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How Troy Baker's Naughty Dog work influenced 'Shadow of War'
Troy Baker has lent his voice and performances to some of the biggest games of the past decade. From six roles across Darksiders 2 to playing Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite or stepping into The Joker's shoes in Batman: Arkham Origins, you might not realize it's actually him delivering the lines until you see the credits. That's because he approaches each performance incredibly differently. With Middle-earth: Shadow of War his job was particularly complex: In addition to reprising his role as Talion, a Ranger of Gondor who's more or less possessed by an undead prince, Baker served as the director for all of the game's performance-capture story sequences. For that task, Baker relied on his experience with director Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog and his roles in the studio's The Last of Us (TLoU) and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Naughty Dog is widely regarded as having some of the best performances and shot composition in video game story sequences -- there are definitely worse places to look to for inspiration.
What's on your HDTV: 'Deadpool,' 'Uncharted 4,' 'Doom,' 'Chelsea'
There's a lot to unpack this week, including the ongoing NHL and NBA playoffs and Drake taking over SNL. Of course, my favorite highlight is the arrival of Deadpool on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray, following its record-setting digital download debut two weeks ago. Netflix will take its big leap into almost-live content this week, as it presents the first three episodes of Chelsea Handler's new talk show, starting on Thursday morning. Of course for gamers the big attractions are Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Doom. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Traveling the world in Uncharted 4's ridiculous photo mode
Aside from minor tweaks for brightness and contrast, everything in this National Geographic-inspired gallery was captured entirely within the photo mode of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. And while the images don't contain any story spoilers from the first 11 chapters of the game, if you're looking to go in completely blind, you should avert your eyes. Amazing visuals are part of the Uncharted series' DNA, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is no exception. The difference here is that the previous three installments didn't feature a photo mode when they debuted on PlayStation 3. And to be clear, this isn't even the first PS4 game with a photo mode -- that would be Infamous: Second Son -- but this is the first one that I want to keep playing. That's because taking screenshots here is as fun as working through the narrative itself.
Sony delays 'Uncharted 4' again, to May 10th
If you're waiting for the next installment of the Uncharted series, get ready to wait just a little bit longer than you might have planned. While its open beta may be just days away, tonight Sony announced that Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will launch on May 10th. That's instead of the plan to launch April 26th, which was a delay from the previously announced release date of March 18th. According to Sony it's still on track to go gold for disc manufacturing later this month, but the delay is to allow for more manufacturing time.
The 'Uncharted 4' beta launches ahead of schedule
We didn't know the specifics of exactly when the Uncharted 4: A Thief's End multiplayer beta would launch before, but that's changed. Nathan Drake's online adversarial adventures, and, by extension, yours, begin at 5 PM GMT (12 PM Eastern) tomorrow for European folks. Domestically, we'll have to wait for Friday. We've reached out to Sony for exact timing of when the test phase will go live in the US and will update this post should the company respond. Remember, you still need a copy of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection to access the beta at all.
'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' hits PS4 on March 18th
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, the final game in Naughty Dog's Indiana Jones-style adventure series, will hit PlayStation 4 on March 18th, 2016. We got a taste of the game right after E3 2015 with an extended, action-packed trailer that features protagonist Nathan Drake shooting up bad guys, driving through a mountainside city and surviving all manner of seemingly lethal evasion tactics. There are a few versions of the game up for pre-order this week, including the Special Edition, which costs $80 and includes a steelbook case, an art book, in-game currency, a sticker sheet and the game on Blu-ray.
'Uncharted 4' looks like a ghost from E3's past
Drake gets into some vehicular mayhem of his own, knocking out wooden supports from terraces that overlook alleys. The scale feels much bigger, however, based on the onstage demo tonight from Sony's media briefing. The whole time, Drake's accompanied by Sully, offering comic relief, moral support and hopefully a neckbrace to help prevent whiplash.
'Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection' brings Naughty Dog's trilogy to PS4
After Uncharted 4: A Thief's End was pushed into 2016, PlayStation 4 owners hungry for supernatural-tinged archaeological adventure, adequate gunplay and roguish quips were braced for a disappointing year. Then with the easy charm of a cad with his shirt only half-tucked in, Sony made a reassuring announcement on Thursday. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection will bring all three PlayStation 3 games in the series to the new console with a bevy of technological upgrades this fall, making the wait for Uncharted 4 that much easier.
'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' delayed until spring 2016
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, the latest sequel in Sony and Naughty Dog's hugely popular action adventure game series and the first entry on PlayStation 4, has been pushed from its 2015 release date to spring 2016.
Take a look at the next Uncharted on the PlayStation 4
Uncharted's swashbuckling adventures already looked good on the PlayStation 3, so how will they improve on the PS4? Quite a lot, apparently. Naughty Dog has just shown off the first gameplay from Uncharted 4 at PlayStation Experience, and we won't lie: it's gorgeous. Characters look so good in-game that you'd think you were watching a cutscene, while even cliff faces (and there are many cliff faces) appear all too real. You'll also see some new game mechanics that promise to inject new life into the series, including grappling hooks and pinions that get you across seemingly impossible challenges. It's a shame that you'll still have to wait until 2015 to play, but this preview suggests that it could be worth the wait.
You can try Sony's VR headset at the 'PlayStation Experience'
Tickets for Sony's PlayStation Experience in December go on sale today, but aside from a few coy teases, what you'll do there hasn't been clear. Well, now that's changing. For starters, Project Morpheus -- the catch-up king's VR headset -- is making its consumer show debut (as opposed to, say, appearing at E3). As far as games go, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, The Order: 1866 and Bloodborne are making appearances too. And what would PlayStation be without indies? The Journey and Grim Fandango remasters for PS4, Helldivers, The Witness will be there, and something "super special" is planed for No Man's Sky come the show's Saturday night. There's too much to list here, and more still to come apparently, so head over to the PlayStation Blog for the full line-up that'll be in Las Vegas a little over a month from now. [Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
'Uncharted 4: A Thief's End' coming to PlayStation 4 in 2015
You knew a new Uncharted was coming to the PlayStation 4 -- it was inevitable, really. And tonight at E3, Sony just capped off its E3 press event with a teaser trailer of Naughty Dog's next title in the franchise: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. We didn't get much beyond a short scene of the series' hero Nathan Drake waking up bruised and walking through a jungle, but judging by the game's title, this could also be the last we ever see of Drake. Take note, the snippet of footage Sony showed was apparently captured directly from the PS4, so prepare for some absolutely gorgeous visuals. Expect to see the next-gen title arrive sometime in 2015.
