The first ever PlayStation Experience kicked off in Las Vegas today, with a 90-minute keynote getting the fan event off to a rousing start. With lots of announcements and trailers teased for the keynote presentation, it's no surprise that Sony chose to begin by showing off one of its flagship series, Uncharted.
In a live gameplay demo, Naughty Dog's Bruce Straley played through 15 minutes of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, due out for the PlayStation 4 next year. Next-gen Nathan Drake is looking better than ever, and the footage was impressive: gorgeous water effects, plenty of texture detail in that half-tucked shirt, and a few new mechanics to take Uncharted's mix of puzzle-solving, exploration, and combat even further.
In the demo, Drake employs some Assassin's Creed-esque sneaking around before engaging in open gunplay with his foes, as usual killing enemies with no regard. He's got some new tricks on his sleeve, like swinging from a rope mid-combat to reach a shooter on another cliff and using a tool for mountain climbing. And, just in case there were any doubts that this was a live demo, Uncharted 4 glitched out mid-fall, sending Drake descending into a gray void. Straley recovered, and at the end of the demo Drake came face-to-face with an older man who referred to him as "little brother," implying that more of the treasure hunter's family history will be revealed in Uncharted 4.
Despite the glitchy moment, the demo was a great start to Sony's PlayStation Experience. Sadly, we still have no release date for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, so we'll probably hear more around E3 next year.
