I'll be pre-ordering this sucker once October rolls around. Very excited!

While that's good and everything, I wonder just how much of the "rating" has to do with the hype?  Surely GTA4 and other games given the media treatment (Halo 3 I'm looking at you) weren't that good.

It's stuff like this that makes me wonder about the games that really leave an impression once it's over, but didn't get the best score.  Shadow of the Colossus hovered right around the 8 - 8.5 mark, but is one of the most poignant games I've played.  Does that make it a "worse" game?  Hell no.

The first Uncharted was one of the most awesome games I've played in a long time.  It's the only game of the current generation (except for Viva Pinata..... oh more poor soul  ~_~) that I've felt driven to complete every achievement on, buy the soundtrack for, and champion to any of my friends that hadn't seen it.  I'm incredibly excited for the sequel, and it's the first game in a long time that I actually lament there not being a[n actually obtainable] collector's edition for!  Unfortunately, in my experience my enthusiastic gushing hasn't sold too many people on the first Uncharted, not that that diminishes my enjoyment at all.

Anyway, I've been waiting for forever for someone to post in the Game Music forum about Uncharted, and finally did a search today, bringing me to this thread.  I can't tell you how much I love Greg Edmonson's work on this series.  Thanks so much, Angela, for posting that clip of Nate's Theme... it was a favorite of mine from the original (how many times has the damn title music ever made you say that!), and I'm glad to see it making a comeback.  I'm really late to the game as far as the multiplayer beta goes... is it shut down now in preparation for next month's launch, or is there still any way to get in?

Long story short, it's not just hype, those review scores are real.  I totally hear you about cult favorite games not getting the recognition (or numbers) they deserve, but if Among Thieves tracks with the quality of the first title, you can be sure it's a true 10/10.

There's no doubting that the game is going to be a massive commercial success, and a darling with the critics.  A great many numbers will be bandied about in the ratings circuit, some possibly inflated. (Case in point: PSM3-FR just recently bestowed a score of 21/20.)  Those aside, the game's got a loyal backing from the gamers: as Sephiro, myself, and others have observed, the first title was pretty damned good.   Among Thieves at least has that pedigree behind it, so it'll just be a matter of time before we see if our approval gels with the hype. 

You can still get in, provided you can snag a code somewhere online -- or preorder the game from Gamestop.  The beta opens publicly starting September 30th, and will run all the way up to the October 13th release date of the game.

If you get in, feel free to add me to your Friends list: a_liu2008  .... I'd definitely be up for some rounds. :) 

Yeah, it's a shame they're not releasing that Fortune Hunter Edition for public consumption.  Given the rarity, it'll be interesting to see what sort of prices they'll fetch on auction.

At the very least, I'm hoping they'll release a soundtrack sold separately.  I am *loving* the music in that five minute sample, especially the action cues, which are utilized to great effect during the more significant enemy encounters in the beta game demo.

I've since made the track into an mp3 -- and tacked on the new version of "Nate's Theme" to the end:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - Original Score Suite:
http://www.mediafire.com/?cmm5mzximda

Secret of Mana, my friend.

Touché.

I played this at TGS today.  Wow wow wow.  I'm not sure how much worth any commentary of mine will have, as I've never played the original so don't know how much was just carried over from that, but wow.

The environments are super-detailed.  The animation is superb, from cover-and-shooting to hand-to-hand combat to the Prince of Persia-like climbing, swinging, and other aerial feats.  It took my un-Uncharted hands a while to get used to the many controls but just watching the game is a joy.

When I finally get a PS3 later this year, this and its predecessor are at the top of my list of games to get.

Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.  <3 Hamauzu.

Another voice actor interview, featuring North, Black, Rose, and newcomer Rene Auberjonois.  This one's a quickie, clocking in at a little under three minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXiseWmHvzM

There's also word that there's going to be a special hour-long making of bonus video featured on the same Blu-ray as the game itself.  Very cool.

Normally, I kinda shrug my shoulders when companies flog the content creation process like they are doing something truly great for mankind (though it usually comes from the film industry rather than videogames).  I guess it's part of being a rabidly obsessed fanboy, but I found the development process they chronicled on the first Uncharted to be absolutely fascinating.  Seeing the voice actors also do the motion capture for their characters struck me as both a no-brainer and a seriously effective way to turn Nate, Elena, Sully, et al. into actual, honest-to-God performances (rather than "X does the movements, Y does the voice, and Z does the artwork).  That the artists also made the characters have a passing similarity to the actors also helps.

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!