Welcome to the Interrogation Room,
GameSpy's signature pre-release game coverage format. Here, a GameSpy
editor (typically one who's relatively in-the-dark about the game in
question) grills his peers for information on a hotly anticipated game
-- hopefully with more entertaining results than the typical boilerplate
preview would provide.
Ryan Scott, Executive Editor: So, Nathan Drake's going portable,
eh? What's the basic gist oh his first handheld foray, and how does it
look on the Next Generation Portable?
Will Tuttle, Editor in Chief: Not only is Nathan going portable, his first handheld adventure is undoubtedly the crown jewel of the NGP's launch lineup.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
takes place before Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the first game in the
series, although it's not a prequel or anything like that. This is a
standalone adventure -- a good direction to take for a series that isn't
quite a cultural touchstone yet. Sony could have made a prequel or
sequel, but I think it would have angered fans who didn't want to shell
out the hundreds of dollars that the NGP is sure to cost. As for the
story itself, well, I don't know much yet. I only had a chance to check
out one level, in which Drake and his new partner Dante spent a bunch of
time in a jungle, climbing ledges and exploring ruins. Go with what you
know, right?
Ryan Scott: How does it feel on the NGP, versus the series' PlayStation 3 installments? Does the system work well?
Will Tuttle: You know, I really wasn't sure what to think about
the NGP. I remember being quite smitten with the PSP when it was first
unveiled, then quickly fell out of love once it became clear that
developers weren't supporting it -- and that when they did, the results
were pretty weak. So I was on guard during these demos, but I left very
impressed. Golden Abyss was a big reason for that feeling, as the game
uses all of the system's bells and whistles in some really smart,
non-gimmicky ways. The developers at
Sony Bend
really utilized the system's power to shove a bunch of impressive
technical features into the game, including the same motion-capture and
animations used in the PlayStation 3 games, realistic physics and water
effects, and dynamic lighting and shaders. In case you don't know what
any of that stuff means, here's the abridged version: Hot damn, does
this game look good. The developers also mentioned that over two hours
of cut-scenes will convey the story. Some people might find that
annoying, but fans of the franchise's stylish storytelling know that
this could be a very good thing.
Ryan Scott: What kinds of stuff is Nathan up to this time around?
I mean, I'm sure PS3 Uncharted fans will be understandably skeptic of
how well this huge series translates to a handheld, especially as the
PSP is kind of noted as being home to watered-down versions of existing
games.
Will Tuttle: This definitely doesn't look like a watered-down
Uncharted game; this sucker was built from the ground up to take
advantage of the NGP's unique control scheme. At first, I was afraid
that any touch controls would feel gimmicky, but it quickly became
apparent that they're actually
better than the button/analog
controls in some cases. I particularly liked the platforming elements,
which are typically my favorite parts of the console Uncharted games.
All I needed to do to climb from one ledge to the next was swipe my
finger across the screen in that general direction, and Nathan would
jump. The same went for shimmying along ledges. It may not sound like
much, but it really felt quite cool, and I actually found the touch
controls to be a bit more responsive than the face buttons and analog
sticks. I think people will appreciate that you can play either way if
you'd like, especially since you don't need to go into any menu to
switch schemes. They even incorporated the system's tilt feature, as you
can use it to lean into jumps from ledges or swing on ropes. It's all
very simple and doesn't feel gimmicky in the least.
Ryan Scott: Any other cool stuff to discuss? Is this going to be
an NGP launch title, and is it in competition with anything else for
"killer app?" status?
Will Tuttle: Well, the combat seems pretty decent -- especially
given the fact that the NGP has the dual-analog stick setup that the PSP
was sorely lacking. I liked the way that mechanics such as reloading
are handled, as all I needed to do was tap the weapon's icon on the
screen to make Nathan pop a fresh clip in. The touchscreen can also be
used to throw grenades, although the first time I tried it, I attempted
to tap where I wanted the grenade to land, instead dropping it at my
feet and nearly killing myself. What I should have done was press the
touchscreen and held my finger on it, then created a throwing arc to
direct the grenade along its chosen path. Golden Abyss even has a a
touchpad-based melee system, although in many cases, I found myself
resorting to the face buttons instead. This wasn't for any particular
reason; it was mainly because my brain still hadn't completely wrapped
itself around the fact that I
could use the touchscreen.
As for Uncharted: Golden Abyss' launch date, well, that's still up in
the air, since we don't even have a hard launch date for the system
itself. My gut tells me that Sony will do whatever it takes to get
Nathan Drake's latest adventure out the door with the NGP, since this
definitely falls into the killer app category (with a handful of other
games, like Wipeout 2048 and Super Stardust Delta). Regardless of
whether or not it pushes people to run out and buy the system, this is
undoubtedly one of the most impressive portable games I've ever seen.
Sharkey says:
The PSP Go, particularly with its $250 launch price, never stood a
chance. It was a phone without a phone and a gaming device with cramped
controls and no home for UMD games. Sony began referring to the device,
after its less-than-stellar launch, as an "experiment." While the
company may have learned a few things that it can incorporate into the
NGP, there's no denying the PSP Go was an experiment that fizzled. 