On October 13, 2020, Uncharted 2 turned 11 years old. If the first part of the series was largely a clone of Gears of War with a charming protagonist, then in the sequel Naughty Dog found the same combination of cinematic moments, shootings and research, which since then many other studios, and its creators, are trying to repeat.

In honor of the next birthday of the game, its game director Bruce Streley wrote an emotional thread on Twitter. According to the developer, the time to work on Uncharted 2 was the best for him – including the fertility of the team.

These were innocent times. Before I learned what ludonarrative dissonance is. Before the word “cinematic” became abusive. I just wanted to make a playable summer blockbuster in the spirit of the movies I loved as a child.

I wanted the epic moments to go beyond the cutscenes (which was the standard at the time) and make them interactive. I wanted the players to sit on the edge of the chair because of the frantic rhythm of the narration. We did roller coasters, and it was an exciting process.

We wanted to make characters that were just fun to be around. We created the story in such a way that the moments that show the character of the characters were including gameplay – we wanted to close the gap between the player and the hero. It was the birth of the philosophy that led us to The Last of Us.

It’s sad that games usually don’t age well. Management now seems a bit unsuccessful. The shooting could have been a little more accurate. Overcoming obstacles could evolve over time. But at the time, this game was our statement. It was fun to work on, and I think the result is visible from the outside. I give five to the team and the fans!

Marco?

Now I look back in surprise. We released a full-fledged single-player campaign with a bunch of the smallest details, created multiplayer from scratch with 10 unique mods and 7-8 cards, and even a cool co-op ?! And all this in a box on the day of release. Speaking of self-doubt. Light it, people. We’re fine.

It is noteworthy that just after Uncharted 2 in the gaming industry began to actively discuss the issue of ludonarrative dissonance. Nathan Drake remained cheerful and frivolous, although he killed dozens of people during the shootings. In Uncharted 4, the studio tried to overcome this situation by showing how Drake is torn between the urge for adventure and “normal” life.

The fact that Streley considers the development of Uncharted 2 the best time will hardly surprise anyone. It is known that after the release of the game, the developer involuntarily found himself inside a protracted marathon of developing two titles in a row. After a difficult process of creating The Last of Us, Streley was forced to immediately switch to Uncharted 4, not having time to fully regain his strength.

As a result, in 2017, Streley finally burned out and left the Naughty Dog studio, and The Last of Us Part II was already held as an ordinary player.