After deftly dodging questions like, "How many polygons are there in Nathan's eyebrow?" and "Can I give Elena an accent in my fanfic?" Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells confirmed a new Uncharted 2: Among Thieves demo in an online Q&A held yesterday, courtesy of the PlayStation Blog. "Yes, we're going to have another multiplayer demo before the game hits shelves," Wells said. "The exact timing isn't finalized yet, but it should be available to an even wider group this time, so if you missed the last one I don't think you'll have any problem getting in this one."

We're hoping that by "even wider group," he's referring to everyone who can't wait to play the frantically anticipated action-adventure (which is everyone) and failed to gain entry into the recent beta. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is currently scheduled for release this Fall -- a more exact date will be announced "very soon," Wells teased.

No matter how much we try (and we're not) we can't stop talking about Naughty Dog. From wowing us with new Uncharted 2: Among Thieves footage at E3 2009, letting us shoot each other in the Uncharted 2 beta and teasing a movie deal, Naughty Dog is everywhere. If you're looking for more on the dev, make sure to check out the PlayStation Blog tomorrow beginning at 2PM Pacific (5PM Eastern), where Uncharted 2 creative director Amy Hennig and game director Bruce Straley will be on-hand for a live chat to answer your Nathan Drake related questions.

It's been nearly a year, but remember when we broke the news that pirate-murdering simulator and half-tuck trendsetter Uncharted was making its way from the wilds of the video game jungle to the majesty of the silver screen? Looks like our original source was dead-on: Atlas Entertainment had optioned the rights for the title last year and now, with a script by Kyle Ward of "Kane & Lynch" and "Hitman 2" game-to-not-yet-movie fame – they've found a partner in Columbia Pictures.

For those of you not well versed in the corporate parentage of movie studios (Gulf + Western who?) we'll remind you: Columbia Pictures is part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. And the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group is, in turn, a part of Sony Pictures Entertainment. And you'll never guess who owns ... oh, you already guessed? So, yeah, through a labyrinth of corporate relationships, Sony is making a movie based on a game made by a studio owned by Sony.

Regardless, The Hollywood Reporter, uh ... reports that the movie follows the plot of the first game – the project is titled Uncharted: Drake's Fortune – wherein "a treasure hunter named Nate Drake ... believes he has learned the whereabouts of El Dorado, the fabled South American golden city, from a cursed golden statue." Oh, and what about that other part of the first game? "The search becomes competitive when a rival hunter joins the fray, then is racheted up several notches when creatures -- actually mutated descendants of Spaniards and Nazis -- begin attacking those hoping to learn the treasure's true secrets."

Creatures confirmed.

[via @geoffkeighley]

The winners of the annual Best of E3 Game Critics Awards have been announced, with Uncharted 2 taking home the gold as "Best of Show." Not only that, but the game was also awarded "Best Console Game" and "Best Action/Adventure Game," taking the lead with three wins. Check out the trailer above (yes, again) for a good indication of why Uncharted 2 was handed the grand prize.

Meanwhile, Scribblenauts also got the recognition it deserved, coming in second with two awards for "Best Original Game" and "Best Handheld Game." No other games received multiple awards, though Valve recaptured the "Best Online Multiplayer" award with Left 4 Dead 2 a year after its predecessor did the same in 2008. While EA's Brütal Legend is nowhere to be seen in the list of winners, EA did take home more wins than any other publisher (three, if you're curious). And while the PS3-exclusive Uncharted 2 took top honors, from a console perspective the Xbox 360 edged out the PS3 by a single win, at eight versus seven.

Check out the full list of winners after the break and, for more granular stats, check out the breakdowns at the Game Critics Awards website.

Naughty Dog just gave us 300 Uncharted 2 multiplayer codes to give out (zowie, thanks guys!), and we're going to be randomly dropping them in groups of 30 throughout the day. If you snag one, pop it into your PS3 right away ... there are only two weeks left in the beta! But that's still plenty of time to plunder and "accidentally" kill your own team with grenades.

Stay tuned to the Joystiq Twitterfeed for more info. We're not going to be doing a Da Vinci Code treasure hunt for these suckers, but they won't be right here on the front page either. Watch shortly for the first batch, and keep your PS3 opened to the PlayStation Store where you can redeem the codes. Good luck!

Update: We've confirmed via Naughty Dog that these codes are good for the US and Canada only, unfortunately. Sorry about that! It's out of our hands, unfortunately.

Naughty Dog recently released a patch for the multiplayer beta of Uncharted 2, and we contacted them to get more information on the changes, especially to the grenades. If only these had been made before our team matches, we might not have dealt out so much death to our teammates.

Naughty Dog's Multiplayer Designer Justin Richmond got back to us with some answers:

Was player feedback the reason for the tweaks? Or was it internal?

A little of both. We LOVE getting feedback on the forums, and appreciate everybody taking the time to post about what they like and dislike. The data from the players themselves is invaluable.

Almost everything we patched for was stuff that was broken in code that we could address in a short amount of time. We did raise the score limits in the game pre-patch due to overwhelming player response. We have been looking at the forums constantly and are aware of all of the issues that people have with the game. Already, changes have been made based on feedback from the beta that are NOT in the patch however, and we will continue to do so as we hear from the players on the forums.

What specifically was changed about the grenades? Made more powerful? Less powerful? Can you still teamkill with them?

Players will still take team damage from grenades as they did before, but accidentally grenade killing your whole team in the first seconds of a game are being fixed for the full game. We are also tweaking the "kick" system.

Elena Fisher, shrewdly describing herself as "last year's model," is back in Uncharted 2, breaking with the standard serial adventure ethos that values the one-and-done romantic interest over long-term attachment. It may have taken Marion two decades to make her way back to Indy's side, but Elena has swiftly staked a claim as Nathan Drake's true sidekick. The two reunite in Naughty Dog's sequel with the sassy Chloe spicing up the between-the-sheets melodrama. It's a diversion, at least, from the requisite mass murdering that seems to accompany Drake's carefree treasure hunts.

Naughty Dog most certainly has not scaled back any of the elements that made the first Uncharted a blast to play but, upon reflection, posed some serious questions about Drake's psychological condition. The man single-handedly committed pirate genocide, after all (well, Elena did peg a few, too). Fitting, then, that Uncharted 2's antagonist is a Serbian war criminal, who might share more in common with Drake than the surface story leads us to believe.

This year's E3 has seen a number of great trailers -- certainly better quality than some from last year -- but this Uncharted 2 trailer definitely sits very high on our list of favorites. If you weren't excited about the game already, you will be once you see this. Just remember, this is a game, not a movie. Honest.

Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells has confirmed that the multiplayer beta for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves begins late tonight / early tomorrow morning -- midnight June 3, to be exact. The beta is open to Qore subscribers and those who who purchased inFamous (which, if you haven't, our review says you should!).

The beta includes two playlists, co-op and competitive, which sounds just like what we got our hands on -- and had a hard time getting them off of -- last month. We wish everyone luck in getting past the saloon in co-op. It's kinda tough.

According to Kotaku, a recent live taping of a GameTrailers TV E3 special revealed a veritable bounty of E3 information. First and foremost, a spokesmen reportedly confirmed that the upcoming Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta will begin on the first day of E3. For all the Nathan Drake fans out there, that would be June 2, so mark your calendars.

The special is also rumored to reveal new details about Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time, specifically that the game will include time travel as well as new hover boots for Ratchet. Throw in some Modern Warfare 2 footage, a new title from Bethesda and news about loads of games including Mass Effect 2, Madden, Need For Speed: Shift, Dante's Inferno, Lost Planet 2 and Aliens vs Predator, and you've got quite a show.

Granted, some of this could easily be revealed prior to the episode's May 28 premier (11:00pm ET/PT), but given the program's penchant for WORLD EXCLUSIVE reveals, it's probably worth checking out.

[Via @geoffkeighley]

It's been more than a year since we last heard from Big Red Button Entertainment, the new game studio founded in February 2008 by Naughty Dog vets, who left the company they helped found to establish the "United Artists of games." Today the firm peeked out of its shell just long enough to say that it spent the last year securing money, people and partnerships to help get its as-yet-unannounced projects out the door.

According to Big Red Button, the company is staying focused on creating "AAA-caliber game concepts and designs," as well as its distributed development platform; a model the studio claims "removes the risk for traditional publishers." Of course, this is all just talk until someone shows us a game. We still don't have a clue what Big Red Button is up to, but whatever it is, at least the company has the money to take us there.

Nathan Drake is a man that gets into a lot of trouble. If watching yesterday's video of Uncharted 2 wasn't enough to satiate your appetite for this PS3 sequel, you'll be glad to know even more footage has been discovered on the web. This time, you can see five minutes of the brand new urban environment Drake must climb through. Let's hope the treasure is worth it for our intrepid explorer.

Update: You can now check out an in-your-face HD version at IGN. In addition, you can read their preview to find out more about the treasure du 'jour: the Cintimani Stone.

[Thanks, Bryan!]

The multiplayer modes in Naughty Dog's high-adventure sequel, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, are good stuff for sure, but if you're anything like us you've been aching to see some more of the game's single-player side. We're all in luck, as footage has surfaced via GameTrailers showing a solo Nate Drake in action -- and oh, does it ever look good.

The video is actually a (much) higher quality version of what was "leaked" out of this year's Game Developers Conference. Through the magic of direct-feed video, you can now see every little detail as Drake performs new close-quarters fighting moves, utilizes the improved cover system and cracks wise after nearly being blown to smithereens. How's that for a hero? Watch it for yourself after the break.

Loose Cannon Studios is a new independent development team set up by two Sucker Punch veterans, Dev Madan and Matthew Scott, along with Ricci Rukavina, who previously worked at Universal Interactive Studios and Vivendi. According to the company's website it was founded in 2005 and its employees have worked on such franchises as Sly Cooper, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Jak And Daxter and Uncharted. That's quite a pedigree.

Loose Cannon will reveal its first title at E3, which will be based on a new home-grown IP and aim for release on the PS3, 360 and Wii in late summer or early fall. That's really soon, considering they're just now announcing their existence to the world. We're definitely intrigued to see what the company has to show at E3, though the website also promises more announcements in the weeks leading up to the show itself.