Uncharted 3 looks set to improve on the success of Uncharted 2 in every way. Naughty Dog Studios presented a close look at the cruise ship level which was first seen at E3 2011, and followed with an extended preview of the freight plane level which was revealed at the Sony Gamescom 2011 opening press conference.<\/p>\n
Naughty Dog’s Arnie Meyer took us through the demo. Despite the presentation still being of a development build, everything is looking polished and exhibits the attention to detail that impressed with Uncharted 2. The cruise ship level exhibited the familiar gameplay mixture of stealth and gunplay.<\/p>\n
What was particularly impressive was the new and improved technologies Naughty Dog is bringing to Uncharted 3, which include the already much publicised fire and sand tech.<\/p>\n
Large physics objects appear to be the order of the day. The cruise ship is caught in rough seas, and Myer explained that the ocean is procedurally generated. This means that the ship dynamically pitches and rolls in reaction to the motion of the sea.<\/p>\n
Nathan Drake’s animations are also greatly expanded, and motion capture was employed to ensure he reacts naturally to the shifting orientation of the level. Drake convincingly stumbles and reaches out to steady himself, which is impressive technologically considering that this is all a dynamic reaction to an environment under the whims of the physics engine. There are also plenty of objects subjected to the machinations of the physics, and Drake will be navigating between tumbling crates, deck chairs and other loose objects.<\/p>\n
Naughty Dog’s attention to detail shows through, as Drake talks to himself (and therefore the player), dropping hints that one is on the correct path – a clever way to increase immersion by removing visually distracting navigation markers. Other areas visually impress as the levels are full of great lighting and shadow effects.<\/p>\n
Another refined technology is the water, which was in abundance during the interior sections of the cruise ship level. An explosion causes a leak in the ship, which slowly fills, taking with it floating debris, and then capsizes due to the shifting weight. Drake is suddenly plunged into an underwater section through which he has to navigate to find an escape. All of this takes place in the same level with no loading inbetween sections.<\/p>\n
Water sections are a pet peeve of mine, but this one looked like a lot of fun, probably due to the fact that much of it was presented as more of an interactive action cinematic than a full-fledged gaming segment.<\/p>\n
Such action-oriented set pieces are now a hallmark of the Uncharted series, and we were given an extended look at a new sequence revealed at Gamescom – hitching a ride on a guarded freight plane. Drake makes a stealth attempt to get on board the plane, but is caught out. A desperate dash results in a run made in a jeep, assisted by Elena Fisher to catch the plane as it speeds towards take off. Drake does the action hero thing and makes a leap for the landing gear with inches to spare as the plane leaves the ground – a fantastic example of the cinematic elements we can expect in Uncharted 3.<\/p>\n
Meyer explained that the plane is also a large physics object, which itself contains a large number of physical freight objects. An entertaining fist-fight results in the cargo being ejected and the plane damaged and set on fire in mid-air. As the plane battles against the shifting weight, so the cargo slides around its bay, forcing drake to constantly reassess and adapt his cover options as he engages in a gun fight with guards. Finally, the plane goes down in flames, pitching Drake out into the wild blue yonder where the demo faded out. This is the situation which gives us the cover art for the game.<\/p>\n
Throughout the visuals impress and Naughty Dog has done some work on the facial animations, and paid attention to eyes and teeth. The models, textures and objects are highly detailed. The visual spectacles provided are of high calibre – it’s impressive to see Naughty Dog constantly squeeze more performance out of the PlayStation 3.<\/p>\n
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