The Feed: Did you approach this sequel any differently compared to what you did with the Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune soundtrack and how much, if any, was directly inspired by the original?
Greg Edmonson: Well, to me at least, the games were different in this way. The first game was set in a jungle and in a lot of underground environments, so a more ambient approach worked. Uncharted 2 was an expansive and more panoramic setting and cried out for a bigger sound and a more thematic approach. Also as game engines become more sophisticated you can write differently as well. In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune I tried to stay away from too much melodic content in the gameplay sections since the music needed to be able to loop. In Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, I threw caution to the wind and just tried to write music that I liked and trusted that Jonathan Mayer and Scott Hanau (SCEA) would be able to make it work. Implementing the music into a game is a unique art and the Sony team is “as good as it gets.” Since you are writing before the game is finished sometimes music that was intended for one section might end up working better elsewhere. The Sony team makes a master list of all the music that we recorded and then goes through the game, playing it all day, every day and mixing the music into the game.
The level/lighting actually goes from ~midnight to probably in the afternoon as you progress through the rounds. To see the sun rise and start to set again was a sight to behold. I'm surprised I haven't seen any talk about this level in the thread. I think all of you guys should definitely check it out.
