Remember that surprise announcement for Uncharted 2 that we mentioned earlier today? It’s a new multiplayer map called “The Fort”, based on the Fortress chapter from Drake’s Fortune.

According to Naughty Dog, the level will be a “long rectangular map with wide open spaces and excellent flank routes”. Tunnels lead into the basement, and a lonely shotgun sits in the center of the map, with an RPG in the side room of the crypt.

Alongside the new map, some new features will b added to the multi-player menu, including  leaderboards and unique player cards.

Thanksgiving will also see some special celebrations in-game, apparently.

When you join a competitive Multiplayer match on Thanksgiving weekend, you’ll be greeted with a slightly different look to our Heroes and Villians. It looks like Drake and Lazarevic had a few too many helpings of turkey (or Tofurkey), green bean casserole and, most definitely, sweet potato casserole.

We also flipped a few switches and bits here and there and not only is Double Cash weekend back, but you’ll be getting 2x the cash from any and all medals you are awarded during the course of a competitive or cooperative match. The per-match limits of $50,000 are still in effect, so if you’re just that good, you’ll be maxing out just about all the time.

And hey, you can’t argue with that price, can you?

Are you a Uncharted 2 fan? Do you enjoy the games comprehensive and sublime multiplayer mode? Then you should keep an eye on the game at the end of this week. So says Naughty Dog’s twitter.

“Things are looking up that we’re going to have something quite awesome lined up for multiplayer at the end of this week,” the devs stated.

If it’s anything like the Halloween event, where all players were compulsorily turned into skeletons for the whole weekend, you can guarantee that it’s gonna be “quite awesome” indeed.

When we weren’t busy eyeing up Sony’s impressive booth at the Bullring Centre in Birmingham, England, another impressive show of force by Sony caught our eye – Nathan Drake is making his face known in style!

Take a look for yourself.

It’s rather impressive.

The GameStation store in the Bullring Centre is the largest games store in the UK (in terms of floor space), and Sony clearly hasn’t wasted any time in getting Nathan Drake’s face out there where people will see it.

Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells posted over on the US PS Blog with gameplay figures for the Uncharted 2 Beta.

• Total Number of games played – 1,217,424
• Total Number of Kills – 92,110,787
• Total Number of Treasures Captured – 1,860,645
• Total Amount of Money Earned – $38,841,367,350
• Total Time Played – 9,905 days (or 27+ years!)

27 years?! That’s a hell of a lot of gameplay…

EuroGamer is reporting that Uncharted 2 has received a confirmed European release date; it will touch down in the region on October 16th.

The game hits the US a day sooner, on October 15th.

Not much longer to wait now, people!

Today, Sony confirmed that Uncharted 2 will be arriving in U.S stores on October 13th. In an effort to boost pre-orders Sony has laid out their plans with retailers, with each retailer providing different pre-order bonuses, as follows:

• Amazon.com – Exclusive UNCHARTED 2 Treasure Map. The exclusive UNCHARTED 2 Treasure Map allows players to discover hidden treasures throughout the game.
• Game Crazy – Exclusive Currency Multiplier for multiplayer online use. The Uncharted 2 Currency Multiplier allows gamers to gain in-game currency and unlock bonuses faster than their opponents for a limited period.
• GameStop – Exclusive first access to the Multiplayer Demo and the downloadable Revenge Attribute The Revenge Attribute is one of the last boosters that you can unlock in the multiplayer campaign. This bonus allows you to unlock the “Revenge” booster right from the start of your multiplayer campaign.
• For those interested in Best Buy’s preorder bonus, it’s golden Berettas and an Ak-47.

It looks like the security at GDC was pretty lax this year, because thanks to a few sneaky journalist, the first ever gameplay footage of Uncharted 2 has been leaked onto the internet.

The game is looking like it’s going to be especially good, if this sneak (literally) preview is anything to judge by. Enjoy!

After months of waiting, Naughty Dog have finally let everything out of the bag on the sequel to Uncharted: Drakes Fortune. The new game will officially be called “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves”.

The first trailer released shows a beaten-up Nathan Drake trudging through a snowy landscape and picking up an artefact, But thats it.

The next issue of GameInformer, involves a teaser and is a little more helpful.

“Nathan Drake returns with a whole new adventure which revolves around the 13th century explorer Marco Polo and his voyages,” says GameInformer. “The new PlayStation 3 title will add a free climbing mechanic and stealth gameplay. Players can also expect all-new locations, characters and a focus on the game’s story.”

A lengthier trailer will be shown during the 2008 Video Game Awards show, airing on December 14, 2008, at 9:00 PM (pacific – 5am UK) on Spike, says Naughty Dog.

Video, after the cut.

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