Sony and Naughty Dog are gearing up for the May release of Uncharted 4 by rolling out some new behind-the-scenes details on the making of the PS4 exclusive. The first in the multi-part video series covers a lot of ground ranging back to the early days of Uncharted on the PS3.
Game Informer spotted the recently posted behind-the-scenes video documentary and you can check it out for yourself below. It clocks in at just over eight minutes so sit back, kick your legs up and enjoy the ride.
The first part of the video focuses mostly on how Naughty Dog wanted to lay the groundwork for Uncharted 4, as well as the Uncharted series in general. Lead actor Nolan North explains that he wanted Nate to feel grounded and real and explained how he wanted the character to react as if throwing punches actually hurts (because they do). Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley also explain how they wanted the characters to have weight when they move, jump and interact with the environments.
The video continues to move through the Uncharted series, as they explain what they went through and what their focus was with the second game in the series. They explained that they wanted to try their hand at those blockbuster set-pieces that Uncharted is now known for, and in Uncharted 2 they wanted a more compelling story intertwined with dynamic traversal and unforgettable combat.
Arguably most PS3 owners tend to feel as if Uncharted 2 is the pinnacle of gaming on the PlayStation 3. There were some technical deficiencies that prevented me from liking the game as much as I could have (the animation snapping and lack of motion-tree blending is still one of my major pet peeves) but there's no denying that Naughty Dog really raised the bar with the second game.
The video doc moves through Naughty Dog's work on Uncharted 3 and their more subdued and story-oriented approach to game design with The Last of Us. They explain that what they've learned from making The Last of Us has played a huge part in how they've sculpted the story in Uncharted 4. They wanted to be able to capture the small moments, the emotional moments and the blockbuster moments in the fourth game, all while keeping the entertainment values and gameplay variety that the series has been known for.
Unfortunately, we don't get to see any new footage of Uncharted 4 but it's definitely the sort of thing that fans will likely want to check out ahead of the game's release on May 10th. I was kind of hoping to get a little more insight into any changes in the motion capture process or the facial animation techniques they use for the game, but maybe that will come in a later behind-the-scenes doc? In the meantime you can look for Nathan Drake's final adventure to go live this May for the PS4.
