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How PS4's Power Is Making Uncharted 4 a Better Game

Lookin' good.

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Naughty Dog has released the fourth video in its "Making Of" series for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. This video is the second part of the "Pushing Technical Boundaries" episode, and it dives deeper into how developers leveraged the power of the PlayStation 4 to make what appears to be a stunning-looking game.

The developers talk about being surprised by how substantial a leap forward it was moving from PlayStation 3 to PlayStation 4. They say fans can look forward to a deeper and richer experience in A Thief's End as a result. For one, the world--which has 10X the playable space than any previous Uncharted game--will be life-like in that, when you drive over a dusty field, dust will kick up; if your tires spin out in the mud, expect to get dirty.

The video also touches on what's being described as a "completely overhauled" climbing system for main character Nathan Drake. Players will now have control over Drake's individual hands, able to place them onto specific hand holds of their choosing instead of being forced down any one path.

It's also revealed that enemy and friendly AI is no longer always scripted. Both allies and foes will now view levels in 3D space and make contextual adjustements. Don't expect to be able to take cover behind a crate and pick off enemies that way--they'll seek our new strategies and flank you.

Players will also be able to move through levels with a new sense of freedom. Using lessons learned on The Last of Us, Naughty Dog is now giving players the opportunity to sneak past enemies and break their line of sight to avoid confrontations altogether. But, as explained in the video, if an enemy detects your presence but doesn't find you right away, they won't give up, and will keep hunting you down.

This is the fourth of five planned episodes in the series. The first one was called "The Evolution of a Franchise," while the second was titled "Growing Up With Drake"; the third was "Pushing Technical Boundaries Part 1." The fifth video is titled "In the End," and will be released later.

It's been a long road to release for Uncharted 4. The PS4-exclusive was first scheduled to launch in 2015, but was later moved to March 2016 and then again to April 2016 before its latest delay to May 2016. The game has now finally gone gold, meaning Naughty Dog has finished development on the base game.

Work is now presumably underway for the game's expansion content. For the first time in Uncharted's history, Naughty Dog will release a story-based expansion for A Thief's End.

Uncharted 4 is the final entry in the series that Naughty Dog plans to develop and the last one to feature Nathan Drake in the lead role. However, the series may live on with another developer.

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