Uncharted NGP set before Uncharted 1

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 20 May, 2011

Naughty Dog clarifies "mistake".

Uncharted NGP is set before Uncharted 1, Naughty Dog has said.

Last night we reported on a gameblog.fr interview in which Naughty Dog co-president Christophe Balestra said the game took place between Uncharted 1 and Uncharted 2.

"Christophe made a mistake. :)" Naughty Dog community manager Arne Meyer wrote on NeoGAF.

The Sony Bend-developed game is actually set before 2007 PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted 1 – but it's not a prequel.

"Bend Studio is really the best bet for any info related to the Uncharted NGP game, but I couldn't help but want to jump in and mention that the NGP storyline is set sometime before Drake's Fortune (and not a prequel)," Meyer said.

"I'll leave the rest for the NGP/Uncharted NGP press campaign."

He added: "Reason we're making the distinction is that it's not a direct lead-in to the story of Drake's Fortune, which many people would expect if you said 'prequel'".

In the gameblog.fr interview Balestra said Uncharted NGP features a different vibe and rhythm than the PS3 games so people can play it in short bursts.

It's the same category of game, but has more exploration and fewer gunfights, letting people breathe while playing.

He also said Uncharted NGP will "most likely" feature interactions with Uncharted 3, also out later this year.

Responsibility for development has been passed from Naughty Dog to Sony Bend, whose most recent effort was the impressive Resistance: Retribution on PSP.

One of the development challenges Bend faces, Balestra said, is working with actors, suggesting the portable version features cinematics akin to those seen in its big brother.

NGP is due out this year.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Widge #1 1 year ago

    NOT SHORT BURSTS :(

  • StolenGlory #2 1 year ago

    Still day one.

    Along with the hardware.

  • FladgeMangle #3 1 year ago

    @Widge

    I sometimes despair at the shallowness of this place. They have this knee-jerk "only on the bus" opinion about handheld gaming that simply isn't true. Yet they roll out the same misdirected clichés every single time.

  • Bigmac1910 #4 1 year ago

    Damn, now I have to buy the NGP.

  • Lusterpurge #5 1 year ago

    "Set before Uncharted 1"
    "not a prequel"

    Yeah, ok whatever.

  • macksed #6 1 year ago

    Hopefully I'll be rich by Q4 2011, fingers crossed :)

  • scorpius45 #7 1 year ago

    If it is set before the first Uncharted hopefully we will see some Eddy Raja.

  • raion #8 1 year ago

    @FladgeMangle

    And what's more, handhelds have this neat thing called "sleep mode" that allows one to pause and resume gameplay as he sees fit/needs to. There really is no need for games to be developed with the "bus trip" mentality, especially those that stem from a home console design.

  • Widge #9 1 year ago

    As long as it doesn't ruin the flow of the game and is at odds of it. Remember GTA:LCS on the PSP, had its missions tailored for bitesize play? I think the first mission was "drive down the road". Sure I can play that quickly but what is the point? There is no satisfaction in that as a mission.

    Thankfully pushing into the game revealed more of a challenge and it turned out to be one of my favourite GTA's.

    I really don't mind having a pause in the middle of an epic game, as long as it has a good save mechanic (BAD FINAL FANTASY III ON THE IPHONE), then all is good.

    We'll see with the final product anyway, the hardware is positioned as a hardcore gamerugh device. No need to tailor games to casual play. Especially when you can no doubt pick up all the casual play games from PSN and Suite for those purposes.

  • DiamondIce #10 1 year ago

    I never felt that an Uncharted game could be played in short bursts. I loved the story, the excellent way the characters portrayed the story and the gameplay to match. This was a game I could sink hours into and a change of pace doesn't sound all that welcome.

    Are the areas being scaled back to fit in with this pick-up-and-play-and-put-down-within-5-minutes-of-starting?
    Edited by DiamondIce at 20/05/11 @ 10:34

  • aniki Verified Web Developer, YoYo Games Ltd #11 1 year ago

    Just because they're designing it so it can be played in short bursts doesn't mean it's going to automatically kick you out after five minutes. I'm sure you'll be able to sink all day into the game if you really want to - but for anybody who is playing it on a commute will appreciate the fact that there will be fewer epic gunfights that you've got to finish before saving.

    I can't speak for anybody else obviously, but I don't like coming back to a game after a break and being thrown right into a checkpoint halfway through a gun battle. It takes me a minute or two to get my bearings, and dying repeatedly while I sort out the control layout in my head isn't an enjoyable experience.

  • PeacockDreams #12 1 year ago

    Set before Uncharted 1?

    That means its gonna be called Uncharted Zero, set on a train and a Gamecube exclusive

  • MoGamer2006 #13 1 year ago

    I imagine that all this means is the game will feature slightly less grandiose puzzle setpieces - i.e. ones that don't take your 45 minutes to navigate and figure out. Or if they do, they'll be 'chunked' into neat checkpoints.

    Nothing wrong with that, makes total sense for a handheld.

  • Bigglesworth #14 1 year ago

    I never understood the push for 'short burst' gameplay on PSP, when you could suspend the machine at any time and continue exactly where you left off when you powered up.

    Also, "not a prequel" = "unrelated to Uncharted 1 story". Not hard.

  • zedzee #15 1 year ago

    The only time line I care about for this game is the one that makes it a LAUNCH TITLE!!!

  • SpaceMonkey77 #16 1 year ago

    Sounds good to me. Many of us don't have PS3s, so an oppurtunity to indulge in some Uncharted would be easier via NGP, if the price is sweet enough.

    Either way, NGP is on my buy list, especially if the games have achievements, which is hopefully highly likely, if its going to hook up with PSN. 3DS, your days are numbered.

  • LLT_taz #17 1 year ago

    I don't care what type it is. short or long... Bend did a good job with resistance on psp(one stick n poor graphic n networking) so it will be good game...

    want a NGP now!!!!

  • Chrisw373 #18 1 year ago

    @MoGamer2006

    Did you really think the puzzles in the other Uncharted games were that great though? I really enjoyed them both, but the one thing I thought would make them a lot better was better puzzles and exploration. This is one area that all the Tomb Raider games are much better imo. For the NGP version of Uncharted I would actually really like it if there was less shooting and more intricate puzzles. Hope it still has a good story as well.

    I definitely want the NGP, only issue is cost.

  • davisorle #19 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • SeesThroughAll #20 1 year ago

    the NGP storyline is set sometime before Drake's Fortune (and not a prequel)

    I'm sorry, but am I the only one who finds this funny?

  • Mono_X #21 1 year ago

    A handheld game needs to be differentiated from a console game, otherwise there's no point in buying it on a handheld. The handheld experience needs to be a different one.

    Look at GTA:LCS, it was released on PSP and I bought and began playing it, then it was released on PS2 and I bought it again because it controlled and played better on the PS2. Infact I ended up completing it on the PS2.

    When GTA:VCS came out on PSP I had learned my lesson. I didn't buy it and waited. Surprise, surprise - it was later released on the PS2 - and that was the version I bought.

    I love uncharted, but I suspect if sales are weak on NGP it'll soon be ported to PS3 - we'll just have to wait and see.

  • Billybob21 #22 1 year ago

    How can it be set before the original, yet not a prequal?

  • trubadman #23 1 year ago

    Can't wait for the NGP to come out. Hope there is more connectivity between it and the PS3 than there was with the PSP, if Sony want it to sell well - then they should go for a £180 price point, but I'm sure it will be more like £250 - any more and I won't buy at launch. Uncharted on the move - amazing!

    @ Chrisw373
    I am happy that Uncharted's puzzle are 'simple' and I don't want them going Tomb Raider style, that would slow down the game big time for me and ruin it
    Edited by trubadman at 23/05/11 @ 01:29