Do you feel that the toning down of the series' gun-play is a step in the wrong direction, or a chance to try something new with a beloved character?

The Sony NGP is due out during the holiday season of 2011, with the Uncharted title sometime after.

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Source: Gameblog.fr (via Eurogamer)