Noah Wardrip-Fruin, assistant professor at UC Santa Cruz and author of Expressive Processing: Digital Fictions, Computer Games, and Software Studies, pokes some holes in the game's seeming perfection.

The design of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves should make integrating gameplay and fiction easier in two particular ways. First, it's linear, so there's no need to worry about unexpected traversals of the fictional space. Second, it's almost entirely scripted - a matter of how adeptly things are accomplished, rather than what approach is taken or what tasks are attempted - so there's little chance of unexpected emergence from game mechanics coming into play in places, times, or combinations other than what the developer intended. Given these advantages/limitations, the game's creators shouldn't have much trouble making sure that gameplay action is solidly motivated by, situated in, and consistent with the fictional world.

And it appears to have worked, at least from the game's reception. As you probably know, the game has been getting great reviews that call it "a rollicking good yarn" that "gives up nothing to the biggest action films you can think of."

I've just started playing myself - thanks to winter break - but I'm actually a bit disappointed in Uncharted 2. It seems as though the gameplay and fiction have more disjuncture than even in the first Uncharted, much less a well-written movie.

Consider, for example, the first major chunk of action (after the prologue in the snow). This is set in a museum, and Nathan Drake (the main character) takes pains to explain to his accomplices that he doesn't want them to bring guns, because they're just going up against museum guards - and he doesn't want to kill anyone. This leads to a bunch of non-lethal hand-to-hand. Next it is revealed that one of the accomplices has brought guns. But they're non-lethal dart guns, so it's okay, and a bunch of museum guards get tranqed. Then, in the midst of this, Drake is hanging from a roof edge when a guard walks toward it. The game prompts the player to hit the square button - which results in grabbing the guard and throwing him to his apparent death. An accomplice makes a joke of this and Drake makes no mention of this completely out of character action. Others have also found this strange. But the associated joke (the one that starts, "There's a guy above you!") also appears to be one of the game's most-quoted.

The next big chunk of action has an even-odder break between the fiction and the design of the gameplay. Here the scenario involves a set of explosive charges that have been placed around a camp. The player character must arm them so that they can be used as part of a diversion. But the process of arming them requires fighting a camp of men armed with automatic weapons - an accomplice says we'll have to "clear the place out" - and the game neither prompts nor seems to provide the possibility of doing this via stealth. So the only way to play is to have a large firefight against people armed with automatic weapons and presumably aware of the route back to the main camp to warn their fellows. This seems likely to create at least as large a "diversion" (at the wrong fictional moment) as blowing up a few explosives mounted to the sides of the very platforms around which the firefight takes place. It's as though the fiction authors said "Let's have them arm some charges" and the gameplay authors said "Let's have the associated challenge be a firefight with several waves of goons" and no one checked to see if the gameplay made any sense with the context and motivation of the fiction.

Starting the game this way was leaving me a bit dispirited, though wanting to press on, given the Edge review's reassurance that the "opening chapters do not see the game at its very best." But then I heard the questions I was asking myself. "Did they put that guard's death in there just so they could work in that joke?" "Why didn't even a single one of the many goons we fought think to run the short distance to the main camp, if they were cut off from their radios?" I realized - these are exactly the sorts of questions I find myself asking after seeing the same blockbuster action movies on which the Uncharted games model their experience.

Arguably this is a sign that the Naughty Dog developers are right on target. It wouldn't have occurred to me as a goal, but it might be a sign of perfection to have emulated not only the globe-hopping spectacle and history-mashing treasure hunts of well-loved action films, but also their sloppiness in integrating action and fiction. Let's hope, however, that Uncharted 3 can reconsider this aspect of devotion to its inspirations.

Reprinted with permission from expressiveintelligentstudio.

Noah Wardrip-Fruin is an assistant professor at UC Santa Cruz, where he teaches in the University of California's first undergraduate computer game degree program, co-directs the Expressive Intelligence Studio in the Computer Science department, and founded the Playable Media project group in the Digital Arts and New Media MFA program. His most recent book is Expressive Processing: Digital Fictions, Computer Games, and Software Studies.

For starters, Roger Avary - who wrote the first movie - may not return. He's, uh, busy. And while we don't know which cast members, if any, will be returning, Carmody confirms that Christophe Gans won't be back in the director's chair, as he "wants to direct something new".

Carmody then opens up on the course the movie will take, while at the same time addressing some of the complaints fans of the series had over the first film's tone and depiction of familiar characters.

"I think we need to make it a little more accessible to the movie-going public", he told STYD. "Silent Hill is not a blockbuster game like Resident Evil or the other games out there. It's a connoisseurs' game. It has its own, rabid fan base. They're not cheap, these things. You have to appeal not only to the gamers, you have to appeal to a wider audience. So we have to get some story in there that helps explain a bit more. I think that's all happening. Of course, [the story] is going to happen years later and the main character - without giving too much away - is much older and representative to the movie-going public which is in that age group."

EXCL: Producer Updates Us on Silent Hill 2 [STYD]

Not because I hate Mechwarrior; far from it, I adore Battletech. It's just, giant robot fighting on the big screen has already been perfected in 1990's Robot Jox, and I'd hate to see some people blow a few million dollars in a futile attempt to better it.

The source also reports that a screenplay is being written by Michael Gordon (300, GI Joe), and that the project is currently "in development".

Source: MechWarrior movie 'in development' at Eisner's Tornante [Joystiq]

Sure, there are lasers and aliens and intergalactic fighting. If you were born with a penis and played with action figures as a kid, that kind of thing appeals if you're looking to make an expensive popcorn flick. But there's also something a little deeper than that.

Here's Blomkamp speaking with movie site Rotten Tomatoes:

I totally love the universe of Halo on every level. Not only is it this epic space saga but Master Chief is such an awesome character. This guy - whether he knows it or not - is a victim of this military-industrial complex. It's a totally compelling world to be involved in.

You know, I never thought of him as that. A victim. You're so busy kicking ass during the games that you never stop and wonder whether Master Chief actually enjoys his job, or how he came to get stuck in a robot suit saving the galaxy from purple aliens (OK, so the latter you might if you're the type to read up on expanded universe material).

Neil Blomkamp Talks District 9 [Rotten Tomatoes]

Speaking with G4, Capcom's Jun Takeuchi has said "[There] probably [won't be] so much of a reference to this particular title [Lost Planet 2]."

"However, the only thing I know is those people working on the project that they love the world of Lost Planet. So, we know that they're going to utilize that world, but as far as the story line goes, the movie is completely different from the game."

Who are we kidding. Of course there'll be robot suits and giant bugs.

Lost Planet Movie Isn't Based On The Storylines Of Either Lost Planet Game [G4]

According to SlashFilm, Spaniard Juan Carlos Fresnadillo will replace Gore Verbinski in the director's chair (though Verbinski will remain as a "producer"). Never heard of Fresnadillo? He's the guy who directed 28 Weeks Later, and...nothing else you've ever heard of

Hrm.

Whether you liked his zombie sequel or not (brilliant opening aside, I hated it), replacing Verbinski with a relative unknown is certainly a step down for the production, which was - courtesy of the big-name director and big-time budget - at one time being hailed in this post-Peter-Jackson-Halo world as Hollywood's first crack at really taking a game adaptation seriously.

Juan Carlos Fresnadillo To Direct Bioshock [SlashFilm]

Responding to questions we had over the Spielberg rumour (and indeed the future of the movie itself), a Microsoft spokesperson told Kotaku:

We're glad there's still a lot of enthusiasm in the entertainment industry surrounding the idea of a Halo movie. That said, the Halo feature film remains on hold as we focus on projects like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.

Upon further questioning, Microsoft added that they had "nothing further to share with respect to plans regarding a Halo movie".

That's a long time holding, since the movie first went "on hold" all the way back in 2006. Bet somebody's arms are getting really tired.

Still, if you're a Halo fan, "on hold" is better than "cancelled", right?

IESB say Spielberg has been "blown away" by Stuart Beattie's screenplay, which as we know deals with a kid called John. Oh, and some aliens as well, along with a little shooting.

IESB also point out that having lost Transformers, Dreamworks (having recently split from their distribution deal with Paramount) will be looking to gain a replacement "tentpole" action series, and Halo - which has been abandoned by Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp - fits the bill perfectly.

Apparently CAA, who list Spielberg as a client, have the director in "active negotiations" to produce the movie. So please, make note of this. He's rumoured to be in talks to produce the movie, not direct it.

Sounds crazy, but then, five years ago how many of you would have picked that Spielberg would produce a Transformers movie?

We have contacted Microsoft and will update if the company comments.

IESB Exclusive: Master Chief and HALO May Be Coming to the Big Screen Sooner than Expected with a New Big Name Producer [IESB]

Industry Gamers examined the highest grossing game movies and found that, while most made millions of dollars, their average Metacritic score hit about 35. Which is just south of "atrocious." Which is a million miles from getting the genre north of "120-minute advertisement."

Go back through this trail-of-tears slideshow and ask yourself why, now, some video game movie, even based on a critically acclaimed title, might finally be less of an insult to your intelligence, this year. Especially when we're talking about something like a "big thing in space", in the hands of Transformers' producer.

From the Little Screen to the Big Screen [Industry Gamers]

Dead Space: The Real Movie (our name, not theirs) is set to be a joint production between EA and Temple Hill producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey (Twilight, Gears of War). According to a report on Variety, Bowen & Godfrey are currently looking at writers for the film; once they settle on one, and EA are happy with the "creative direction", the project will be shipped off to whichever studio wants to pay EA the most money.

Director D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Y: The Last Man) is already attached, and while this is far from a done deal at the moment (there's a long way to go before cameras start rolling), with that kind of talent signed up it sure seems likely that we'll see a Dead Space flick in a few year's time.

Dead Space with less running in the dark and more chatting? And big-screen dismemberment? Yeah, it could work.

D.J. Caruso to direct 'Dead Space' [Variety]

IGN talked to Lorenzo di Bonaventura, also responsible for such tours de force as Transformers, G.I. Joe and Doom, and asked why a 1979 vector-graphics shooter starring a space fighter, two different UFOs and three different sizes of rocks was worth a four-way bidding war.

I was attracted to Asteroids, plain and simple, because I think what it tells you is that there's going to be this big thing in space.

Yes. Go on.

We've crafted a really strong, deep mythology for the thing. Without divulging too much about it, it's two lead characters - two brothers - who have to go through a seminal experience to figure out their relationship, against this huge backdrop.

Come on, goddammit, this is fucking Asteroids, not "My Dinner With Andre" in space.

Well you'd better have some guys in spaceships blowing stuff up or else you haven't honored the fun of Asteroids.

Well, of a story of two brothers, versus explosions and visual effects, which one do you think is going to form the bulk of this film's raison d'etre.

Asteroids Movie Exclusive [IGN via Shacknews]

Courtesy of a report from the LA Times, there will be 3 films in total, each running around 10-15 minutes long, all of which were shot at Hybride, the special effects house Ubisoft bought out around a year ago.

That name, Hybride, certainly seems apt in terms of the production, because around 70% of the "sets" for the short films (all of them shot against green screen) are ripped directly from the art assets for Assassin's Creed II. And it's not just the sets being shared between the two projects; most of the actors used worked on both the films and the game as well, meaning it's the same people providing the motion-capture and voice-acting for the game as are doing the acting in the movies.

As far as the release of these things, Ubisoft say they'll be put out individually in the months leading up to the release of Assassin's Creed II, with hints they'll later be bundled and sold as a DVD as well.

Video game publishers Microsoft, Ubisoft invading Hollywood's turf [LA Times]

Not what you'd expect, are they? Really clean, and modern. No tacky "Persian" logo, no silly pose modelled off a game cover. Nothing tipping you off to the fact this is a movie based on a video game series.

Which, after Max Payne and Hitman, is probably a smart way of going about it.

Exclusive: Prince of Persia Pictures [Empire]

While a movie project can go through scores of screenplays, and none of what he reveals will be too big a shock to fans of the game (plus, you know, we can't even confirm this is real!), we're nevertheless going to throw up a spoiler warning on what follows.

For the most part, the writer says the plot of the film "slavishly" follows the plot of the game, from Kratos' deal with Ares to the murdering of his wife and child to his eventual attempts at killing the God of War. Until, that is, we reach the end of the film.

Then, instead of being offered Godhood and accepting, Kratos declines and hurdles himself off a cliff, saying as he hurtles towards his death "Your turn, Hades..."

It still sets up a sequel, which would also tie into the events of the second game. Still, it makes you wonder why they followed the game so closely only to deviate at literally the very last second. Watchmen did a similar thing and pissed a lot of people off, so I can't really see the point of it.

Interestingly, the alleged script also mentions the visual look of the film, saying that (the writers at least) are envisaging a "hyper-realized" Ancient Greece, with Athens dominated by "300 foot-high walls, towers and aeries that stretch even higher".

Advance Script Review: God of War - Clash of the Titans on Steroids and Methamphetamines [CC2K, via VG247]

Disney writer Matthew Lopez is writing the script, while Lorenzo di Bonaventura - who has been credited on movies like Transformers, GI Joe and Doom - is producing.

On the bright side, at least there's no plot for them to screw up! Unless, you know. The movie somehow doesn't involve a spaceship and at least one asteroid.

'Asteroids' lands at Universal [THR, via superannuation]

Speaking with Games Radar, the ginger fox (and overseer of the upcoming Prince of Persia flick) answers with "I couldn't tell you that. They just haven't quite captured the imagination of the audience yet, but they will. I think it will definitely happen, whether we do it or other people do it."

Well, hopefully you do it. I'm not paying $10-15 just to see Jake Gyllenhaal prance around with his shirt off...more than one or two times.

Can Jerry Bruckheimer attract female gamers? [Games Radar]

Variety reports that the movie, which we told you about yesterday, would "contain story elements from Hitman 5", a game due to be released "in late 2010".

While we knew the game was in development, but 2010? Handy. Been hanging out for some new Hitman.

UPDATE - IO's community manager has said "I can tell you that there is no way we will be basing a storyline for a new Hitman game on the story in a licensed movie. That's just not how we work so you shouldn't be concerned about that."

Fox sets sights on 'Hitman 2' [Variety]

He seems to think the movie is still all stations go, posting on his Twitter account "Prison Break may be ending, but I've got things in the works. Hint...one word: Bioshock."

While the movie is stalled in pre-production, that doesn't mean the team aren't looking at actors. Will they have already hired him? Doubtful, but he's obviously been speaking with somebody involved with the flick.

Wonder if he's already running around his house, in his jammies, shouting "BBZZZZZ" at the postman as he pretends to shoot bees out of his arms...

'Prison Break' Star Teases Appearance In 'BioShock' Film [G4]

The movie stars Gerard Butler, Ludacris and Kyra Sedgwick, and tells of a future in which MMOs have merged with mind control. The story will revolves around one game in particular, Slayers, which is a "savage, ultraviolent" first-person shooter.

Butler plays the game's champion, who is being forced to kill on a weekly basis by the game's owner and the boy making a living off "controlling" him. We can already see the inevitable scene in which Butler teaches this kid about "real violence".