Interviews// Naughty Dog's Justin Richmond

Justin Richmond on taking on Hollywood:

So that’s all the big overview stuff when we started and then we just went from there, asking: “Where can we really show off the engine?” One thing we’ll show you later is this train sequence, when you’re on a train moving through miles and miles of track, and fighting guys at the same time. There are a bunch of other places like that, which really put Drake into this cinematic action-adventure game, where you really are getting the feel of the Hollywood blockbuster that you get to play.

Justin Richmond on seamless gameplay:

We also added the element of player choice. The first game had combat and puzzles, but they were sort of separate, and we really wanted to blend the narrative of the game together with all those things. So you go from a cinematic sequence into a gunfight, into a puzzle, back into a gunfight, back into a cinematic, and we make it all really feel seamless. There are no loads or anything, so you’re literally playing it out in real-time. We wanted to make sure that all those things were even better than they were in the first game.

Justin Richmond on exploring Nathan Drake’s darker side:

Then, narratively, we really wanted to delve into what Drake was like, not just when he was on his good side, but when he was on bad behaviour, the darker side of Drake. So you meet up with a new bunch of characters that play off of what the darker side of treasure-hunting is like, when you have to sell the treasure, and stuff like that.

We put in these new characters Harry Flynn and Chloe Frasier, who are both from the darker parts of Drake’s past, and make a really nice foil to show off more of Drake’s personality than we did in the first game, and really show what he could have been, or where he could go if he’s not careful. And we wanted to give this really nice story-arc not just to Drake but to the other characters in the game. Story is a big part of our game, and we wanted to make sure that really came across.

On top of that, we wanted to make sure it was a really compelling story that kept driving people forward. So, even in the down-sections of the game, where you’re not in the middle of combat, you’re still talking to the characters who are with you – talking about what is going on, whether it’s a little titbit about Drake’s past, or whether it’s something you’ve got to do.

Don't forget to read our Uncharted 2 review here.