Under the expert moderation of IGN.com’s Greg Miller, the panelists included: Starhawk’s Creative Director — Lars DeVore (LightBox Interactive), Senior Producer — Harvard Bonin (SCEA Santa Monica Studio), Studio Director — John Hight (SCEA Santa Monica Studio), and Starhawk’s Writer — Koen Wooten. You can watch the video of the full panel – nearly 50 minutes long – courtesy of GameSpot.com. Here’s also a great write up by Kevin Kelly of G4 who was on-site with us.

Thanks again to everyone who attended the panel, we really appreciate your support! Stay tuned for more Starhawk updates as we get closer to Gamescom and PAX.

The panel at Comic Con was hosted by independent developer, Nathan Vella of Capybara Games, and featured other indie PSN developers Mike Burns, President of Fuel Entertainment (Sideway), Ulf Anderson, Overkill Software & Co-Creator of Payday, and Vander Caballero, Creative Director of Minority, Inc. (Papo & Yo). I felt like I learned just as much as the audience after our discussion regarding how we each got into game development, and where the inspiration for our games came from. We also got to show some old concept paintings Jenova did years ago before even flOw had begun development, evoking the themes and ideas that would eventually become “Journey.”

Thanks again to everyone who came up to us and said “hi” at the show – we hope to see you again soon!

One of the our personal highlights from Comic-Con was being able to be in front of over 400 fans and talk about Uncharted 3 during our panel on Friday, July 22. Moderated by USA Today’s Mike Snider, the panel was called “Developing Interactive Entertainment: The Performance Capture Techniques of the UNCHARTED Franchise and Today’s Film Industry” and it gave Amy Hennig, Taylor Kurosaki, Josh Scherr, Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle the perfect setting to discuss everything that goes into creating the industry-leading cinematics in the Uncharted series. The panel also gave our fans their first look at an all-new cinematic scene, and some behind-the-scenes footage of the cast, that we prepared especially for Comic-Con.

If you weren’t able to get into the room, or weren’t able to attend Comic-Con this year, we’ve got you covered with the following highlight reel shot and edited by none other than the PlayStation.Blog team.

You can catch the video of the full panel – nearly 50 minutes long – courtesy of GameSpot.

We hope everyone had a great Comic-Con and a great weekend!

Comic-Con 2011 has dominated gaming headlines this week, and the action isn’t over yet. Top stories on the PlayStation.Blog this week included a first look at the Green-Lantern-themed “Fight for the Light” expansion coming to DC Universe Online this summer, first gameplay footage and screens from the eye-catching PSN-exclusive platformer Sideway: New York, a new look at the upcoming PSN title Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken, a new Q&A with the creators of the PSN co-op team shooter Payday: The Heist, a look into the troubled subconscious of next week’s psychological adventure-puzzle game Catherine, and the launch of retro shoot ‘em up Scribble Shooter in PlayStation Home.

And the PlayStation Comic-Con panel fun continues this weekend: At 6pm tonight, Twisted Metal co-director David Jaffe will reveal a Twisted trailer and a new boss in room 5AB; at 10am on Sunday, Starhawk’s creative director, writer and senior producer will discuss the genesis of the game’s sci-fi universe in room 25AB. And iff you’re admiring the UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception limited-edition cover art poster shown above, it could be yours this Sunday: celebrated artist Adam Hughes will be signing them in room AA3 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

If you attended one of PlayStation’s Comic-Con 2011 panels this year, give us an overview — and your thoughts — in the comments below!

• I’m playing: Golden Axe, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mortal Kombat
• I’m watching: TRON: Legacy via VUDU HD streaming for PS3
• I’m reading: Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

Most-Watched Video of the Week

Mortal Kombat DLC Warrior: Freddy Krueger

The 10 Most-Viewed Posts of the Week

• Battlefield 3 Hands-On Report: Opposing Forces – How flattering! Jeff and I shared our hands-on experiences with the PS3 version of Battlefield 3 this week, and the resulting post dominated eyeballs all week long. What else would you like to learn about Battlefield 3?
• Ed Boon Talks Freddy Krueger in Mortal Kombat, Secret Origins of DLC Characters – Now that you’ve seen the video, learn why Mortal Kombat’s co-creator decided to bring Nightmare on Elm Street horror icon Freddy Krueger to the kombat arena on August 9th.
• PlayStation Store Update – New games include Limbo, Fast Draw Showdown, Dead Block, and The King of Fighters ’95 for PS3, plus Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for PSP, with huge discounts (50%+ off) for Borderlands DLC, BioShock 2 DLC and Mafia II DLC.
• NBA 2K12: Jordan, Magic, Bird, and PlayStation Move – NBA 2K12 lays up three cover art versions this year — and two are limited-edition! Get the full update from 2K Games’ Ronnie Singh in this popular post.
• Bonus Content Comes to ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection – Your $39.99 will not only get you two of the most celebrated games of all time, but also exclusive videos and a voucher for two XMB Dynamic Themes: one for ICO and one for Shadow of the Colossus.
• PlayStation Plus Update: Limbo $11.99, 4 New Free Games Announced for August – PlayStation Plus members get a discount on Limbo this week, discounts and deals for Section 8: Prejudice and Sega Rally Online Arcade next week, a free copies of Crash Commando and Destruction Derby PSone Classic the following week. Not a bad lineup!
• PlayStation Store, PlayStation Blog Officially Launched in Brazil – The PlayStation Store rolls into Brazil, complete with localized languages, English options, credit card support…and a Brazilian PlayStation.Blog!
• UNCHARTED 3 at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 – Naughty Dog’s Arne Meyer gives us the lowdown on UNCHARTED 3 happenings at Comic-Con 2011. Protip: You still have time to get a crack at an UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception Comic-Con 2011 poster signed by celebrated comics artist Adam Hughes.
• PlayStation is Everywhere at San Diego Comic-Con 2011 – A full list of every PlayStation panel to show at Comic-Con this year, from UNCHARTED 3 and Resistance 3 to Journey and more. You can still catch Twisted Metal’s panel tonight and Starhawk’s panel on Sunday!
• Dead Block Hits PSN July 19th, Brains Needed – For a zombie game, Dead Block is awfully cerebral! The gameplay focuses on laying devious traps and repairing barricades to keep the dead at arm’s length. Check out the launch video to see what’s in store.

Exercising your creativity and bringing your imagination to the fight is a huge part of being a Lantern, and we wanted to bring that feeling to our players. With light, players will now be able to combine weapon-based combos and superpower abilities in way that just feels right for a Lantern. You can create things like hard-light boxing gloves and use them as a new “on the fly” weapon that comes complete with its own combos. Not only that, these combos can also link to other abilities and hard-light weapons. This allows players to create their own unique sequences of attacks as well as react to the changing face of the battle. These abilities don’t even have to be loaded out to be combo’d into! Open with a huge light whip to stun your enemy, call in the boxing gloves to work them over at close range, and then finish them off with the rumbling charge of a locomotive to mow them down. This is the stuff that Lantern lore is made of, and so far at Comic-Con, the smiles have said it all. There’s nothing quite like rolling in an Apache Gunship from your full super charge to make a Green Lantern fan happy, and I can tell you after three days of not-stop use it still brings a smile to my face.

In addition to the new Light Power set, players will also be able to experience all-new adventures that take them from Coast City to the Sciencells on Oa. Deep inside S.T.A.R Labs, players will gain more insight into the disturbance with the Power Rings. With light powers, players can create a new character where they receive their Lantern Corps reservist ring and begin to unlock its set of pre-programmed constructs, or to re-spec an existing character to experience the new controller class. With the depth of the combo linking, we feel like most players will want to explore this deep new power set from the beginning, but we wanted to give the players the option of jumping into the deep end straight away with the new content. We’ve seen fans light up when we tell them they’ll be meeting long-requested characters like Vice and Atrocitus from the Red Lanterns, see Lyssa Drak reading from the Book of Parallax, or hear the wise cracks of Guy Gardner as they fight back to back.

For a taste of the action, check out the brand new “Fight for the Light” trailer above

“Fight for the Light” will be available for $9.99 later this summer, and is the first of many downloadable expansions we’re preparing for DC Universe Online. The decision to go with a series of smaller expansions released periodically allows us to get new things to players faster as well as react to requests and the live game in a way that a more traditional larger expansion would not. We know that our players have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of light powers, and we had to get it right for our incredibly loyal community. We hope that you will feel that it was worth the wait!

If you’re lucky enough to be at San Diego Comic-Con this year, please stop by and say hi to us at the SOE BOOTH #4436, where you can be among the first to play through a hands-on demo of the new “Fight for the Light” DLC Pack. We’d love to have a chance to show you more and get your reactions. There’s nothing like being able to spend some time talking to our players face to face and to hear how your hero or villains have evolved, and we’re excited to do even more at our fan event on Saturday night. This will be live on Stickcam.com and the DCUO Facebook page…and I promise we’ll get those Facebook questions I didn’t get to in my last late night marathon Q&A in there, too.

We thank y’all for playing, and for making this one of the most rewarding experiences I can possibly imagine. We’ll see you in DC Universe Online! As always, be excellent to each other.

But no. No, all you wanted to talk about was the game.

And what a game it has turned out to be! If you don’t believe me, CRAM THESE INTO YOUR EYEBALLS and I dare you to tell me I am wrong!

Oh, did the screenshots convey that we have hours of mindbending levels full of danger and challenge that will make the paint run from your veins? Or that we support drop-in, drop-out couch co-op so you can play with your friends or that the bosses in the game are unlike any you’ve come across in your gaming life before?

Did the shots at least convey the basic conceit of the game: that you painted over the wrong dude’s tag, and that you, in fact, are now a moving 2D painting in a 3D world?

Regardless, if you’re interested in seeing what all of the above is really like, we’re juuuust putting the finishing touches on a demo for Comic-Con this week in San Diego. Oh yes, my friends, that’s right—when you come by Sony Online Entertainment at the Con (Booth #4436), not only can you check out the awesomeness that is Sideway, but you can also win some cool Skullcandy headphones and earbuds when you come by and play the game. Perhaps most importantly, as a bonus, you’ll get to hear me kvetch about the heat and how much more crowded and sweaty Comic-Con gets every year and that Patton Oswalt really should be the next Robin.

“But whoa there, champ…What about me? I’m not going to be in San Diego this week. How do *I* get to experience this magic of which you speak?”

I am glad you asked, friend. Because if you read the headline at the very top of this blog post, you will learn that immediately following it is the Earth’s very first look at the teaser trailer for “Sideway”. See? Reading can be fundamental *and* rewarding.

Hope that wets yer whistles, folks! You can come by and play it with us this week at the Con!

As always, you can always follow us at Twitter.com/Playbrains to get development updates and upcoming giveaways as we get ever-so-closer to the release of the greatest action platformer…of all time…

Last night, IGN Editor Colin Moriarty moderated a panel on Resistance 3 featuring Creative Director Marcus Smith, Art Director Grant Hollis, Animation Director Kevin Grow, as well as voice actor Robin Atkin Downes (Joseph Capelli) and Crispin Freeman (Charlie Tent). The panel covered the Resistance universe, showed some of the new St. Louis footage we debuted on Gametrailers TV last night, and we discussed the St. Louis level, along with its mysterious story implications about Charlie Tent and his ragtag group of rebels. And from there, we gave the audience a behind the scenes look of the motion- and performance- capture that we used to bring the characters to life in Resistance 3. Since you all couldn’t be there with us, check out this highlight video of some of the best moments from the panel.

We also announced a new online strategy game complementing Resistance 3 that will live on www.myresistance.net/global.

Global Resistance is a free-to-play online strategy game set against mankind’s final stand in the Resistance Universe. Enlist as a Chimera or Human commander and take over the world to unlock exclusive Resistance 3 multiplayer skins, in-game titles and XP boosters. Customize your base, build and deploy your personal arsenal alongside thousands of other players, or attack on your rivals directly in head-to-head skirmishes. Will you join the Resistance… or crush it?

We also have a trailer for Global Resistance! Check it out below:

The game is live now – though you have to sign into MyResistance.net with your Facebook or PSN Username in order to be the first to check it out!

That’s all for now – hope you’ve enjoyed the coverage this week, much more on Resistance 3 to come very soon. For all the latest, be sure to Follow Insomniac Games on Twitter or Like Us on Facebook.

JS

Look for Freddy to hit PSN on August 9th for $4.99, and read on for my full chat with Ed Boon.

PlayStation.Blog: So what is the inspiration for bringing Freddy Krueger to Mortal Kombat as a DLC character?
Ed Boon, Creative Director, Netherrealm Studios: It was a number of things. It’s kind of hard to choose a character who would fit well into the Mortal Kombat universe, with the blood and violence that’s so associated with it. Kratos from God of War is a brutal, bloody character, so he makes sense. When we had the discussions about the DLC characters, we knew that we wanted to add a returning character, a new character, but also a guest character. That was one of the goals right from the beginning. A number of names were run by us: Jason, Michael Myers and all those guys. Freddy Kreuger, we felt, was the most instantly recognizable and he fits in with Mortal Kombat with his claws. It just seemed like the best fit.

PSB: Did you base Freddy off the 80s films or the reboot movie from a few years back?
Well…that’s a good question. We didn’t try to make him look like the actor Robert Englund, I don’t even know if we would be allowed to….Admittedly, I didn’t see the latest movie, the remake. But obviously the first few movies were huge — they left an undeniable mark on pop culture. When I look at him, I think of the original Freddy: he’s got the striped sweater and is instantly recognizable. He’s Freddy in general, we don’t really identify him as one version or another.

PSB: Freddy isn’t exactly a martial artist. How does he keep up with the kombatants?
[laughs] He doesn’t fight like a martial artist, either! We gave him two claws, which we explain in his character bio, so you can almost imagine a Baraka with shorter blades that are always out. He’s got lots of swipes, he can send his claws creepy-crawling on the ground or flying through the air. He can dig into the ground and the claws will come up under his opponent. He’s very claw-centric.

PSB: Will Freddy’s ability to invade his victims’ dreams play into his Mortal Kombat incarnation in any way?
Yeah, you’ll see some of that. His story ending really plays into that. In the middle of a fight, you won’t see him entering a guy’s head in a dream sequence or anything, but there is plenty of dream-related stuff in his introduction animation, his victory stance, his fatalities and so forth.

PSB: Ten, 15 years ago when Mortal Kombat was early in its lifespan, did you ever fantasize about getting Freddy Krueger into MK?
Yeah, yeah. Over the years, we’ve certainly had a number of conversations about guest characters. At one point, we had a conversation about having a group — imagine Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre — of all these killers from the 80s and 90s flicks come in as a group of characters. We never got a grip on how we would do it, whether they’d be DLC characters or what. But yes, we’ve had lots of conversations over the years. We also wanted to introduce a character who was unexpected. This DLC thing opens the doors to realizing these ideas. Kratos was one we discussed as a DLC character a number of times, but luckily we could include him as the initial cast of characters [in the PS3 version]. With Freddy, we felt like the stars had aligned — it was time to do it.

PSB: What is your process for choosing DLC characters? Why did you begin with Kenshi, who was the only character from the Deadly Alliance games to make the jump?
I’ve personally always big a big fan of Kenshi, as were many of the guys on the MK team. So we gravitated to Kenshi. We always knew we’d add Rain right from the beginning. I was bombarded for weeks on Twitter with fans begging for Rain, so I had a little fun with it. Each DLC character, I believe, satisfies a certain group of our audience that we knew was clamoring for it.

PSB: Speaking of Rain, he was originally hinted at in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. What was the genesis of Rain?
Rain was me being a jerk, basically. [laughs] When we were working on Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, I was thinking “what ninja color have we not done yet?” … and I’m a huge Prince fan, so I was thinking Purple Rain. I was probably still listening to the album. There was no time to actually make a character, because the game was done. So I hacked into the attract screen a quick little sequence of this purple ninja running at Shao Kahn. We didn’t even have the word “Rain” in the powerbar, so I manually built it using our font. So I included this quick glimpse just to drive people crazy. Once Mortal Kombat Trilogy came out, we gave Rain new moves and he finally became a real character. Later we brought him back for Mortal Kombat Armageddon. That’s one of the things about Mortal Kombat: many of the characters have these goofy development histories. Noob Saibot, Reptile…all of these odd origin stories.

PSB: What about Skarlet? She was a rumored secret character from MKII, right?
She was a completely rumored character. She never existed, she was born out of a rumor. It got such legs that a name actually came out of it; there was never a glitch that turned Kitana red, that never existed. That was just an urban legend like Animalities and Ermac — a rumor that we eventually wanted to make true.

Their response was “It’s a mega-con of film, games, toys, and comics. Yes, tons of people. Yes, its awesome. The unstable, explosive imagination isotopes of awesome.”

So after all of 3 seconds of deliberation, we were like “@&!*@#$, #@%!*$, *&!?!@#!!!”

That’s an enthusiastic YES. Comic-Con is just the perfect venue to talk about Starhawk’s universe, our characters and the story that drives the Solo Campaign. So, BAM! check this out:

It’s a video that we captured from the game and shows how we tell story in the Starhawk. It’s done with a really great kind of animated “wanted” poster style, punctuated with Rift Energy. They’re Emmett’s memories. His Rift visions. They’re being produced by a studio here in Austin, Powerhouse Animation (they worked on the Penny Arcade Adventures animations). We’ve also got some really cool tech that seamlessly blends between the animations and the game (as you can see in the video). This really makes the solo experience smooth and buttery. We didn’t want any experiential speed bumps in the solo campaign. You can sit down, start the game and smoothly flow from mission to mission with no loading screens!

So, yeah, we’re having our Starhawk panel at Comic-Con on Sunday July 24th, 10am – 11am in room 25AB. It’s gonna be moderated by Greg Miller from IGN and we’re going to be showing some never before seen art and videos of the journey and process we took from the initial game concept to the Starhawk that we have today. Getting really in depth with Emmett Graves (our hero character) the universe of the New Frontier, Rifter Unions, Outcast Warbands, and how Rift Energy took away the only family Emmett had.

Family is a classic western story element and for Starhawk, it seemed really, really fitting for us. Our writter, Koen Wooten, has really been able to bring the Starhawk Universe to life and he’ll be at the panel on Sunday too! Did you know he worked on the props for the Coen Brother’s movie True Grit!! Consider that random Starhawk fact a freebie, folks!

But it’s more than just the western elements for us. It’s been about striking the right balance of advanced sci-fi with the texture and warmth of the western themes. And it’s this balance that motivates all of our creative work — from the design of all the stuff in the Starhawk universe, down to even the compositions we choose for screen shots and illustrations.

All this stuff comes together to create Starhawk’s unique universe and we’re excited to let people at Comic-Con get their hands on some singleplayer gameplay. ‘Cause ya know, the solo mission was only available to the press behind closed doors at E3! So swing by the Sony booth and get your Starhawk on! Oh, and yes, I’m told there will be Starhawk bags being handed out.

Did you know that if you put enough swag bags *in* another swag bag, you’ll rip a hole in spacetime and be able to flap your wings like a butterfly and cause future hurricanes or some crap like that. I don’t know. I saw it in an Ashton Kutcher movie once I think.

OK, that’s it from me again. Time to get back to work.

Rock on!!

PS: And I *do* feel like I’m going through Uncharted3 BETA withdrawal! Maybe I should check myself into a clinic!!!

This year’s Comic-Con is a little special for us – we have a ton of UNCHARTED news to reveal, from a panel to many partnerships for all our fans asking for action figures, comic books, novels, statues, vinyls and more!

UNCHARTED 3 at the PlayStation Booth – Booth #4237
Are you having withdrawal from the UNCHARTED 3 Multiplayer Beta? Or did you never get a chance to jump online and get hands on with UNCHARTED 3 Multiplayer? Then head over to the PlayStation booth (#4237) where there are six stations running Three-Team Deathmatch for the ENTIRE run of Comic-Con 2011. If we’re feeling generous, we may give some folks a few shots at the Syria map of Co-op Adventure. Make sure to follow @Naughty_Dog on Twitter to stay up to date on UNCHARTED 3 at the PlayStation Booth each day at SDCC.

You’ll also want to head to the booth as we’re giving away a limited number of SDCC 2011 EXCLUSIVE t-shirts each day. Each t-shirt will come with an SDCC 2011 exclusive PlayStation Store voucher code redeemable for either a Multiplayer character torso item or a mystery weapon skin. You’ll get one of these randomly if you’re lucky enough to grab a t-shirt. Come back the following day if you strike out.

These awesome shirts feature a design by Erick Scarecrow of ESC Toys – scroll down to get more info on our partnership with Erick Scarecrow and ESC Toys.

UNCHARTED 3 Panel – Room 25ABC
Our panel at Comic-Con two years ago for UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves was a unilateral success – you won’t want to miss the one we’ve got lined up for this year. On Friday, July 22, at 4:00 PM, we’ll be kicking off the UNCHARTED 3 panel in room 25ABC. You’ll want to show up early to get a seat! The panel description is below.

Developing Interactive Entertainment: The Performance Capture Techniques of the UNCHARTED Franchise and Today’s Film Industry
Join UNCHARTED 3’s Creative Director Amy Hennig, Cinematics team members Josh Scherr and Taylor Kurosaki, and cast members Nolan North, Richard McGonagle, and Emily Rose to discuss the influence of theatrical techniques and styles from the history of film that have helped the team continually produce industry-leading and award-winning interactive entertainment.

We’re also giving away an exclusive blue variant of our SDCC 2011 t-shirt at the end of the panel. The UNCHARTED 3 panel is the ONLY place you can grab one of these t-shirts, so be sure to show up early to ensure you get into the room – capacity is limited to about 400 people according to the SDCC floorplan. Of course, each t-shirt will also come with either a Multiplayer character torso item that matches the shirt OR the corresponding mystery weapon skin.

DC Comics – Booth #1915
What better place than Comic-Con to talk about a comic book that takes place in the UNCHARTED universe? That’s right, we’ve been working with DC Comics to develop a comic book series featuring Nathan Drake.

UNCHARTED #1 launches Nathan Drake on a journey to the center of the earth on a quest to see the legendary “Amber Room.” As enemies from Sir Francis Drake’s past come for revenge on his descendant, Drake must use all the skills at his disposal to stay one step ahead of the game. UNCHARTED #1 is written by Joshua Williamson (SUPERMAN/BATMAN), with fantastic art by Francesco Francavilla (DETECTIVE COMICS) and featuring covers by the legendary Adam Hughes. The comic series is scheduled to debut just in time for the release of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception in stores. Stay tuned for more details soon!

It wouldn’t be Comic-Con if we couldn’t get you something exclusive from one of the artists working on the UNCHARTED comic book series – the one and only ADAM HUGHES will be signing a limited-edition UNCHARTED cover art poster on Friday and Sunday during SDCC 2011. The signings are first-come, first-serve and you can find Adam and his awesome UNCHARTED poster at the following locations and times:

Friday: AA4 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Sunday: AA3 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

ESC Toys
Our partnership with ESC Toys has been a long, long time in the making. As of this week, the UNCHARTED Nathan Drake limited edition vinyl figure is finally available for pre-order! The 7″ vinyl figure is a combination of vinyl and PVC materials along with minor articulation and is based on the stylized translation of Nathan Drake by Erick Scarecrow. There will be two colorways: the OG “original” colorway which is standard edition and the “Naughty Dog” colorway which is limited to 500pcs worldwide. The pot has been sweetened a little since each figure is packed with a PlayStation Store voucher code redeemable for exclusive UNCHARTED 3 downloadable content! All figures are scheduled to ship mid October 2011, if not earlier – You can follow @ESCToy on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest!

Mezco Toyz Nathan Drake Figure – Booth #3445
We’ve partnered with the award-winning Mezco Toyz to release a 6-inch scale figure of Nathan Drake based off of the iconic cover image from UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. We worked closely with Mezco’s Design Team to create a figure that goes beyond a simple likeness but embodies the very “essence” of Drake. From his AK-74, holster, and bandolier, to his ring necklace, everything is perfectly game-accurate. The figure also comes with a sturdy, textured “sand” base to complete the display.

The Mezco Toys Nathan Drake Figure is scheduled to be available in the Fourth Quarter of 2011 – and will be available for purchase at MezcoToyz.com and finer retailers.

Random House / Del Rey – Booth # 1515
Announced nearly a year ago, the UNCHARTED team, Random House, and author Chris Golden have been working together to create an original novel set in the universe of the UNCHARTED games. The description of UNCHARTED: THE FOURTH LABYRINTH is below, along with a little info on author Chris Golden.

In UNCHARTED: THE FOURTH LABYRINTH, Nathan Drake will embark on an all-new, original, action-packed adventure. When Nathan’s partner, Sully, asks for his help in finding a friend’s murderer, Nathan begins to unravel a mystery that will uncover some even bigger secrets. Sully’s friend was close to discovering an ancient process of turning lead into gold – a secret that a shadowy international corporation would do anything to steal, and now Nathan and Sully may be their next targets! This thrilling adventure will take Nathan from the ruins of Crete to a secret crypt deep in the heart of China–and into a mysterious labyrinth that may be hiding the greatest secret of all!

Christopher Golden is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Ferryman, Strangewood, The Gathering Dark, and The Body of Evidence series of teen thrillers. Working with actress/writer/director Amber Benson, he co-created and co-wrote Ghosts of Albion, an animated supernatural drama for BBC online. Golden has also written or co-written a great many books and comic books related to the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” as well as the scripts for two Buffy video games. His recent comic book work includes the creator-owned Nevermore and DC Comics’ Doctor Fate: The Curse. There are more than eight million copies of his books in print.

Sideshow Collectibles
We’ve been working with Sideshow Collectibles on the pretty sweet Nathan Drake statue for the Uncharted 3 Collector’s Edition box, but we’re not stopping there. We’re extremely proud to reveal that we’ve been working with Sideshow Collectibles on something special for our Uncharted community. With Comic-Con kicking off this week, you’ll start to hear more about that soon as well.

Square Enix Play Arts -Kai- Action Figure – Booth #3829
The Square Enix Play Arts -Kai- action figures caught our eye last year as we were roaming around the SDCC exhibit hall. Just one year later, it’s awesome to come back to SDCC being able to reveal we are working with the team to create a high quality collectible Nathan Drake figure!

The release date hasn’t been set, but we’ve been able to work with our partners at Square Enix to give you this sneak peek at the figure, which features 21 points of articulation.

Note: The figure is still under evaluation by SCEA, but you can come by the Square Enix booth (#3829) and view the Nathan Drake figure as IN PERSON as it makes its public debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2011!