A game bearing some eye-opening similarities to Uncharted 3 is coming to Xbox 360.
It was known to be in development for iPhone, PC/Mac, iPhone/iPad, Android and PSN - but is now also listed on the game's site for release on XBLA and WiiWare.
The story sees 'fortune hunter' Faris Jawad receive a call to visit Morocco, where he trails the footsteps of famous Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta across the Middle East.
Semaphore tells us that we'll have to "overcome an unholy alliance of a militia army leader, a weapons dealer and a wealthy antiquities smuggler who are after the same goal".
Sound a little bit familiar? Try the teaser trailer for size, followed by Uncharted 3's own production from Naughty Dog...
Semaphore promises a "unique mix" of platforming, melee fighting and stealth gameplay as you "travel across the Middle East, from the wildlife of [the[ Moroccan Atlas Mountains to the alleys of Old Damascus through the port of Alexandria and the metropolitan city f Dubai".
Those hoping for a genuine rival to Uncharted's award-winning gameplay, however, may want to look away now. Although Unearthed is only at the pre-Alpha stage, it looks like Semaphore may struggle to match this generation's best action adventure.
Unearthed will be released in both English language and Arabic versions in an "episodic format", according to Semaphore, which will include cliffhanger endings and flashbacks to previous episodes.
The studio is yet to give a concrete release date for the game other than "coming soon".
Comments
67 comments so far...
StonecoldMC on 28 Jun '11 said:
Phew! So you mean I dont need to pick up a PS3 then*
?
wildhook2 on 28 Jun '11 said:
You make it sound like it is an Xbox 360 exclusive.
glennerzzz on 28 Jun '11 said:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Very_Silver_Ownz on 28 Jun '11 said:
Looks better then Uncharted 3. You lucky 360 owners are in for a great time
StonecoldMC on 28 Jun '11 said:
Wildhook, there is no conspiracy and the only slow day at work is yours
.
The Game had only been announced for IOS, Android, PC, Mac, Wii & PS3. Now its been announced that its also coming to 360, so this actually is news.
humanhand on 28 Jun '11 said:
Gross.
Dewin on 28 Jun '11 said:
Omg.. this looks SO bad... the animation, the lighting, the framerate.....
This is not even worth sueing over.
TheLastDodo on 28 Jun '11 said:
It looks s**t but if its 59p I'll pick it up on my iPod lol
kirankara on 28 Jun '11 said:
crikey thats a blatant rip off if ever i saw one, unfortunately, it looks woeful too lol
JJM-NUKE on 28 Jun '11 said:
WTF actually stealing a whole concept for a game is not game development what ideas from uncharted arn't here? None. They change the name and that about it, this will turn into another fortress craft a S**T ripoff that will be hated. Using a base idea is find uncharted took hints from tomb raider, fifa took hints from pes and so on but this just p**ses me off, I hope these people die in a endless hole full of starved Gorillas.
Mark240473 on 28 Jun '11 said:
just before I keeled over, laughing at the character animation, I noticed that the aiming reticule had no relationship to the where the gun was pointing. It was at that point I could no longer breathe.
Maybe they should call it 'Unfinished : Eyes Torture'.
JAKEevans on 28 Jun '11 said:
If only they had cast Nolan north....
TheCrimsonFenix on 28 Jun '11 said:
Oh my, I know which I'd rather play. Even the damn title logo looks nigh on identical. It's like those s**tty eastern countries which make crappy gameboy playing PS360 rip offs have made their way into actual games development.
dragonjim on 28 Jun '11 said:
unearthed: drakes destruction! (unlikely)
JAKEevans on 28 Jun '11 said:
Good job it aint on disc when its released....Those grannies in Game after uncharted for their Grand children wouldnt stand a chance!
hollywood111 on 28 Jun '11 said:
Dont you mean, Tomb Raider clone, uncharted, is being cloned for the 360?.
JAKEevans on 28 Jun '11 said:
Why because they both have Indiana Jones like treasure hunters?
If people who actually believe that statement then they should actually go back and play tomb raider to see how different they are in terms of pace, game play and characters.
laslowoodbine on 28 Jun '11 said:
The guy who wrote the headline must've been having a laugh, that's all I can say!
TheCrimsonFenix on 28 Jun '11 said:
I don't know, I was picturing two Nolan North's wise cracking each other.
conceptwhite_fox on 28 Jun '11 said:
Conkers on 28 Jun '11 said:
Uncharted is a clone amalgamation of quite a few games, Tomb Raider being one of them, but crucially it is one that is done very, very well so it doesn't really matter. This one, however, looks bobbins so it does matter. Bad clones are usually terrible games.
Padua on 28 Jun '11 said:
Manic Miner had better character animation than that rubbish
headspin on 28 Jun '11 said:
an uncharted rip off?? isnt nathan drake just lara croft with a sex change in the first place anyway, so it should read 'tombraider clone coming to xbox 360' really?? before anyone goes getting upset, the uncharted series (so far) is without a doubt my favourite ps3 franchise, so dont worry your worried little heads.... oh and that game does look, ummm, dangerously average?????
JAKEevans on 28 Jun '11 said:
Uncharted is a clone amalgamation of quite a few games, Tomb Raider being one of them, but crucially it is one that is done very, very well so it doesn't really matter. This one, however, looks bobbins so it does matter. Bad clones are usually terrible games.
I do agree about being an amalgamation of games....its just i only played tomb raider not long ago and they play very different...i also find the fact that the new rebooted Tomb raider looks more like uncharted with a darker edge shows how different they actually are....but hey ho thats just the way i see......
mogel94 on 28 Jun '11 said:
I can just feel the originality oozing out of every inch of it!
Ali_ on 28 Jun '11 said:
The best bit is the shooting. Look where his gun is pointing compared to the cross hairs. They bear as much relation to each other as this does to Uncharted....
dubplate240 on 28 Jun '11 said:
Unearthed ... Lidl's first crack at downloadable content.
Dom Bom on 28 Jun '11 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRkT9JxdnE
You never had a conversation with yourself? That's what makes Nolan North unique.
pinkie 2 on 28 Jun '11 said:
This has to be a joke
GoonerMan on 28 Jun '11 said:
uncharted simply bettered everything tomb raider did, love it or hate it, its the truth.
geo xvii on 28 Jun '11 said:
Should be earthed back where it came from!
AaronRider on 28 Jun '11 said:
? Since when did your opinion become fact ? ¬¬
chunkysatsuma on 28 Jun '11 said:
Am I the only person who prefered Uncharted 1 to Uncharted 2? Dont get me wrong, the graphics were good but the story and characters just felt more fun in number 1.
TheCrimsonFenix on 28 Jun '11 said:
I agree entirely. Uncharted 2, although still very good, feels like one of those series that gets a sequel funded for the purpose of milking a franchise.
gmcb007 on 28 Jun '11 said:
I misread this and thought it was actually Uncharted. That would have caused a tanker of emotions to explode on the interwebz!
martinawatson on 28 Jun '11 said:
At 1.27 in the video he bends down and rubs his knee in a rather effeminate fashion before walking, i didn't think there were any gays in Saudi , apart from that prince who beat his servant to death , although he wasn't actually gay, apart from the sex stuff. Also it will be interesting when there are driving elements in the game ,bombs going off , bullets whizzing past our heroes ears and the female character might go to drive the car, only to have to stop the vehicle to swap with the male (as woman cant drive in Saudi Arabia) , i don't know why they are banned , must be in the 1500 year old documents of the Koran somewhere, you know the small print like
paperywhiteboy on 28 Jun '11 said:
Day one purchase. ????
Padua on 28 Jun '11 said:
Not for me... I'd rather wait until after the Fatwa edition comes out.
boskersrevenge on 28 Jun '11 said:
God damn I love that word.
verynaughtyboy on 28 Jun '11 said:
I'm really sorry but I do not accept that Uncharted is a Tomb Raider clone. Lara Croft is a femme fatale and is nigh on perfect wheras Nathan Drake is a person with real character flaws and heart - it's what makes him more appealing and real. Add to that the fact that Uncharted is mainly a cover-based shooter with some platforming and puzzle elements. Tomb Raider is more about traversing the enviroment and dealing with the puzzles. It has some shooting sections too but they are in the minority. The similarities essentialy come down to third-person game, modern setting and treasure hunting... wow, it's uncanny! It's like they've been seperated at birth! (Sarcastic)
Plus.... Nathan is totally hotter - man crush!
kirankara on 28 Jun '11 said:
Gotta be in minority , I liked uc1, but found it repetitive and just infinitely less polished than uc2 in every respect .
After uc2 , I couldn't help but feel that uc1 , is just a good game, but uc2 was a great game,
Sixpack1976 on 28 Jun '11 said:
Oh dear oh dear
rbt2 on 28 Jun '11 said:
There's only one Nathan Drake.
MattyR95 on 28 Jun '11 said:
Rise_ofthe_Mike on 28 Jun '11 said:
Another reason why Uncharted isn't just a tomb raider clone is how they play. Tomb Raider is clunky and has auto-aim, Uncharted is smooth and has manual aim. Also, tomb raider doesn't stealth...it doesn't play out like a movie...and the stories are very different. Tomb Raider focuses on Lara and treasure hunting...Uncharted focuses on Drake, his relationship with friends and GF's, as well as treasure and the bad guy's. Uncharted took some pointers from Tomb Raider...but did an awesome job and is actually an amalgamation of a lot of different games. Think about Valkyria Chronicles...It takes pointers from RPG's, Strategy RPG's, and Third Person Shooter...mixes them together and creates something new and unique. Same thing with Uncharted, though less unique.
AaronRider on 28 Jun '11 said:
i prefer the whitcher two
budobear on 28 Jun '11 said:
Well he tries to rub his knee and kind of strokes the air above it in a rather odd way.
I love the teleporter noises when they dude is 'picking stuff up', I say teleporter as they disappear then reappear again in place. He must have some kind of hand held teleporter. That beats a gravity gun right......RIGHT?
(and the fact the stuff you were looking for was on the ground right in front of where you have to put it......priceless)
alan666 on 28 Jun '11 said:
erm Uncharted is a clone of Tomb Raider.
kmcroc on 28 Jun '11 said:
Looks interesting, release it when it's ready & i will buy day one .
TheCrimsonFenix on 29 Jun '11 said:
Tomb Raider's only similarities with Uncharted are that you shoot guns and solve puzzles while playing as an adventuring archaeologist. The only reason people call it a Tomb Raider clone is because there are very few games which you play as that type of character. Lara Croft is a flat (when the camera angle isn't set up right) games character with little substance in her first few games. Nathan Drake however is a fully realised character. Until he is advertising Lucozade whilst sitting naked in chair I won't bother making obvious connections between two games characters with the same job. Hell, if Uncharted is a Tomb Raider clone, games with aliens and marines in them must be a clone of every single shooter with aliens and soldiers in them. Personally I feel Uncharted does now what Tomb Raider couldn't do in the first place due to the time. Which as make an engaging character with more than decent gameplay to follow through. As much as the new Tomb Raider looks similar in looks to Uncharted, it's nice that they're actually doing their own thing with it and copying it bit by bit.
ninja-key on 29 Jun '11 said:
MY EYES ARE BLEEDING
julioaragon on 30 Jun '11 said:
Uncharted is a clone amalgamation of quite a few games, Tomb Raider being one of them, but crucially it is one that is done very, very well so it doesn't really matter. This one, however, looks bobbins so it does matter. Bad clones are usually terrible games.
true about that.. tomb raider started the whole thing gotta give props to sony with that,but this clone does look exactly like uncharted it will be a big hit for microsoft..but it doesnt need to have this game.. the console is doing great with what it has
Sammy_bham on 30 Jun '11 said:
maybe...
Fully-Charted?
kenneth50 on 30 Jun '11 said:
Lol, looks a bit of an emFarisment next to ol Nathan Drake.
Picnic12 on 1 Jul '11 said:
"Mum , please can you get me Uncharted 2 for the PS3. It looks really awesome."
Mum goes down to the shops.
"Hello young man. I'm looking for Unplugged."
"Unplugged?"
"Yes it's for one of those Gamestation things".
(Man takes one look at her and assumes that she can't afford a PS3 and that everyone has an Xbox360 anyway)
"Do you mean an Xbox360?"
"Oh yes, that must be it".
"Do you mean Unearthed: The Trail of Ibn Battuta?"
"Oh I don't know. Does it have a kind of Indiana Jones vibe but isn't Tomb Raider?"
"Yes".
"Oh I'll have that then. It starts with 'Un', it must be right".
"Yes, being an Xbox360 fanboy I can't think of any other game that starts with Un".
"Ha ha ha."
"There you go. I've forgotten to put the receipt in".
"Oh good".
"See you".
PS3Tard on 1 Jul '11 said:
So... the same number of "ideas" in Uncharted that weren't taken from other titles Like Gears of War, Tomb Raider or Prince of Persia?
boskersrevenge on 1 Jul '11 said:
That's a point to argue for you?
Bad choice of name, BTW. Kind of makes us mods a bit jittery with the ban button.
PS3Tard on 1 Jul '11 said:
I assume you were referring to me... name wise if you can't mock yourself a little then you're taking life too seriously.
boskersrevenge on 1 Jul '11 said:
...because it's clear you're mocking yourself... *checks posting history*... nope, no clues there, either.
I love how innocent you are... I know something you don't know that we know
PS3Tard on 1 Jul '11 said:
I don't doubt that for a second... I'm old.. I forget stuff easily.
boskersrevenge on 1 Jul '11 said:
Hahaha - actually, when it comes to people having multiple accounts what I didn't know as that we had the ability to explose them by changing the account name on the post - totally shocked and annoyed at the same time! I could have had so much fun with that!!!
Listen, you have an older account and know the score around here with the fanboys and flaming we have - in fact that other name (along with the other two you didn't seem so excited about) has a similar name yet you've been fairly level headed with that account.
Unless you happen to live in a household whereby someone else has signed up then you're in danger of looking bad at their hand, so would suggest you give them Chinese burn.
Picnic12 on 1 Jul '11 said:
I felt that one of Uncharted's inspirations was Resident Evil like when you walk through a churchyard. There are several other scary sections.
ace9846 on 1 Jul '11 said:
what the s**t....this has to be a joke, unearthed is looking dismal atm, thought it would have looked better considering hoe much money those arabs have
cam123 on 2 Jul '11 said:
How long is it until we see 'Aminah Banem: Tomb explorer?
Whoops, shouldnt have given them the idea!!
Yellow6 on 2 Jul '11 said:
Manic Miner.....memories....
Memories,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water coloured memories
Of the way we were.....
Yellow6 on 2 Jul '11 said:
I like your imaginative thinking but I'm a bit confused...if the hole is endless
then there won't be a bottom to hit so that won't kill them, the gorillas are
starving but are vegetarian so probably will not kill them either, so it is most likely a death
by starvation and the hungry gorillas are just in there to make what would be a slow death
become uncomfortable and very very smelly?
You are a cruel (but imaginative man?) and I hope I never get on the wrong side of you....
The wrong side being between you, an endless hole and a heck of a lot of Gorillas
gmcb007 on 2 Jul '11 said:
Go get help.