You know, this is EXACTLY what I felt when watching the behind-the-scenes clips from the first Uncharted. Despite how good the game was, watching the videos made me almost physically ill.

I'll admit the mo-cap scenes were cool to watch though.

Yeah, I think this is what really gives the Uncharted series that extra edge of realism when it comes to characterization and mannerisms.  Some of the crazier stunts undoubtedly had to go through key frame animation, but mo-cap really goes a long way to giving the characters a more natural, flesh and blood feel to them.

I'm really curious to see how Crushing will be in Uncharted 2.  Because if it's anything like Co-op Arena or Objective in the beta...... boy, will we be in for a hair-pulling, controller smashin' time.  &_&

Beta opens publicly this week.  Can I expect to see some of you online?

I haven't had a chance to check out the Beta yet, despite having it for a while. Angie, up for some gaming tonight?

S'yeah.  I'll leave AIM on for the evening.

Good games last night, Don!  I could play that Co-op Objective level over and over again.  From what I'm hearing, there's only going to be three of them in the final game -- but that they're supposed to be much longer in length than what the beta portends.  It takes roughly 10-15 minutes to finish the beta version; it'd be awesome if the final version takes an hour or more per stage.

That Gold Rush session was going well up to a point.  But yeah, at round four, it pretty much became less about snagging the treasure, and more about a balls-to-the-walls last stand survival mission.  Even with three players, I've never been able to get past round five.

We'll have to play the Beta Co-Op mission again sometime this week. On the next difficulty, of course!

Embargo's over.  The reviews are now flooding in:

http://www.n4g.com/PS3/games/g-343455/t … views.aspx

Downloading the MP demo now. I'm not a multiplayer fan... but I want to see how this game looks. I think when I start the single player campaign, it'll be on Hard. I want a memorable challenge.

Gave it a try yet?  I saw you online for like two seconds yesterday.  Would've loved to gone through a quick Co-op with you, which is closer to the single-player experience than any of the other modes.

Don't worry, I don't bite.

Angela, up for some Co-Op again tonight on the next difficulty level (and another Gold Rush run perhaps) tonight? I'll be available around 8 or 9 PM.

I should be around.  If we beat Hard Mode together, then we'll be able to unlock Crushing for both our games.

Yeah, I was on for maybe twenty minutes, trying out the deathmatch (which I was terrible at and hated). Co-op sounds like it would be more my style. Do you have particular times that you're online? I tend to be pretty random.

The scores have been ridiculously high across the board, but for me, the definitive review almost always comes from Gametrailers.  There's quite a few potential spoilers (and one very big one), but man, what a spectacular watch; they never skimp on the details or the visual/audio accompaniments.  The bottom line, however, is simply this:   

"The first Uncharted was a jack of all trades, but a master of few.  Among Thieves plays almost identically, but Naughty Dog has improved just about every element of play to inch the series closer to the ideal.  Uncharted 2 is one of the most polished games we've ever played, and every corner, there's something new to marvel at.  Whether it's the sharp writing, twisting story, frenetic pacing, or tight albeit derivative gameplay, this is one of those games that a lot of people will play in one sitting -- not because it's short, but because it's so good.  It would've been nice to have at least something for the game to call its own, but it's basically a capsule of the last ten years of game development, buffed to a fine sheen.  When you consider how great the multiplayer is, hyperbole is hard to avoid, but trust us when we tell you that if you own a PS3, you need to own this game."

Sweet news, Edmonson fans!  Looks like iTunes will be offering up the Among Thieves Original Soundtrack, beginning October 13th.  Titled "Soundtrack from the Video Game", the retail price is $9.99 USD, which includes twenty tracks, and a remix by Carmen Rizzo.  You can sample the songs via the iTunes Store, or if you're trying to stay completely fresh on the game (don't worry though, the tracks aren't spoiler-worthy), you can download this single-file track I recorded.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves / OST Sample:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ngty3dzchby

Really good stuff.  It seems nearly all the trailer-featured themes are part of the score, and the rest is sounding terrific too.  Can't wait!

Argh! October 13th!!  I've never been so eager to throw my money at iTunes.

Oh, and I got the multiplayer demo.  It's fun, but I've never been a big fan of anonymous deathmatch (partially because I'm not any good).  The co-op modes might well change it, but some of that drive to "achieve" in the game and unlock new shwag is taken away knowing it's all going to be reset in less than a week!

I hear that.  I made it up to level 19, managed to purchase quite a few Boosters and costume skins, and still have in-game cash left to burn.  Ah, well.... 'tis the nature of the beta.

Just remember, folks: hold on to your Uncharted 1 save file.  Just having it on your PS3's HDD automatically nets you $20,000 in-game cash for Among Thieves.  $80,000 if you have a completed game file on any difficulty level.

Looks like the beta's officially over, in lieu of the game's release tomorrow.  Planning on going to the midnight launch tonight; might even go, sporting the series' now famous half-tuck style.  ^_^

My usual modus operandi is to play a game on Normal for the first time through, with the mentality that that's the way the developers originally intended it to be.  However, from what I've been reading, it seems Among Thieves' Normal mode is extremely forgiving in terms of challenge, at least by comparison to Drake's Fortune.  Even Hard Mode (and Crushing, for that matter) is reportedly more streamlined, steadier paced, and generally easier than the first game's, so I too am thinking of jumping headfirst into Hard.

And hey, can't let ya get a leg-up on them Trophies, right?

Awww man, I hadn't heard about that. Since I upgraded my firmware and had a small freezing problem near the end of UC1, I deleted my save and installation and started fresh. I beat it on hard, but hadn't beat the game on Crushing and I gave the lent the game to a coworker so he could try it

I wouldn't worry too much about it.  If the beta is any indication, even $80,000 is a drop in the bucket to earn if you're going to be spending any decent amount of time with the game.  You also earn cash throughout the single-player campaign, for the specific purpose of using it in Multiplayer - and as I imagine most are going to go through the single-player first, you'll definitely have some monies by then.

I have everything planned out. I'll get the game from Amazon tomorrow... and I even have the day off! I'm just hoping that the package arrives earlier in the day as opposed to later.

Still haven't decided on the difficulty level. If I start on Hard, that means I'll only get two playthroughs out of the game. Do Normal and it'll be three. On the other hand, if Normal is too easy, the first playthrough won't be nearly as awesome. Choices, choices...

I'm planning to start out on Hard, based almost solely on Angela's comments about the streamlining.  Then if it is at all similar to the first game, I'll turn the voices to Italian and change the costume to something European and run through on Crushing as a weird Don Juan doppelganger Drake

Soundtrack's available on iTunes now, btw!!

Picking it up at lunch today!!  (...and then finishing Dead Space tonight.  )

I got it! The Fed-Ex guy rang my buzzer while I was taking a shower. This led to some interesting results. But no matter, I GOT THE GAME!

I'll be picking it up when I get off work, so I'm looking forward to it. So, you got out of the shower to get the game I assume? It's like you and the Fed-Ex guy both had packages to deliver. Joking of course.

I'm reminded of that one episode of Sliders.  Can't remember the particulars, but the final scene had them arriving at a world where a naked mailman is delivering a piece of mail to an equally naked woman -- and Mallory's response to Rembrandt's inquiry of whether they were back or not was, "I'm pretty sure that mailmen in our world wear clothes."

I've started on Hard Mode this morning before having to head off for work.  Only played through the first chapter, which is a beautifully-crafted tutorial to get you acclimated (or re-acclimated for the vets) with the controls.  You can really feel the gravity of Nate's plight through his movements and animation; they're deliberately sluggish, which feels right.  But then once you get to Chapter 2, it's like, "Wow, is he ever moving fast!"

The cinematics so far already feel more numerous than the first, but they're incredible watches.  The nuances in the mo-cap and voice acting is simply unmatched.  Story-wise, they're already establishing the notion of distrust, hence the title "Among Thieves", and I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

My favorite line so far, from Chloe: "So..... we're dicking this guy over, right?"

Ha! Funny.

I've started the game on Hard and it is riveting.

On Chapter 4 now. I'm beginning to regret my choice of difficulty levels. Once the bad guys get guns, the challenge spikes. A lot. I've died three times so far on one battle. It's just like the old days!

Speaking of quotes...

I'm sweating like a hooker in church.

I've always loved Sully.

The most stunning thing I've noticed so far HAS to be the snow! My god, so beautiful and I love how its affected by movement.

I can't stop playing. Made it to Chapter 14.

Stopped at Chapter 19, 7 hours 15 minutes. Damn, what a great game. Can't count how many times I've died, either. Still glad I chose Hard. It's very satisfying to finally get past a rough area.

I've only just completed Chapter 2.  I'm taking it slow and easy, yet at the same time, being really thorough.  It's my plan to try and acquire all one hundred treasures on my first try; that Master Fortune Hunter trophy will be mine!

A look at the unlockable Bonus option in the game seems to indicate many happy repeated playthroughs will be in order.  The money system is a nifty idea, and with the bonus features spread across both single-player and multiplayer, you basically have free rein as to which ones you want to unlock as you progress.  Personally, I think it'd be ridiculously cool to play through the entire single-player campaign with the specialized..... tranquilizer gun from Chapter 2.      

I'm giving it the full listen as we speak.  It is truly excellent; the compositions, I feel, are melodically stronger than Drake's Fortune, and strikes a better balance between the frenetic, the emotive, and the placid.  The Skywalker Session Orchestra turns in a fairly stellar performance, and the woodwind and erhu sections resonate especially well.

It'd probably be impossible to get every fragmented cue from the game, but the soundtrack feels like a nice representation of the overall soundscape for Among Thieves.

I've barely found any treasures. 10 or so, I think. Granted, I don't go too far out of my way but it's not like the game is non-linear. They must be hidden well.

Normally, I find it difficult to play a game for longer than two hours at a time... but with this one (and to a slightly lesser extent, the first), I couldn't put the controller down! I'd feel guilty for rushing it... but I also have Arkham Asylum to play, not to mention the countless other games coming out in the next few months.

No worries. I'll probably be forced to take my time when I return for a Crushing playthrough.

Yeah, it's quite tough to find the treasures. I was looking at the Chapter Select Screen and there were 5 treasures in the first chapter alone...I only found 2!

Ah, so they finally tell you how many are in each chapter? That was something I found missing in the first one. Good.

I'm somewhere into Chapter 3 right now, and I have 11 treasures. I don't think I've missed many at this point. They're really not THAT hard to find if you have an explorative spirit.
Also, I have the impression that you don't have to be that close to it to be able to pick it up, not as much as in the first game; it seems you have a much wider area of reach this time.

Anyhoo, played for about two hours (no mutter how awesome a game is, I usually can't play for more than 2) and the first chapter absolutely blew me away. Amazing stuff.
The second....not so much. I'm not quite sure this game needs stealth sections actually.
The third is absolutely beautiful so far, and closer to the experience of the first game.

Cutscenes are phenomenal. Games are REALLY getting close to Pixar quality it seems, although obviously not quite as good yet.

My favorite line so far would have to be Flynn's "There's guy below you! There's a guy below you!". I saw it coming from miles away, but I was really disappointed he turns out to betray you