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In our rush to the yule late this past week, we nearly forgot to mention that Nathan Drake and Nathan Drake lookalikes (Drakealikes?) have the chance to earn double cash (read: XP) this weekend in Uncharted 2's multiplayer mode. Donning the ubiquitous red cap (and apparently two brand new invisible hands), those taking Drake online will encounter not just jollier looking foes, but also "double for all kills and medals," according to Naughty Dog marketing man Arne Meyer on the PlayStation Blog. The temporary XP boost kicked in on Christmas Eve (December 24) at 10AM PST and goes until tomorrow at 11AM PST, so there are still at least another 24 or so hours to shoot some of those dastardly Drakealikes in multiplayer.

A recent PlayStation.Blog post contained great news for your ragtag group of trained virtual killers: an Uncharted 2 title update which goes live later today will add Clan Tag functionality to the game's multiplayer component, allowing you to proudly display your team's four-letter moniker before your PSN ID. Sure, this isn't exactly the full clan support that your clan might have hoped for, but it still lets you represent. Isn't that what really matters?

The update's other features, which include quick rematches for online games and hastened load times, can be found in a list after the jump.

This past Saturday brought us the Spike TV Video Game Awards and – before experiencing the litany of world exclusives that awaited us inside – we spent some time outside cruising the red carpet and talking (briefly!) to many of the game developers and talent. We squeezed them for information as fast as we could while simultaneously wishing them holiday cheer and good tidings. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds. Here's what we learned from Naughty Dog's Evan Wells about Uncharted 2.

Are we going to see any campaign DLC?

Well, that certainly is a possibility but right now we're focusing on multiplayer. We're working on some new maps, we have a couple of new game modes in the works, and a lot of skins. So we're going to focus on that right now.

Has anything surprised you since launch?

Oh, completely. We've been updating our online functionality constantly. We have a new patch coming out later this month, we're improving the load times, we've added leaderboards, we've added clan tags. So really, we're continuing to expand on the online functionality.

In an attempt to keep that fresh, new game smell on Uncharted 2, developer Naughty Dog will be implementing some "experimental" changes to the game's online multiplayer modes this weekend. First, a new playlist comprised solely of Plunder matches will be introduced into the mix -- a filter that the community has been requesting since the game first launched. Second, for this weekend only, all players' health will be reduced to 65 percent. It's a side effect from the game's "Crushing" difficulty setting, which the developer thinks could ramp up the speed and intensity of multiplayer firefights.

Naughty Dog is asking for feedback on these temporary changes, so if you're not a fan (or, alternatively, if you're a superfan) of the new playlist or diminished health capacity, drop a comment on the studio's blog.

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced a few additions to the lineup of speakers for next year's DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) summit in Las Vegas.

Naughty Dog game designer Richard Lemarchand, Zynga chief creative officer Brian Reynolds (previously a designer on Civilization 2 and Alpha Centauri), and Zeebo's Mike Yuen will speak at the summit. Hopefully Yuen will discuss the hot topic of what the deal with Zeebo is. Jamin Brophy-Warren, editor of the new Kill Screen magazine, will moderate a panel discussion between writer/director/producer Navid Khonsari, Raven Software lead designer Manveer Heir, and Dmitri Williams, and new media professor Dmitri Williams.

Once again, this is DICE, the summit taking place in Las Vegas from February 17-20, 2010. Not the EA-owned developer, in case you were wondering why they were bringing a bunch of speakers in.

Look, if for some crazy reason you've still not gotten yourself a DualShock 3 and, even crazier, haven't played through Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, then you might want to check out this Amazon bundle -- which is set to release December 15.

For $60, you'll get a black DualShock 3 controller and experience every earth-shaking explosion in Nathan Drake's first adventure through glorious rumble or -- given the time of year -- gift your procrastinator friend or loved one with one sweet bundle, granted they haven't already acquired a new console in the last year or a new PS3 Slim.

There's no word whether Sony will offer other bundles and together the two will only save you $7 right now (Amazon is pricing the game at $27 and the controller at $40), but we still wouldn't suggest playing Uncharted without a DualShock 3. What are you, some chump on the street not getting the fullest from your games? No, you hold yourself to a higher standard.

[Thanks, Yingerman!]

PS3 owners will want to stay home on Black Friday. Why? Naughty Dog is releasing the first downloadable content for Uncharted 2's multiplayer mode this Friday, November 27. A title update will add "The Fort," a brand new multiplayer map supposedly based on the "Fortress" chapter of Drake's Fortune. According to the press release, "The Fort is a long rectangular map with wide open spaces and excellent flank routes." There's a shotgun in the center of the map and an RPG in the crypt (the inevitable resting place of people on the wrong end of that weapon). Best of all, this update will be free.

Once the patch goes live at 1PM ET, Naughty Dog will also initiate a Double Cash weekend. Teams will have special skins in competitive matches: Doughnut Drake for the Heroes (pictured above), and Doughnut Lazarevic for the Villains.

See a video after the break.

Okay, so Modern Warfare 2 sold more copies than there are people on the planet -- let's not get so lost in the hub-bub of everyone's new fling that we forget about the practically ancient Uncharted 2. Aren't you curious how it's been selling? Well, earlier today, at the BMO Capital Markets "Digital Entertainment Conference," Sony America VP of Business Development Phil Rosenberg announced that "as of last week, we've already sold over a million copies [of Uncharted 2] in just a couple weeks on the market."

We have no way of knowing whether that number is accurate, though with the NPDs due out later today, we imagine we'll be finding out soon if it's as inflated as Nate Drake's ego, or if it's as accurate as Nate Drake ... using ... using a sniper rifle. And shooting stuff. Like, in an accurate manner.

[Via G4TV]

Sure, you could be like one of those tea-bagging Mountain Dew drinkers, clearly unprepared for The Ride of Your Life™. Or, friend, you could be a hero. A Pepsi drinking hero.

And that's exactly the choice that folks living in select states have to make when they go to their local supermarkets starting this week. If you dare to purchase specially-marked 12-packs of Pepsi, you could be 1 of 20 equally daring folks who wins a PlayStation 3 system and the entire Uncharted series (yep, all two games!). If not, you could be 1 of 200 intrepid adventurers who wins a copy of the most recent -- and most excellent -- game, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. If none of those, well ... you should probably switch to Coke.

All the nitty gritty details are right here.

Okay, so our initial observation that Uncharted 2 would soon receive skeletal Helghast was a bit far from the truth. Naughty Dog's Arne Meyer recently announced on Playstation.Blog that the half-tucked title would receive an update which addresses a number of multiplayer issues today. On top of that, anyone who plays the game online during this Halloween weekend will receive a treat infinitely more sweet than a fistful of Necco Wafers: Loads and loads of (in-game) cash money.

Yes, the next few days will be a "Double Cash Weekend" for Uncharted 2 multiplayer matches. As you can probably suss out from the title, you'll earn double the rank-progressing moolah you would normally gain for playing the various online playlists. In addition, a bunch of Naughty Dog staffers will be playing this weekend -- presumably appearing as the crimson-eyed, skinless abominations seen above. We appreciate the work these folks have done, but following our strict undead infestation protocols, they must be purged.

We figured that Naughty Dog would tire of its propensity to tease us once Uncharted 2: Among Thieves had finally hit store shelves. However, if the developer's recent late-night tweet is any indication, its still got a few surprises up its sleeve. The aforementioned tweet simply read, "working late tonight, got a ton of things that need to get done," and included a link to the unsettling image above.

If we were to wager a guess as to what those ... things are, our early analysis would be Helghast skeletons. Now, with Halloween coming up, the skeletons thing makes sense. Helghast, though? That's just garishly non-canonical.

With all the resounding critical praise that Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2 has received thus far, it's good to see creative director Amy Hennig speaking up on the possibility of DLC for the game. "We're working on that now ... there will be DLC available before the end of the year," she told IndustryGamers today. Though she's not yet revealing very much on what exactly the content will entail, she did say it may include, "new maps, new characters, things like that ... some of it will be free of charge and some of it will be purchasable."

She wouldn't directly quote sales of the title thus far, but she did allow that the title is "exceeding expectations" and outselling the original game "by many, many times" -- a fact no doubt aided by the PlayStation 3's primary position among consoles on last month's NPDs. Hennig seems to embrace this head-on, referring to the confluence of events that lead to the current success of Uncharted 2 -- a hardware price drop, a handful of games being pushed back, and critical acclaim for the game -- as "serendipity." That doesn't mean the game ends in an expensive ice cream shop, right?

It's hard for us to blame you for wanting to extend the Uncharted 2 experience. Who wouldn't want a big second helping of the one of the year's best titles? While it's no substitute, we're hopeful that the Home space based on the game opening on Thursday will help to fill the hole in your heart, if only a little.

Those of you who haven't played the game might be able to help stave off the cravings with the space's three mini-games, though we'd submit that time would be far better spent finding a second job so you can just buy your own copy already.

With this week's release of Uncharted 2, Naughty Dog's Evan Wells is likely finding it difficult to catch his breath while being buried in praise -- praise which is most certainly deserved. In an interview with VG247, Wells offers his opinion on the impact of motion controls on the future of gaming and he even rolls his sleeves up and wades into the console wars, addressing the always present question of platform superiority.

In regards to motion controls, Wells doesn't expect the new tech promised to "supplant the traditional gaming controller any time in the near future," citing that there are just too many games that benefit from traditional controllers. He says these games "would lose something significant" when redesigned for a motion control experience, painting a picture of a future where these new motion-based titles are offered next to more traditional experiences.

As for comments that Uncharted 2 could never work on the Xbox 360, Wells stresses that a platform does not dictate a game's worth and "the differences that you see between any two games has much more to do with the developer than whether it's on the Xbox or PS3." He says that great "programmers and great artists are going to make a great game" and we all know Uncharted 2 certainly had both in spades. In the end, it's not like the Xbox 360 would benefit from having Uncharted 2, anyway. We all know two identical entities can't occupy the same space at the same time.

After Uncharted the First hit Japan with the force of a thousand baby chicken feathers, we didn't think the game's sequel would have much of an impact in the region. It seems we were mistaken -- according to a gaming retailer blog called Sinobi, Uncharted 2 sold 47,000 units in its first day at retail in Japan. Sure, it's not the biggest launch ever, but it's a huge improvement over the original Uncharted's first-day sales of 7,300 units.

Of course, the original Uncharted didn't have the massive install base and Sony marketing support that Naughty Dog's latest endeavor has -- nor did it possess the simply stunning box art seen above. Seriously, Japanese Uncharted 2 box art, we're gonna need that breath back. You know, that breath that you took away.

[Via Andriasang; image credit]