Uncharted Dev Feeling the Pressure for Drake's Deception

[Logan Westbrook]

Uncharted Dev Feeling the Pressure for Drake's Deception

Anonymity has its advantages, says Naughty Dog's creative director.

The official announcement of the third Uncharted game has fans of the series rather excited, to say the least. But at developer Naughty Dog, the success of Uncharted 2 is making the working on the sequel more complicated than it might like.

While the exact phrasing differed, the consensus at Naughty Dog was that Uncharted 2 had set the bar incredibly high, and the studio was feeling the pressure. Creative director Amy Hennig described the pressure as "crushing." "I'll tell you," she said. "There's something to be said for being under the radar and being the dark horse that nobody's heard of yet."

She admitted that a hefty part of the anxiety actually came from within Naughty Dog, as people tried to figure out how they could improve on the previous game. Naughty Dog co-president Christophe Balestra echoed this sentiment, saying that managing the pressure that came from outside the company was "a piece of cake" compared to the what the developers and designers put themselves under.

Trying to top Uncharted 2 will be a legitimate challenge for Naughty Dog, but it's certainly not the worse problem in the world. There aren't many studios that can say that their previous game was so good that they don't know what they're going to do for an encore.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception comes out for PlayStation 3 on November 1st, 2011.

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=280263?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS]


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[FlyAwayAutumn]

They really shouldn't worry, the first one was good and so was the second. They're 2 for 2 it's looking pretty good. Also they don't need to fuckin' blow the roof off of shit, as long as they either improve multiplayer a bit or take it out and focus more on story I'll be good.

Edit: And another thing, each game has it's own environment

Uncharted 1 = Jungle

Uncharted 2 = Snowy mountains

Uncharted 3 = Desert / Arabian type thing

 

[Jumplion]

They really shouldn't worry, the first one was good and so was the second. They're 2 for 2 it's looking pretty good. Also they don't need to fuckin' blow the roof off of shit, as long as they either improve multiplayer a bit or take it out and focus more on story I'll be good.

That fucking top!

Ehem, but yeah, I agree, whatever Naughty Dog does I'm sure it'll be a great game regardless. They have a knack for fusing fun with spectacle, and the Uncharted games are perfect examples of that. Just up the ante of everything they can, and I'm sure it'll blow the waters (haha, water physics) out of the others.

 

[Baby Eater]

If it's even half as good as Uncharted 2 I'll love it.

Though I have a distinct feeling that Victor "Goddamn" Sullivan will not make it through this adventure. Still, it'll no doubt be a glorious game.

 

[ComicsAreWeird]

They should just do their best...i´m sure the game will be awesome. The key is to bring something new to the table. With the new "sandy" landscapes, they seem to be on the right track.
Add some creative gameplay and decent story and you´ve got yourselves a winner.

 

[The Salty Vulcan]

I love the new direction they're going with the desert environment. For the most part, I doubt they have much to worry about. They've already have us invested in their characters and as long as they don't change them and give us a decent story, they'll come out on top.

I am a little curious though. Just how do you top the train scene from Uncharted 2? Seriously, best level ever!

 

[Marik2]

Though I have a distinct feeling that Victor "Goddamn" Sullivan will not make it through this adventure. Still, it'll no doubt be a glorious game.

Yeah I was kinda disappointed in U2 where Sully didnt have as much screen time as the first game.

But Im still looking forward to what they're gonna do for the next game.

 

[shemoanscazrex3]

I think this is how Christopher Nolan feels when thinking of the follow up to TDK

 

[mjc0961]

She admitted that a hefty part of the anxiety actually came from within Naughty Dog, as people tried to figure out how they could improve on the previous game.

Coming up with a story that isn't the same thing as Uncharted 1 but with different nouns would be a good start. More Sully is also a good idea.

Just how do you top the train scene from Uncharted 2? Seriously, best level ever!

With pretty much anything. From a technical standpoint, it was impressive. From a gameplay standpoint, it was horrible. I don't want to be on a train where my aiming is always off because of the rattle of the cars, I can't use grenades because they fly back in my face, and I run out of ammo because all the dead enemy's weapons fall off the side of the train.

 

[Andronicus]

Naughty Dog are, quite honestly, one of the best devs in the industry. I'll appreciate any hard work they put in by buying this game on launch day. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that U3 will be every bit as good, if not better, than no. 2.

 

[theComposer]

I think this is how Christopher Nolan feels when thinking of the follow up to TDK

Well if that's the case, then we're in for a hell of a ride with Uncharted 3!

 

[Brotherofwill]

Naughty Dog is one of the most professional and reliable developers out there, I have no doubt in my mind they can do something outstanding again.

Well, ok, the intro for Uncharted 2 was still one of the most badass things ever, it easily edges the new one (which is cool by itself), so I guess it's Un2:1 Un3:0 at this point.

Anyway, like they say: Pressure can produce diamonds or burst your pipe, so get down to it Naughty Dog .

 

[Casual Shinji]

Amy Henning does seem to have gotten very grey though.

I think the pressure might be getting to her in more ways than one.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

I can't see too much worry. Uncharted 1 was great, Uncharted 2 topped it. I can't see any problem with number 3 as long as Naughty Dog keep do their thing. And maybe consider either putting more work into the multiplayer BEFORE it's release or dropping it altogether for a more polished single player experience.

 

[Dorkmaster Flek]

I hope they're up to the challenge. Sony Santa Monica dropped the ball a bit with God of War 3. It was still better that most games out there, but it wasn't totally up to par with the standards set by the earlier two games. In particular, the final boss fight with Zeus, which is really the final boss fight of a trilogy and not just that game, outright sucked balls. It was one of the most anticlimactic games in recent memory for me. On the other hand, the first 20 minutes was some of the most incredible shit I've ever seen in a game. I could just replay that part repeatedly. So it ended up as a mixed bag for me, personally. I hope something similar doesn't happen with Uncharted 3. It's getting incredibly difficult to maintain the kind of standard for insane production values that these games demand.

 

[PhiMed]

Success can be a *****. The better you do, the more likely people are to be unsatisfied with your efforts. I'm sure they'll do fine, though. They just have to keep in mind that they should be doing the things that they want to do, rather than the things they think the critics want.