New Uncharted 2 multiplayer map pack "The Fort" lands on Friday for free

Remember the Uncharted 2 DLC that was tweeted earlier? Well apparently, the thing will hit on Friday, along with a double cash weekend.

The new Multiplayer is called The Fort and it's based on the fortress chapter of Uncharted: Drakes Fortune.

Naughty Dog said it's a "long rectangular map with wide open spaces and excellent flank routes," with tunnels that lead to the basement, an RPG to the side room in the crypt and a shotgun in the center of the map.

Some new features were also added: Leaderboards and a player card.

Get everything Here.

Amy Hennig: Leading lady in a man's world

Too often, women don't get the recognition they deserve. They work hard, most times behind the scenes and never seek to be recognized. Men across the globe who are successful, will tell you it's because of a strong woman behind them that's the reason they were able to endure the stresses that come along with any venture. They are smart, talented, blessed, and innovative. They've also left huge marks in the gaming industry, and today, GameThirst honors the lady that's breathing new life in the market, and into you living rooms, with the awesome Uncharted 2: Among Thieves title. Take some time and honor the stellar lady with us, Amy Hennig of Naughty Dog.

Statistics say women are not that into gaming. Although they've warmed up to the form of entertainment, it never really could grab and keep them. We reckon they hang around Amy for 24hrs, and surely, their minds will do a 180 degree turn.

She is part creative director and part game director at Naughty Dog, no wonder really, since she's been in the industry for over 17years, her skills can't be held to one department. At the company, her focus is to make sure that the big vision of any game they're working on translate into story, characters and cinematics. In brief, her main focus is on story and writing, and working with the actors.

Amy started out as an artist and animator in the 8 and 16-bit era before moving into the game design field. The leading lady's big break came while working at EA in a role which overtime lead her to Crystal Dynamics, where she was first a design manager and later director, leading development of the third-person action-adventure game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

Yes, there are many leading ladies in the gaming industry, from Jillian Goldberg VP of marketing at Bioware/Pandemic Studios, to Laura Fryer executive producer at Microsoft Game Studios, but none stands out like Amy. None so interactive, none so cool. As a guy, you want to hang with the power-house that's Amy Hennig and get your butt whipped in Uncharted 2's multiplayer online. It'd be okay, after all it's Amy, who cares right? As long as you're next to the legendary woman, nothing else matters.

She'll be in your living rooms for years to come, whether it's Uncharted, Jak and Daxter or an all new IP, remember some of the greatest moments in videogames were brought to you not by Hideo Kojima, (although he's a boss) not by Gabe Newell, Not the gangsters at Rockstar or Infinity Ward, no, some of the most memorable times you'll play now and in the future will be compliments of Amy Hennig. Hats off to you lady, you make us proud.

Video Games | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | PAX 09: Creative Director Interview HD

10/27/09 Ernice Gilbert

Look out for the brand new website coming January 2010: www.gamesthirst.com. Tailor-made just for you.

ND: Making games is harder than making movies

Think it's a difficult job directing big budget movies in Hollywood? Think again, because according to Naughty Dog's Amy Hennig, it would be much more difficult for them to make an Uncharted game than a movie of the same.

Amy was asked whether her team would be able to make a Film in the light of Uncharted 2 being compared to many movies, to which she replied:

"We probably could. And honestly - I'm sure I'm being completely foolish to say so - but in some ways I think it would be a lot easier. What we do is so complicated. People have made analogies before - it's like you're trying to shoot a movie while inventing the movie camera. We have to write these games engines to make the game do what it does," she said.

"An industry like film, where there's some new technologies but a lot of it is working in a very familiar territory, there's a formula they can use. Whereas we're right out on the bleeding edge all the time."

This Naughty Dog sure knows what she's talking about, the lady ain't no novice.

10/26/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: Uncharted 1 was like doing brain surgery with a chainsaw

Erick Pangilinan is the art director at Naughty Dog, and according to him, Uncharted 1 was not an easy project as some might have thought.

"Uncharted one was a hard project because we had a new IP, new team, new system, new engine - new everything. I would always say Uncharted 1 was like doing brain surgery with a chainsaw and Uncharted 2 is a totally different beast. We have precision instruments now that freed up a lot of time for production and that was huge because that gave us the time to do more creating rather than the R&D."

And here you were thinking it was a breeze the first time around. Get a clue.

I'm just joking people, Quench you're thirst.

10/24/09 Ernice Gilbert

ND Devs: No animator could reproduce what we've been able to do

What Naughty Dog has accomplished with Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is truly revolutionary. There's no need to beat a dead horse because it has been said so many times before. But there's one aspect of Uncharted 2 that stands out more than any other, and it's the game's cutting edge visuals.

It is arguably the best looking title to grace any console, and to accomplish such a task, it took the lead programmers years of tweaking, changing, manipulating the system, and now, they've managed to master the cell processor. So much so that the devs don't think any other animator could do what they did in Uncharted 2.

Speaking in a video interview with Digital Foundry, one of the lead programmers explained the situation.

"You don't have to have an animator animate every single possible combination of the player putting away his weapon while jumping, or running and shooting, or all these different things," the programmer said.

"Really no animator could animate enough animations to produce the same look that we've been able to do by mixing and matching, by layering animations on top of each other, by blending between animations even of different layers. And that really give the players a lot more control over what he wants to do that's not limited by our animators," he concluded.

A spectacular game don't get made but by much effort and extremely hard work. It also takes a passionate team, and folks who love what they do to accomplish what Naughty Dog has. And by the look of things, gamers are rewarding them with stellar sales. Pick up Uncharted 2 now.

10/23/09 Ernice Gilbert

Modern Warfare 2 Is Facing Uncharted Territory

Infinity Ward's best selling killer app had everything going for it. The first installment has sold over 14 million copies and counting, this, the second title is expected to be the best entertainment launch ever. The hype has be steadily climbing, and before any other, it was hailed as the one title to beat for Game Of The Year 2009.

See, humans are very predictable aren't we? We claim victory for our favorite runner before the race is over, and suddenly our hopes are dashed by the unexpected. Just like our favorite runner, Modern Warfare 2 has a problem, a problem no one saw coming, because of this problem, many will be disappointed with the game's offerings. So if you've played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, keep your hopes down, or most likely you'll be disappointed with the next Call of Duty installment.

Yes, Modern Warfare 2 will sell way better that Uncharted 2, after all, it's a multiplatform game. However in every other department, Uncharted 2 has set a new standard that'll force devs to step up their work a few notches. All the cut scenes in Uncharted 2 flow seamlessly in and out of gameplay, the voice acting is nothing short of brilliant, with characters interacting not only at the arrival of a major part in the game, but throughout.

In fact it's so good, most of Hollywood's blockbuster flicks are shameful compared to Uncharted 2's, live action, fast-paced and graphically stunning masterpiece. Speaking of graphics, the visuals in Modern Warfare 2 will don't stand a chance against Naughty Dogs gem. I mean, seriously, does any other game even come close?

It's now too late for Infinity Ward to alter what's already in place, therefore what ever they've created will have to be what's presented to gamers. Will PS3 owners settle for what Infinity has developed and reward them with massive sales? Or Will MDW 2 be inevitably compared to Nathan Drake and his gang?

None has the answer because this November, Modern Warfare 2 is heading into Uncharted territory. Good luck.

10/20/09 Ernice Gilbert

Naughty Dog: We Talk To Infinity Ward A Lot

Over and over again, the Naughty Dogs have displayed their humility. In a recent live chat with the US PS Blog, they were open enough to let us know that the critical praise they were getting, was not expected. Some devs rather play the role and be extremely formal. But not the Naughty Dogs, they're a down to earth hierarchy less bunch, who are not afraid to share some personal stories.

"I have lunch with Warren, one of their designers, like every other week," Naughty Dog's Justin Richmond said about one of Insomiac's devs in a recent interview.

"Actually they were working on some stuff and they called Christophe and I to go over there and talk to them," he added.

The other part of the conversation is where things got interesting:

"But again, we would do that with any other studio - actually, even non first party-studios: we talk to Infinity Ward a lot. We'll talk to anybody. If you want to talk to us, we'll talk to you."

"It's really cool that we foster these relationships with these other studios, because actually you'll see in the multiplayer when the game comes out that all these other studios have tags. We have the paw for Naught Dog, but Infinity Ward and Insomniac and Guerrilla all have their own little tags too," Justin concluded.

The two studios are pretty cozy, wouldn't yo say?

10/17/09 Ernice Gilbert

Need a trophy guide for Uncharted 2? Get it here.

Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, Insomiac & Santa Monica Play Ball together

Fan boys may be fighting amongst each other, debating which console is better and who got the best exclusives. Some even insult their fellow gamers just because they have different gaming tastes. It's sad really, and it seems there's no end in sight. But maybe, just maybe, fanboys could learn a thing or two from developers. Yes, the good folks who make the games we play get along pretty well, from Modern Warfare's Infinity Ward to God of War's Santa Monica. In fact, it's so good, they play ball together.

Recently, a question was posed to Three Naughty Dog Devs by eurogamer, and the answers they gave displayed a shared mutual respect.

Eurogamer: Do you still play Dodgeball with Santa Monica?

"Actually they've just started a league this week! What was the name of our team? Naughty balls I think," Naughty Dog dev Justin Richmond said. Agreeing with his answer Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer yelled, "Yeah!"

"It's them and Infinity Ward and Sony Santa Monica and Insomniac and a bunch of other people just from L.A.," Justin added.

Eurogamer: Ah! And you do still have a close relationship with Santa Monica?

"Yeah, I mean, we share tech with all those studios. Guerrilla gave us all this stuff and we gave them some stuff. Media Molecule came over and we did some stuff with them," Justin said. Arne Meyer later pointed out that Insomniac and Santa Monica seem a little closer because, "they're two blocks away. Ha ha."

See what I mean? The Dogs, Infinity, Santa Monica, Insomniac and other devs all get along. Don't you think it's time fanboys lay to rest the fanwars?

10/17/09 Ernice Gilbert

Need a trophy guide for Uncharted 2? Get it here.

Naughty Dog: Without Blu-Ray & Hard Drive, Uncharted 2 Would Be A Different Game

Many have hailed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves as the best looking game to ever hit a console, some have come close, but none has been able to achieve what the Naughty Dogs have. Recently, one member of the ND team said Uncharted 2 could only be done on the PS3. That same question was posed to Evan Wells, co-president of Naughty Dog, but with a little twist. The professional did not fall for the bait, instead he spoke about what made Uncharted look the way it does, and how blu-ray and the PS3's hard drive played a critical role.

VG247: You've mentioned the Xbox 360 could never handle Uncharted. Do you think we've hit the point where the PS3 will start pulling ahead of the Xbox 360 in terms of graphical fidelity and overall performance? Do you think there will be a noticeable difference in the two platforms' games from here on out?

"I don't think the differences you see between any two games has much to do with the developer than whether it's on the Xbox or PS3. Great programmers and great artists are going to make a great game," he said. "Naughty Dog will continue to push the Playstation hardware as far as we. We're fortunate that we get to work on a system that has a hard drive and uses blu-ray for storage. Without these things, Uncharted 2 would have been a different game," Wells said.

"What we were able to do with the cell processor allowed us to achieve a density of polygons and a fidelity to our effects that would simply not be possible without it. But ultimately, if we didn't have a team of very talented programmers and artists, we wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the hardware and achieve the results we did," Wells concluded.

What's your stance? Do you think future Xbox 360 exclusives will look as good or even better that Uncharted 2? Share your thoughts. Get the full vibe here.

10/16/09 Ernice Gilbert

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review

On Tuesday, I reviewed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, see it in full here, and share your thoughts.

10/15/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: Uncharted 2: Among Fatties

When last you laughed out loud? Can't remember? That's ok, we have an app for that. I think we should have a new segment for laughter, say, laughter thirst?

Watch an oversized Drake battle his way to safety in Uncharted 2. lol.

10/14/09 Ernice Gilbert

Naughty Dog: We did not expect the critical reception we're getting

There's a saying that deems humble people as the most successful. They don't brag about what they've accomplished, they don't go around badmouthing the competition, and they certainly don't imitate. The Naughty Dogs have demonstrated their humbleness, even as they bask in the praise of rave reviews for the critically acclaimed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

You'd think after creating such a genre defining experience that they'd have anticipated this was coming. Well according to Naughty Dog's Travis McIntosh, this sentiment could not be further from the truth. Speaking today in a live chat with the Official Playstation Blog, he said:

"We knew we had something special while working on the game, but did we expect the critical recognition we've been getting? No, when you're as close to a game as we are it's far easier to see the flaws than the full picture. It wasn't until near the end when the story and the cut scenes finally came together that we realized that the game was as good as it was?"

On an entirely different note, Neil Druckmann later added "We love that so many girls enjoy Uncharted..... it's part of our motivation in creating such strong, well-rounded female characters."

You can indulge here, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is now available. Can't make your mind up yet? Read our full review, no bias, but you'll be convinced.

10/13/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: Uncharted 2 UK AD

So today is the good day Americans either go out and buy Uncharted 2: Among Thieves or receive it in the mail. Gamers in the PAL territories have until Friday to make up their minds.

SCEE wants to make sure your mind is geared towards buying Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, so they've created a new ad to help you do just that.

Watch and be convinced.

10/13/09 Ernice Gilbert

Naughty Dog: "We were hoping for a [PS3] price cut forever"

Just like the millions of fans around the world waiting impatiently for a PS3 price cut, the Naughty Dog team were on that waiting list as well.

Speaking in an interview, multiplayer designer Justin Richmond was asked whether he was pleased with the recent PS3 price cut:

"We'd been hoping for a price cut forever, just as fans of PS3, but obviously we got really lucky. I think Christophe and Evan Knew but nobody else knew anything about it. And with the [Uncharted 2] bundles it's a pretty big win for us. We want to push PS3 as much as we possibly can. It's an awesome machine and we believe in it really strongly, so price cuts or whatever gets it into people's hands is what we want," he said.

Well Hallelujah, they're getting into people's hands by the millions as we speak, so Justin must be a happy man. Sony has really stepped up their game a hundredfold since the PS3 Slim was released, and with such momentum, it would take a massive, and I mean massive turn of events to steal the Hardware giant's thunder this Christmas.

10/09/09 Ernice Gilbert

Evan Wells to devs: Maintain immersion in your games

Evan Wells is a well seasoned developer, he's Naughty Dog's co-president and has been heavily involved in the making of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The reviews are in and according to many, Evan and his team have succeeded at doing something that has rarely been done: seamless immersion between cut scene and gameplay. In fact, one of the things he can't stand is when developers break that flow in their games. Playstation: The official Magazine asked Evan what's his biggest game design pet peeve, he answered:

"I do have one, but it's mostly a developer issue, and that's not paying enough attention to the experience of maintaining immersion in a game. It's a pet peeve when developers break that, in loading files or playing a cenematic and then breaking into gameplay. Unpolished pieces like that remind me that's I'm playing a video game. Our animation and audio people hate it here because I point out a one-frame pop, and insist they smooth all that out. But even if it's just one frame among hundreds, if it breaks the immersion, it spoils the experience," he said.

The guy takes his work seriously enough to make sure that every piece of detail small or big is dealt with thoroughly, hence making for the best experience possible for anyone who picks up their final product. And by the look of things, that painstaking thorough inspection is working. Now do you still want a job over at Naughty Dog? What'd you say?

10/02/09 Ernice Gilbert

As October 13th draws near, Uncharted 2 sales jump 50%

It's one of the most critically acclaimed titles of all time, some hail it as a full length blockbuster film, reviews from across the board have been overwhelmingly positive, and one magazine went as far as to break its own rule when it gave Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a 21/20. That's how great this game is. However, there was one more piece of the puzzle that needed to come in place, and it has. Sales of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves are soaring.

A 50 percent increase this week alone to be exact, and the outlook gets even better. Some are expecting sales of over 400,000 first week of availability. Still holding the number one spot is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360, with a total of 1,142,308 preorders, followed by the same game on the PS3 with 460,733 preoders. Next up is Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360 with a total of 200,880. And right after Assassin's Creed comes Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, which shot up a respectable 50 percent in one week, a total of 197,867. You may be thinking the number is small compared to those above it. This may be true indeed, but as the big day rapidly draws closer, so to will the preorder numbers rapidly rise.

See the full list here. Sony's placed a lot of time, money, and unwasted energy in Uncharted 2. Notice I said, unwasted, because whether Uncharted 2 sells like the blockbuster it is or not, this title will go down in history as one of the best games ever created.

09/29/09 Ernice Gilbert

Quotes from around the web: Singing Uncharted 2 praises

Sometimes it's easier if you allow people to speak for themselves, in essence it's more authentic, more telling. So here are some quotes taken from around the web, made by journalists who've reviewed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, hint: they're in love.

Kotaku's Brian Crecente: "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves succeeds in as many ways as possible: It had me telling my self "Just on more chapter" form the first to the 26th. It made me laugh at jokes and mutter in annoyance at characters. And for a moment at the end, touched me. Crecente continues, "I am not one to say something is the best ever or to dole out perfect scores, and Uncharted 2: does have its shares of trivial flaws, but to date, Naughty Dog's second adventure with Nathan Drake appears to be the best experience hitting a console this fall."

G4TV's Adam Sessler: "I'm not a 100% certain when it happened. I think its when I had Nathan Drake atop a building in a war-torn Nepalese city, cornered and being fired upon by a helicopter, engaged in a fist fight with the screen slowly draining of color, snapping my enemy's neck and quickly rolling into cover to reload my grenade launcher only to turn and fire upon the chopper once last time as I watched it crash and explode. I think this is when I realized that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the best single player game I have ever played."

Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell: "Whether or not multiplayer sticks, however, is arguably a footnote, because at the core of Uncharted 2 is an action adventure masterpiece whose minor flaws are washed away on a tide rhythm and spectacle - one that would still be and essential experience even without the option to pull your friends off cliffs and play capture-the-heirloom. For over a dozen pulsating hours, Nathan Drake is among thieves, just as Naughty Dog was when it made the first game by ransacking surrounding genres. By the end of Uncharted 2 though, Drake has found his place in the world, and so has the developer - among giants."

Joystiq's Justin McElroy: "The quality of story telling, from visual fidelity to the writing, embarrasses other games. Seriously, its almost depressing when you realize no other developers are putting this level of effort and heart into supporting gameplay with story. Of course, the narrative is helped in no small part by Nolan North and the rest of the cast that appears to have never been told that video games voice actors didn't try this hard."

1up's Thierry Nguyen: "What Uncharted 2 proves is that games are, at the very least craft. Just as Raiders is Speilberg at the top of his game, Uncharted 2 is Naughty Dog at the top of theirs, and further proof they are masters of their craft."

Gamepro's Tae Kim: "Uncharted 2 is just as good, if not better, than most Hollywood action movies. With fantastic production values, a cleverly written script, great voice-over work and a refined gameplay, Uncharted 2 is the second best thing that could have happened to the PS3 going into the holiday shopping season. With Kratos riding the pine until 2010, Nathan Drake steps up to the plate and delivers a home run for Sony."

These are just some of the journalists who've reviewed Uncharted 2 among thieves. What's that saying, if the crowed knows the song, then it must be good. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be out on October 13th in North America and October 16th in Europe and is available exclusively for the PS3.

09/30/09 Ernice Gilbert

The Naughty Dogs take U2 advertising to Europe, first stop UK

Sony Computer Entertainment know when they have a winner on their hands, and will stop at nothing to tell the world about it. In recent days, the Naughty Dog team took to the road and rallied across the states promoting their upcoming game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The tour, a collaboration with Best Buy was dubbed "The Best Buy Holiday Entertainment Kick-off." But the advertising didn't stop there, apparently the United States was just the beginning.

Earlier today, the company announced on it's twitter page that some of its members were heading to Europe, continuing the game's promotion campaign. First stop will be London, second stop, well that's your guess. It's good to see Sony and Naughty Dog working overtime at spreading the word, on what seems to be one of the biggest games to date. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be available exclusively for the PS3 on October 13th in the US and October 16th 2009 in Europe.

09/27/09 Ernice Gilbert

Video Thirst: Uncharted 2 interview with Naughty Dog's Amy Hennig

The Naughty Dog team attended PAX, and whilst there, gave an interview to The Official Playstation Blog. Many users questions were answered, including the obvious. Of course there's going to be another Uncharted game. Duh.

Anyway, there's a ton load of info in the interview, including the power of the PS3, work, food, and yeah, will there be another Uncharted game (rolls eyeballs). Amy actually gave away one out of the three Uncharted copies she gets for free; good going Jonathan.

09/23/09 Ernice Gilbert

The Naughty Dogs are Advertising their Killer App across the States

If you haven't heard about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, then you must'v been living underneath a rock in Alaska, because since E3, U2 has been the talk of the gaming media. But just in case you do live underneath a rock in Alaska, uh, maybe not Alaska, let's say anywhere on the mainland, albeit underneath a rock, fear not, the Naughty Dogs are on their way to enlighten you.

See this monstrous machine we call a truck above? Yeah, keep your eyes open and you might just be in for a treat. The 1st party Sony developers have paired up with Best Buy for a promo package dubbed "The Best Buy Entertainment Holiday Kickoff," and will be touring the country promoting UC2 and other Sony games. First stop: Kansas City. Next stop: Might be at your doorstep, no kidding. Keep your eyes open.

The hotly anticipated game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be on store shelves in the US on October 13th 2009, around the world soon after. And will be available exclusively for the PS3.

09/22/09 Ernice Gilbert