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

Man, "The Monastery" is one spectacular piece, especially toward the middle with the gorgeous woodwind solo.  What sounds like an accompanying glockenspiel is pretty sweet, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NFMchVBokU

Yep, although a select few do require taking paths far less traveled -- and by that, I mean jumping over a ledge or two apart, and shimmying waaaay past the starting point.  Currently up to Chapter 5, though, and I've managed to nail every treasure so far.  With twenty under my belt, I've just acquired the the Novice Fortune Hunter trophy. 

Also, I got the "Relic Finder" trophy for finding a very specific treasure called the Strange Relic.  Wonder what the significance of that is.....

Chapter 3 was intense, and a seriously awesome way at introducing you to grenades.  I got slaughtered quite a number of times until I realized the grenades were limitless, and that they were key to success.

Hah, it was a great narrative twist when..... Chloe seemingly betrays you after finding the golden dagger key, only to turn against Lazarevic's men.  That certainly kept you guessing, in light of..... Flynn's betrayal -- but I wouldn't be surprised if a triple-cross is in the works for later.

I've gotta say I'm really enjoying the stealth portions of the game, as slight as they've been since Chapter 2.  That may be the Metal Gear fanatic in me talking, but there's no denying they're handled far better than in the first game.  I just wish there were more opportunities to use 'em, aside from the opening moments of a skirmish. 

I don't know why, but I got a big laugh when Nate asks Sully to help him push a boulder, and Nate grumbles, "Ugh, more pushing."  And then once the boulder is pushed out of the way, Sully makes the off-remark, "I think I hurt myself."  For some reason, that remark had me in total stitches.

I'll agree with you on this one.  That was the one line where I was actually laughing out loud. 

I believe I'm at chapter 7 right now and it's a helluva ride so far.  Can't say that I've been the avid treasure hunter like the rest of you all.  That'll be saved for the next-playthrough. 

Something about Chloe's eyes seems... off.  Is it just me?

Probably nothing.
The first game had the same trophy, and it was nothing more than a reference to the Jak and Daxter series.

I haven't found the one in this game yet, could you tell me which chapter it was, so I can look a bit harder?

I'll admit, that made me chuckle as well

Not just Chloe. Everyone.
The graphics are gorgeous, but they kind of went too far with the eyes if you ask me.

The Strange Relic can be found in Chapter 5.  Somewhere on (or more specifically, ..... under) the streets of the Nepal Warzone.