Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Encyclopedia
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the third game in the Uncharted
series, created by Naughty Dog
for the PlayStation 3
, and was released in North America
on November 1, 2011, Europe
on November 2, 2011 and Australia
on November 3, 2011. It is the sequel to 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
. It was first revealed on December 9, 2010. Officially it was announced at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards on December 11, 2010.
Uncharted 3 sees protagonist Nathan Drake
and mentor Victor Sullivan
traveling around the world to such places as the Rub' al Khali desert, in search of the legendary lost city, the Iram of the Pillars
. Chloe Frazer
and Elena Fisher
also return in Uncharted 3. The plot draws from the archaeology days of T. E. Lawrence
. Arne Meyer, Naughty Dog's community strategist stated that the "main theme of Uncharted 3 is 'finding the way'". Upon its release, Uncharted 3 was met with high critical acclaim, averaging 92% on both review aggregate websites Metacritic
and GameRankings, making it one of the most critically acclaimed video games of 2011 for the PlayStation 3 on both websites.
played from a third-person perspective, with the player in control of Nathan Drake
. Drake will have a large number of different animation sets, enabling him to react according to his surroundings. Drake is physically adept and is able to jump, sprint, climb, swim, scale narrow ledges, wall-faces to get between points, and perform other acrobatic actions
. Drake can now take on opponents in more ways than before: hand-to-hand combat with multiple opponents, contextual melee attacks, and new stealth options. Uncharted 3 also features expanded and diverse traversal moves with deep gunplay. Drake can be equipped with up to two firearms – one single-handed and one two-handed – and four grenades. Drake can pick up weapons, automatically replacing the existing weapon he was using, and additional ammunition from downed enemies.
The player can direct Drake to take cover behind corners or low walls using either aimed or blind-fire to kill his enemies. The player can also have Drake fire while moving. If Drake is undetected by his enemies, the player can attempt to use stealth to take them out, such as by sneaking up behind them and killing them with one hit, or by pulling an unsuspecting foe over a ledge from which Drake is hanging. The stealth mechanic has been simplified and improved. Some areas of the game will require the player to solve puzzles with the use of Drake's journal, which provides clues towards the puzzles' solutions. When enabled, a hint system provides gameplay clues, such as the direction of the next objective.
, Uncharted 3 is planned to include a separate multiplayer component with network play that runs in open beta during July 2011, featuring competitive and cooperative modes of play. The beta features several customization options, such as different character skins, ability boosters, skill medals to attain, and a progressive ranking system. Uncharted 3 will introduce free-for-all modes such as standard deathmatch, character model and weapon modification, and dynamic environmental 'events' within multiplayer maps, similar to the set pieces from the game's campaign - such as a hostile plane flying above shooting all players it catches in its crossfire. Collectible treasures are also said to be available within the multiplayer maps, which can be used as in-game currency for unlocking new characters, customization equipment and boosters. Unlocked customizations can either allow for changes to be made in character appearance, such as clothing and skin tone, or upgrading weapon attributes.
A Buddy System has also been implemented into multiplayer. At the beginning of each match, the player may be joined with a random partner or a friend if joining their game. The buddy's emblem remains displayed as part of the player's HUD to indicate their location relative to the player's own on the map. With your Buddy, you can do a cooperative taunt over dead enemies you defeated together, and can also collect each others' earned treasures for them. The player is able to spawn next to his buddy so long as the buddy remains alive and out of combat. With the aim of making the multiplayer more flexible and accessible, several logistical improvements have been added, such as the capability to join games in progress or for two different PlayStation Network accounts to play together in split-screen multiplayer on a single console. In the event of ties or near-ties, matches enter an elimination mode as they wind down, in which the players are restricted to one life and must compete to wipe out all of the opposing team's members first within the allotted remaining time.
Several new features have been included in the game, including mechanics that create gameplay situations designed to assist the losing team, improves ability enhancements and augmentations that must be purchased for each use, special abilities that are made available when a certain amount of medals has been attained within a match, and "Uncharted TV", a small video window that appears throughout the multiplayer menus, creating a video that can be uploaded to Facebook, YouTube or the XMB. Multiplayer also includes a character creation system, allowing a user to extensively customise their in-game character. Co-operative multiplayer also returns from Uncharted 2.
) and Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Richard McGonagle
) meeting with Talbot (Robin Atkin Downes
) in a pub in England. They negotiate a trade, a large sum of money in return for Sir Francis Drake's ring. Nate and Sully accuse Talbot of offering them counterfeit bank notes and, after fighting their way past Talbot's thugs, Nate and Sully emerge in an alleyway, where they are surrounded and subdued by Charlie Cutter (Graham McTavish
), Talbot's cohort. They are then approached by Talbot's client, Katherine Marlowe (Rosalind Ayres
), who steals Drake's ring. Nate attempts to go after her, but Cutter guns him and Sully down, seemingly killing them.
The story transitions into a flashback from 20 years earlier. A 14 year old Nathan Drake explores a museum in Cartagena, Colombia, in search of Sir Francis' ring, but is thrown out after guards suspect him of being a thief. Intrigued by the actions of a younger 40 year old Victor Sullivan- who he does not know at this point- Nate follows Sully to a keymaker and pickpockets him, before returning to the museum. He steals the ring but before he can leave, he is caught by Marlowe, her henchmen and Sully, who was working for her. Nate flees with the ring and is rescued from Marlowe's agents by Sully, who decides to act as a mentor to Nate.
Returning to the present day, it is revealed that the meeting was an elaborate set-up by Nate and Sully to get closer to Marlowe, with Cutter being an old friend of theirs. With the help of Chloe Frazer (Claudia Black
), they trace Marlowe's car to a hidden library, where they manage to retrieve T.E. Lawrence's notebook and a map showing Francis Drake's secret voyage to Arabia, where he was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I to search for the lost city of Ubar
. Using these items, Nate works out that clues to the city's location lie in Crusader
crypts in a French chateau and a Syrian citadel. Nate and Sully head to eastern France
and locate the long abandoned chateau in a dense forest. They find one half of an amulet inside the crypt but the two are ambushed by Talbot, who takes the amulet and sets the chateau on fire. Nate and Sully escape and quickly head to Syria, fearing that Chloe and Cutter, who travelled to the Syrian citadel, may have been followed as well.
They meet up with Chloe and Cutter, who have learned that Marlowe is the head of an order dating back four centuries that seeks to gain power by exploiting the fears of their enemies. The group reaches the second crypt and find the other half of the amulet, revealing the location of the next clue in Yemen
. However, while trying to exit the citadel, Cutter is cornered by Marlowe and Talbot, forcing him to hand over the amulet piece. Although Nate, Sully, Chloe, and Cutter manage to escape, Cutter breaks his leg in the process, forcing him and Chloe to back out while Nate and Sully travel to Yemen on their own.
Drake reluctantly follows Sully's advice to meet with his ex-wife Elena Fisher (Emily Rose
), who helps them locate the underground tomb where they discover the location of the lost city as well as evidence that Sir Francis Drake had also found the tomb and what he learned there caused him to abandon his mission. The trio are then attacked by flesh-eating spiders and flee above ground, where Nate is shot with a dart containing hallucinogens. After stumbling away alone, Nate wakes up outside a café with Marlowe and Talbot. Marlowe gives Nate to a band of pirates she hired led by Rameses to interrogate him for information about Iram of the Pillars. Rameses claims to have captured Sully who is being held captive on a cruise ship on the docks. Nate manages to escape captivity and searches the cruise ship, but discovers the pirates did not take Sully hostage. Mortally wounded, Rameses blows a massive hole in the ship's hull, causing the entire vessel to capsize. Nate navigates the overturned ship before diving into the ocean, ultimately washing back onto shore. He is reunited with Elena, who informs him that Sully was captured by Marlowe's men and taken on a convoy into the Rub 'al Khali desert, but they may be able to rescue him if they stowaway on a cargo plane due to deliver supplies to Marlowe's convoy.
The two of them infiltrate the airstrip and Nate manages to stowaway onboard as it takes off. He is soon discovered by Marlowe's men on board and a shoot-out ensues, resulting in serious damage to the plane. Nate is pulled from the plane by an air vacuum, but is able to activate a parachute and descend safely. After wandering the desert, suffering from heat exhaustion, severe thirst and experiencing hallucinations and mirages, Nate arrives at a ghost town in the desert where he is attacked by Marlowe's men. A troop of men on horseback, led by Salim (TJ Ramini
), appear and ride to Nate's rescue. At the horsemen's encampment, Salim tells Nate that the city of Ubar was doomed thousands of years ago by King Solomon when he imprisoned evil Djinn within a brass vessel and cast it into the heart of the city. He agrees to help Nate and leads him to the convoy spotted by his scouts. Nate and Salim destroy the convoy and rescue Sully. Salim then instructs Nate and Sully to follow him into a nearby sandstorm, but the pair lose him amidst the dust and they realise that they have arrived at the gates of Ubar.
Upon entering Ubar, Nate and Sully come across a sophisticated water fountain that Nate drinks out of. Suddenly Sully is shot in the back and killed by Talbot. Overcome by rage, Nate gives chase and has to fight more of Marlowe's men, who seem to have been possessed by the Djinn, engulfing themselves in flames and moving at impossible speeds. Nate eventually comes to his senses and finds Sully alive. The true mystery of what happened to the people of Ubar thousands of years ago becomes apparent: when King Solomon cast the brass vessel into the depths of the city, it fell into the water and began to taint the water with a powerful hallucinogenic agent. The people were subsequently driven mad, and civilization within the city collapsed. Nate realises that the vessel is what Queen Elizabeth
had sent Francis Drake to find, and what Marlowe was looking for now. Nate and Sully search the city and locate Marlowe, who is using a winch to pull the brass talisman from the water. Nate and Sully destroy the winch and the explosion sets off a chain reaction throughout the entire city, causing the city to collapse. Nate and Sully attempt to escape, but run into Marlowe and Talbot and see Marlowe trapped in quicksand. Nate tries to save her but he fails and Marlowe is left to drown in the sand, taking Drake's ring with her. After Nate and Sully defeat Talbot, who attempted to kill them, Salim rides in on his horse and leads them to safety as the city is engulfed by the desert.
Nate and Sully return to the airport in Yemen where Sully explains why he took such an interest in the young Nate. He then gives back Nate's wedding ring which he secretly kept safe when Drake and Elena separated. Nate turns to see Elena joining them. The two embrace each other and the trio flies back home on Sully's new sea plane.
on December 9, 2010. Officially it was announced at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards on December 11, 2010, the first teaser trailer showed a table covered in Arabia-related paraphernalia
. The worldwide demo of the game was premiered on the American late-night talk show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
on December 14, 2010, the demo showed Nate Drake and Sully rushing through a burning building. A second demo was was shown at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on June 15, 2011, Drake skulking his way through a cruise ship that's being rocked back and forth by furious waves. Naturally, he's snapping a few necks and getting himself stuck in life-threatening situations too, previously shown at Sony’s E3 press conference. At Gamescom 2011, an another demo was shown, during the demo Drake busts his way onto an airfield and chases a jet before boarding it and causing all manner of havoc on board. On August 31, 2011, Naughty Dog released another direct-feed video that extends the airport action scene, the video shows the last two minutes leading up to where the previous video ended, and then a further two minutes of action showing more of the Gamescom demo. At the Eurogamer Expo 2011, a new demo was shown, which depicts wise-cracking hero Nathan Drake battling enemies in a “ghost town” in the middle of the baking desert. Creative director Amy Hennig
explained that the desire for a desert-themed Uncharted stemmed from wanting to push the team creatively and technologically, as "organic" elements such as sand, water, and fire are "technically difficult to credibly render with animation".
New features in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception includes automatic ammunition pickup, and the ability to fight multiple enemies at once. Multiplayer and co-op features will also be greatly expanded. It also support stereoscopic 3D. Game director Justin Richmond explained that the game feels more open than other Uncharted games mainly due to the great new character creation feature. "We're not an open-world game, we're never going to be an open-world game but; we can try. It's still up in the air how much gameplay we're going to let you wander around. But we aim to let you just ride a thousand miles off into the middle of nowhere and still find action and adventure as you go." Ultimately the feel we want to get is, yeah, your character is lost in the desert. So it needs to feel like that. We aim to make it feel open-world." In regards to whether or not PlayStation Move would be supported in Uncharted 3, Naughty Dog explained that "A great Move game is a game made around Move and we started Uncharted long before that. It would be very difficult for us to adjust it. We tried a couple of things but it wasn’t making a lot of sense."
While speaking with GamePro
, Naughty Dog admitted that Uncharted 2s multiplayer could have been much better if they were given more time to perfect it. So for Uncharted 3, Naughty Dog drew inspiration from Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
and Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption to make their offering the "go-to game for PS3 multiplayer." Naughty Dog also told the magazine that one thing they learned through all their multiplayer testing is that damage and health in multiplayer should be "the same or similar to single player." Naughty Dog announced that Uncharted 3 won't feature dedicated server, because Naughty Dog looks for potential four year lifespan instead.
Software manager for Sony Spain, Juan Jimenez, told Spanish gaming site The Vault that Uncharted 3 will make use of the PSN Pass, making it the second game to carry the feature following Resistance 3
. As is standard, a one-time code will be provided with copies of Uncharted 3 for first time buyers giving them access to online multiplayer features from the off, but second-hand buyers will have to pay extra for online play. When asked why the developers implemented the pass system, game director Justin Richmond replied, that without the money from Sony's PSN Pass it wouldn't be able to afford to include as much online content as it has with Uncharted 3, and would possibly have to separate the online and offline content into separate products.
On October 6, 2011, Naughty Dog's community strategist Arne Meyer, confirmed that developer Naughty Dog's work on Uncharted 3 is done and has sent the game to be certified at Sony. According to lead designer, Richard Lemarchand, Naughty Dog had worked on “the biggest and most epic and jaw dropping game” with Uncharted 3. On October 10, 2011, Uncharted 3 had officially achieved gold status, enabling the videogame to enter the manufacturing process for its upcoming release next month. It was also confirmed that the Uncharted 3 disc will also contain four behind-the-scenes videos detailing the development and production of the videogame, including exclusive material from Naughty Dog. Sony announced that Uncharted 3 will come with codes for early access to the Starhawk
multiplayer beta.
that has allowed the game to have better physics, visuals, and environmental effects. The game features new innovations in sand, fire, smoke, and water dynamics and effects, also it adds to the movement of the characters, more realistic textures and animations. According to Naughty Dog Uncharted 3 will be graphically superior to Uncharted 2. "We’re at full speed, optimizing code specifically for the SPUs," Naughty Dog co-president (and former technical director) Christophe Balestra told Edge." "We were, at any given point, using 100% [of the PlayStation 3's power]. We were using everything we possibly could. There is always room where you find something where you can do the processing in some different way to find more power. There are all of these different ways to squeeze more power out of the box," Justin Richmond, game director told VentureBeat.
As a result, the game blurs the line between game and reality. Real physics and environment deformation are key in creating a realistic playing experience, according to Naughty Dog’s Community Strategist Arne Meyer. Game director, Justin Richmond, said that Uncharted 3 pushed the PlayStation 3's graphical capabilities to its limits, but Uncharted 3 doesn't manage the same graphical advance seen between the first two games because the Playstation 3 simply can't handle it, "We pushed it really hard. Uncharted 2 to 3 is still a jump, but it's a narrower jump. And going forward, it depends on what we do."
In an interview at GamesCon 2011, Senior Manager of Marketing Communications Arne Meyer spoke of the unprecedented size of Uncharted 3 stating "Uncharted 2 barely made it to 25GB, while Naughty Dog is going over 50GB this time, for Uncharted 3. But in the end we’ll be under 50. We’ll be one disc." Meyer also spoke of what it is like to work with the PlayStation platform stating "I think it really helps. It’s not even about sales. It’s about what we can push on the platform and how far we can take it. I’m sure you’ll hear this from every other Sony developer but you know, I can’t tell you how much we’ve been able to optimise Cell and you know, the amount of content we can put on Blu-ray."
On September 27, 2011, Naughty Dog’s Co-President, Christophe Balestra, posted a picture via his Twitter account, which showed Uncharted 3 assets taking nearly 24.2 Terabytes consumed while stating, "We’d better finish this game soon…". It was not clear if this network drive is for general use or for Uncharted 3 game assets and data. However, Balestra’s comment seems to allude to the former, indicating that the purpose of the drive is for the game. A larger game typically translates into mo-cap and art assets, high-res textures, music, voice audio, more environments, more content, and as a result a more fulfilling game to play. Uncharted 3 will probably be the largest game to-date. According to Mick Hocking, the director of Sony WorldWide Studios' 3D team, Uncharted 3 "will show a new level in 3D gaming". He went on "Uncharted 3 in 3D will really convince people of our full-screen HD 3D solution... Genuinely, Uncharted 3 looks phenomenal in 3D."
announced a competition, challenging the Uncharted fans to become "a better adventurer than Nathan Drake!". Fans (21 years of age or older) could enter the contest and win a chance to play Uncharted 3 before mainstream release. On October 31, 2011, Spike's GameTrailers TV presented the Uncharted 3: Race to the Ring at 11:30 p.m. on Spike TV. The 30 minute special featured five Uncharted fans from the United States engaged in physical and mental challenges, with the winner receiving an "incredible Uncharted-themed prize package including the ultimate Sony home theater system valued at over $12,000."
On September 22, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced a competition, challenging the Uncharted fans to win the title "Uncharted Treasure Hunter". Fans (18 years of age or older) could enter the contest and win a change to join an action-packed quest treasure hunt through the Arabian Desert inspired by the game and a chance to play Uncharted 3 before mainstream release. The travel was from October 2 through October 6, 2011, with 20 competing adventurers from across Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Australasia. The 20 competing adventurers engaged in physical and mental challenges, with the winner receiving an "$10,000 worth of prizes."
From October 18 through October 20, 2011, AMC Theatres
hosted a Uncharted 3 “Play it First in 3D” event, showcasing Uncharted 3 at participating theaters across the United States. Participating theaters offered "an inside look from the development team at Naughty Dog," a multiplayer tournament, gaming shown on the big screen in 3D, and raffles, prizes, and giveaways. "General Admission" tickets to the event cost $25 and the "Insider Access" $60, which allowed attendees not only get entry into the event, but also get a copy of Uncharted 3 before it releases. All "Insiders" had a copy of the game shipped to their homes on October 25 via FedEx
, giving the attendees a full one week head start over everyone else.
The first TV spot was released on September 8, 2011, during the 2011 NFL Kickoff game between the Packers and Saints. On October 16, 2011, Naughty Dog released the launch TV spot for the game. The trailer contains around 25 seconds of footage, and features Drake traversing canyons, riding horses, and battling above wrecked airplanes. On October 19, 2011, a Japanese commercial to promote the game was released, which starred actor and producer Harrison Ford
, and what Harrison Ford himself thinks about a game he inspired. Also on October 19, 2011 Naughty Dog released the launch trailer for the game. It features deserts, boats, planes, horse-riding and treasure hunting. To promote the game, Sony had several promote events during October 2011, where the public had a chance to try out the multiplayer, as well as the single-player and Q&A session with Naughty Dog. These events were in several regions, such as the European countries Norway and UK. On October 15, Sony offered gamers "the first ever public sampling" of Uncharted 3s single player campaign at The Pelican Bar, London. Developers from Naughty Dog also turn up at the event, with a subsequent Q&A session.
Sony Computer Entertainment UK is spending £5 million ($7.82m) on its marketing push for Uncharted 3, a figure which the platform holder claims makes the game its biggest software launch ever. The campaign includes a short documentary produced by Oscar-winning director Ed Zwick, as well as TV ads, online videos, homepage takeovers and outdoor posters. "This will be the biggest launch in SCE UK's history, both in terms of ambition, numbers and spend and will be supported by a marketing budget of around £5 million," SCE UK senior product manager Ian Vinten told MCV. "To really reach that mass audience at launch we will be running a large outdoor campaign with a number of different premium formats including high quality 48-sheets as well as builds across the country."
To celebrate launch of Uncharted 3, Sony and Media Molecule
released a Nathan Drake costume for LittleBigPlanet 2
. The Nathan Drake costume consist of Nathan Drake Hair, Nathan Drake Trousers, Nathan Drake Scarf, Nathan Drake Skin and Nathan Drake Top. A selection of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception themed stickers are also included. The pack was available to download through Playstation Store
from November 1 in North America and November 2 in Europe, which is the same day as Uncharted 3 was released in these territories.
To coincide with the release of Uncharted 3, lead voice performer Nolan North (Nathan Drake) wrote a book detailing the journey during Uncharted 3: Drake's Deceptions development. Drake's Journal, a 128 page "coffee table" book, which takes a look at the making of Uncharted 3 from the viewpoint of Nolan North, is due to go on sale in November, shortly after the game is released. The book features over 500 photos from Sony Pictures Sound Stage, where the motion capture for Uncharted 3 was performed, alongside plenty of stories of Nolan, which document the development of the game. Included are also Quick Response codes which link to "50 uncut videos from the mocap stage". If the book is pre-ordered, the receiver receives a 20% discount and enters into the sweepstakes for a signed copy of the Uncharted 3: Explorer Edition.
had access to the entire multiplayer mode of Uncharted 3, as part of a cross-promotion between Sony and sandwich chain Subway. The Subway Taste for Adventure promotion ran from September 29 through October 31, 2011. Buyers were able to enter a code from a specially marked Uncharted 30 oz drink cup before November 1 to get early access to the Uncharted 3 multiplayer. The offer entitles fans to play all of the competitive multiplayer maps and modes a month before the game is released. Subway items such as a Subway cap and shirt could be unlocked by picking up Subway treasures. The players rank and unlockables was carried over into the main game.
In Europe, South Africa, The Middle East, Australia and New Zealand only PlayStation Plus members had a chance to get to the full multiplayer suite from October 5. There was other ways to get in for non-Playstation Plus members according to Sony, however, noting to keep an eye on local Playstation Blogs and community forums. Although both multiplayer suites was the same content, however, the Europen, South African, The Middle East, Australian and New Zealand didn’t had the Subway items like the US. Other vouchers that purchasers could get access to by picking up a Subway sandwich or chip was an Uncharted 3 dynamic Playstation 3 theme, an Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunter Bounty ability pack, an Uncharted 3 Drake multiplayer skin, an Uncharted 3 multiplayer weapon skin or a Subway cup and sandwich virtual costume for PlayStation Home
.
Players will be pitted against waves of enemies (developed from character models from Drake’s Deception) for the next three weeks, and be able to unlock special PlayStation Home rewards once challenges are complete. For example, you can unlock collectible weapons and even the Kickback Endurance Booster for multiplayer gaming in Uncharted 3 if the player complete all 10 challenges. If the player pre-order Uncharted 3 from PlayStation Home, the player also get an exclusive Nathan Drake costume with custom shooting animation for your PlayStation Home avatar.
. The beta launched for all PSN members on July 5. The multiplayer beta allow for Team Deathmatch, Three-Team Deathmatch, Team Objective, Free For All, Plunder, Hardcore, Co-op Hunter, Co-op Arena and Co-op Adventure modes. Two maps were accessible first, Chateau and Airstrip, but two more maps was unlocked over the course of the beta, Yemen and Syria. At launch, players were experiencing console freezes, game-breaking glitches, lagging issues and long connecting times. Naughty Dog released the first patch for the multiplayer beta on June 29, 2011, titled version 1.01. However, some gamers still reported that their Playstation 3 is still getting locked completely and required a hard reboot. Naughty Dog wrote on Twitter:
On July 5, Naughty Dog released the second patch, titled version 1.02, which included some significant improvements and tweaks. In the update; aside from inclusions such as Facebook integration and 1080i upscaling, a number of in-game elements such as medals and power plays was altered for a more balanced online experience. On July 6, Naughty Dog released the third patch 1.03 in Europe and it should have fix any European connectivity issues. Naughty Dog’s Co-President, Christophe Balestra wrote on Twitter:
Naughty Dog released the fourth patch, titled version 1.04 on July 8, which fixing the Facebook, the XP and the cash during playback of cinema files issues. On July 8, Naughty Dog revealed that just one day after the beta went fully public on July 5, it passed the one million unique players in the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta and the player count is still growing. Naughty Dog also advised players to reap the rewards from the beta, such as the Uncharted 3 PSN Beta Tester Avatar and Treasure Hunter’s Starter Pack, along with in-game cash for the full release of the Uncharted 3 multiplayer component. Naughty Dog confirmed on July 12, that player progress in the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta has been reset for some, sending them back to level one. User data that keeps track of level, cash and unlocks cannot be retrieved by the studio. However, beta players who were looking forward to rewards in the final version of Uncharted 3 based on their multiplayer beta play history will still get those rewards. Naughty Dog’s Christophe Balestra announced on Twitter that the Uncharted 3 beta had reached 1.5 million unique players on July 13. On July 14, when the beta actual should have been ended, Naughty Dog extended the beta for an additional 24 hours, to give players a little more time to level up the multiplayer stats. On July 15, Sony announced that the beta for Uncharted 3 is the "LARGEST online beta ever to appear on the Playstation 3".
Speaking on the topic of the price of video games, game director, Justin Richmond told VideoGamer.com:
In the Nordic countries, players who pre-ordered the game from GameStop
, received a bonus pack, which consist of two exclusive posters, a T-shirt with a print that says "Soon-to-be action hero", and six in-game multiplayer codes (which are the pre-order bonuses). Players who pre-ordered the game from several retail outlets, such as Elkjøp
and Game
, received another bonus pack, which consist of the six in-game multiplayer codes, as well as the "Soon-to-be action hero" T-shirt.
and Pirate AK-47', Multiplayer 'Upper Cut Taunt', 'Cash Multiplier' and 'Special Edition Decals Pack'.
Exclusive to North America is the Collector’s Edition. It comes with a Nathan Drake Statue from Sideshow Collectibles, a replica of Drake's belt buckle, a replica of Drake's ring/necklace, a "Steelbook" case packaging with exclusive artwork, as well as a PSN voucher that allows to download all the pre-order bonuses. All of that is put in a "Traveling Chest", it’s got exclusive exterior artwork, comes with a lid that is held shut by a magnet and contains storage areas for all of the goodies that come with the Collector’s Edition.
Also exclusive to Europe, Australia and New Zealand is the Explorer Edition. It includes the Nathan Drake Statue, belt buckle, ring/necklace from the North American Collector’s Edition. Instead of including the "Steelbook" case packaging from the Collector’s Edition, the Explorer Edition includes the Special Edition and its DLC, as well as all the pre-order bonuses. The "Traveling Chest" is replaced by the "Uncharted Wooden Travel Case", which has space for 19 Playstation 3 games. A 3D lenticular image is also included.
Exclusive to Japan is the Uncharted 3-themed tan and brown color scheme DualShock 3 controller. The limited edition controller will feature a two-tone color scheme, with a map design and a smattering of mountains and coastlines sketched across the control pad. With a high level of detail, the controller also sports a compass drawn behind the directional pad, and Nathan Drake’s signature ring on the right hand grip. It will be bundled with the game for a collective cost of 9 980 yen ($129) for a limited time.
In UK, to coincide with the game's launch, GameStop
will exclusively sell the 320GB 'Classic White' Playstation 3 system in stores across Ireland and the UK, since GameStop obtained the exclusive right to sell the console on September 9, 2011. The console will be bundled with two 'Classic White' DualShock 3 controllers, and launches on November 1, which is just a day short of Uncharted 3 launching in Europe. For mainland UK buyers the console will only be available online, but for buyers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will it be able to pick up in the local store. The console will also sell in GameStop stores in Europe, Micromania
and EB Games Australia
and e-commerce sites from November. In North America, to coincide with the game's launch, a limited edition hardware offering will feature a 320GB 'Charcoal Black' Playstation 3 system, a 'Charcoal Black' DualShock 3 controller, a free month of PlayStation Plus, and a copy of Uncharted 3.
On October 18, 2011, Sony and Naughty Dog announced the Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters' Club that entitles gamers to the first four multiplayer map packs and the first three multiplayer skin packs installment of downloadable content at a discount (over 45%) that will roll out over the course of the next year, with the first batch of content releasing in November 2011. As each piece of DLC is released for the game, the purchaser will receive a PSN message with a direct link to the content on the PlayStation Store
. As an additional bonus for the purchase, Sony will be offering up a free, exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club PlayStation 3 theme. The theme will be given immediately.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was on display for the general video game audience at the 2011 E3, and received four nominations from the Game Critics Awards
for "Best of Show", "Best Console Game", "Best Action/Adventure Game", and "Best Online Multiplayer Game". Uncharted 3 was most notably awarded with "Best PS3 Game" by several media outlets, such as 1UP
, X-Play
, IGN
, Digital Trends
, GameSpot
, GameSpy
, GameInformer and Electric Playground. Uncharted 3 was also awarded "Best Action/Adventure Game" by X-Play, Machinima
and Game Rant, "Best Action Game" by Shortlist
, "Best Third-Person Shooter" and "Best Visuals" by VGChartz, "Best Graphics" by GameTrailers
, as well as "Best 3D Graphics", "Best Multiplayer" and "Best Third-Person Shooter". The Official PlayStation Magazine
and Game Revolution
awarded Uncharted 3 with "Best Game of E3".
Uncharted 3 was placed at number three on Big Picture Big Sound's "Top 10 Best Games of E3 2011" column, and was included in GamesRadar
's and Official PlayStation Magazines "Most Valuable Game Award". Uncharted 3 was also on display for the general video game audience at the 2011 Gamescom
, and received one nomination for "Best Console Game". Numerous gaming websites have called Uncharted 3 one of the most anticipated games of 2011, with 1UP and IGN ranking it number one in their "Top 10 PS3 Games of 2011" column. Metacritic
included Uncharted 3 on their "Most Anticipated Games of 2011" column, and stated that "Sony's console has an unusually large lineup of exclusives scheduled for 2011, highlighted by one of the year's biggest titles, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception." In Japan, gaming magazine Famitsu had it listed as one of the most anticipated games in its periodic reader poll. Many shops around the country had large displays advertising its November 2 launch date.
The third review was published by the Spanish edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine, which gave it a 9.8 out of 10 score, called it "A masterpiece to remember for many years that will be difficult to overcome." PlayStation Official Magazine (UK)
awarded the game a perfect score and a gold award. In their review they stated, "For the second time in succession, Naughty Dog has created a game that can claim to not only be the best on PS3, but also one of the best in gaming history... A visual, technical and narrative tour de force that takes the sky-high expectations of an entire community and blows them out the back of a jumbo jet, replacing them with more show-stopping moments than you could hope to find in a dozen other games combined." The US edition of the PlayStation Official Magazine
stated, "Viewed strictly as a videogame, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception represents the height of technical achievement--the state-of-the-art, if you will--for the interactive console experience."
Several mainstream press reviews praised the game, particularly for its graphics and cinematic quality. Garrett Martin, of Paste Magazine
, said:
Ars Technica
reviewer Ben Kuchera praised the writing and voice acting, stating "Overall, this is an amazing achievement in design, and it rests comfortably at the top of the heap when it comes to action games. It's also one of the rare video games where the writing and voice acting aren't just good "for a video game," they're good for a television show or a movie. Joy can be found in the small moments and movements of the characters, and their interactions are always fun to watch." In a review for The Telegraph
, Tom Hoggins described it as "If you were to break Drake's Deception down to its base elements, it’s the same Uncharted we have grown to love, just a little trimmer, more slick." Dan Silver of Daily Mirror concluded with "Overall, Drake’s Deception is one of the most spectacular entertainment experiences ever produced, but one you’ll enjoy holding a joypad rather than a bucket of popcorn. And, ultimately, that doesn’t really matter at all." The Sydney Morning Herald
reviewer described it as "It’s another thrilling ride with gorgeous presentation, absolutely exhilarating set pieces, well-integrated puzzles and robust combat that is equally satisfying whether you are wielding a gun or bare-knuckle brawling."
Uncharted 3 has a GameRankings score of 92.08%, making it the tenth highest rated console video game of 2011, and the 15th highest rated video game of all time on the PlayStation 3. The game also received a score of 92 out of 100 on Metacritic, making it one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2011. 1UP
gave the game a perfect score, and stated "Developer Naughty Dog continues to prove they are masters of their craft, and the third chapter of Uncharted is a fun and rewarding adventure that's easily one of the best games this year." IGN
was very pleased with the title by awarding it with a perfect score, and even going as far as to say "From start to finish, single player to multiplayer, this game sings. The characters, the graphics, the sound, the story - they're all top notch. If you're willing to skip Uncharted 3, be prepared to miss one of gaming's finest moments."
One of the lowest scores was given by Simon Parkin of Eurogamer
, which stated "As a slice of one-view entertainment, Uncharted 3 is peerless... As an expression of all that a video game could be, however, Uncharted 3 is narrow, focused and ultimately shallow." Edge
gave it 9 out of 10 and concluded with, "Just like Machu Picchu
, the Pyramids and every other engineering marvel of antiquity, Uncharted 3 will stand as a reminder to future generations of gamers that enough problem-solving imagination can turn any old trowel into a magic wand." Chad Concelmo from Destructoid
was even more positive, awarding the game a 10 out of 10 concluding, "For me, though, videogames don't get any better than Uncharted 3. I can't even count on both hands its number of outstanding, absolutely jaw-dropping moments. Every painstaking detail combines to create a world full of wonderful characters and unequaled action. Once you play it, it is impossible to not get swept up into the adventure of it all." Chad also mentioned that Uncharted 3 is the "best Playstation 3 game to date", saying that "perfect" really is the best word to describe it.
Gamers XTREME gave Uncharted 3 a perfect 10 out of 10 stating, "Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception isn’t just one of the best PS3 games currently available or even just a strong candidate for Game of the Year. Uncharted 3 sets a bar that is truly second-to-none. Naughty Dog has once again proven their mastery, not only with the PS3, but among all the developers in the industry. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is a game that will be talked about for years... is a masterpiece of a game that should not be missed by any means… period." The Technique
reviewer Hank Whitson was less impressed by the game, writing "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was not only one of the best games on the Playstation 3, but one of the best video games to date. It featured a fun sharply-written script, engaging gameplay, a brilliant soundtrack and the best cinematic pacing ever presented in a videogame. Needless to say, expectations for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception were extremely high. While Uncharted 3 is a tremendously satisfying game and one of the best releases of 2011, it fails to fully live up to the legacy of its legendary predecessor."
The game was criticised for some negative issues, such as the aiming system in gunplay. The developer had initially countered complaints that the game's aiming was inaccurate in a blog post on its official site. However, after complaints continued on the Naughty Dog forum and NeoGAF, a patch to address concerns about the game's aiming system could be impending after developer Naughty Dog invited a couple of fans to its HQ to discuss the problem. On November 21, 2011, Naughty Dog announced that an upcoming Uncharted 3 patch will offer a fix for those unhappy with the game's refined aiming controls. The update will offers the option of toggling between the new controls and a set-up more in line with that found in Uncharted 2. The patch was released on November 27th 2011, and added not only the option to toggle between the current and previous aiming controls, but also adds missing motion blur effects in the single-player campaign and fixes a bug in the game's "flipped mode" settings. In multiplayer, medal streaks will no longer reset if the host migrates to another user, blind fire targeting has been adjusted, and other small tweaks.
. It became the 11th best ever PS3 launch in the UK, and outperformed its predecessor's
launch week sales by 37 percent. Uncharted 3 fortunately topped the PS3 and Individual Platforms charts, replacing Battlefield 3. During the first week of sales in Japan, Uncharted 3 became the second best selling game on the chart and sold 124,989 copies, beaten only by Nintendo
's Super Mario 3D Land.
Worldwide, the game broke all records for the Uncharted franchise, in the sales department, firmly ahead of the last game in the franchise. It shipped 3.8 million copies globally on launch day, making it "one of the best-selling titles of 2011, putting the third installment on a clear course to be the biggest selling game in the trilogy", Sony said in a statement.
Naughty Dog has said future titles will have to live up to a "really high" quality standard. Speaking to IGN, lead effects artist Keith Guerrette said success has made the studio "a little bit reluctant, actually, if we do sit back and decide to continue with the Uncharted world, because we don’t want to ruin" the series. "At this point, because we took off sprinting the moment we finished Uncharted 2 onto Uncharted 3, the studio’s giving us some time to relax and take a breather, so everyone’s off on vacation now," he said. "When we do go back we’re gonna have to sit down and talk and figure out what it is we want to spend time on and that’s part of the freedom Sony gives us. I mean, we’ve shipped 11 games now and we’ve never missed a single deadline, which I don’t think that there’s any other development studio in the world that can say that."
Uncharted
Uncharted is an award-winning series of action-adventure/platform/third-person shooter video games developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 3 video game console. The series follows modern-day treasure hunter Nathan "Nate" Drake as he...
series, created by Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on November 1, 2011, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on November 2, 2011 and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on November 3, 2011. It is the sequel to 2009's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an action-adventure platform third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was first shown and announced on December 1, 2008...
. It was first revealed on December 9, 2010. Officially it was announced at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards on December 11, 2010.
Uncharted 3 sees protagonist Nathan Drake
Nathan Drake (character)
Nathan "Nate" Drake is the fictional protagonist of the Uncharted video game series, developed by Naughty Dog. He is a playable character in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and appears in the motion comic prequel...
and mentor Victor Sullivan
Victor Sullivan
Victor "Sully" Sullivan is a protagonist from the Uncharted video game franchise. He is voiced by Richard McGonagle, who also did the motion capture for the character. In the games, he is a friend and mentor to Nathan Drake, the main series protagonist. He is a man with large debts and a criminal...
traveling around the world to such places as the Rub' al Khali desert, in search of the legendary lost city, the Iram of the Pillars
Iram of the Pillars
Iram of the Pillars , also called Aram, Iram, Irum, Irem, Erum, Wabar, Ubar, or the City of a Thousand Pillars, is a lost city on the Arabian Peninsula.-Introduction:Ubar, a name of a region or a name of a people, was mentioned in ancient records, and was spoken of in folk...
. Chloe Frazer
Chloe Frazer
Chloe Frazer is a fictional character in the Uncharted series, and serves as a female protagonist of the 2009 video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Frazer was designed to provide a darker counterpart to main series protagonist Nathan Drake, and to highlight these facets of his personality. She is...
and Elena Fisher
Elena Fisher
Elena Fisher is one of the protagonists of the Uncharted series created by developer Naughty Dog. Fisher appears in all the three video games in the series: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. While not a playable character, Fisher acts as...
also return in Uncharted 3. The plot draws from the archaeology days of T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence, CB, DSO , known professionally as T. E. Lawrence, was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916–18...
. Arne Meyer, Naughty Dog's community strategist stated that the "main theme of Uncharted 3 is 'finding the way'". Upon its release, Uncharted 3 was met with high critical acclaim, averaging 92% on both review aggregate websites Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, making it one of the most critically acclaimed video games of 2011 for the PlayStation 3 on both websites.
Gameplay
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is an action-adventure gameAction-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
played from a third-person perspective, with the player in control of Nathan Drake
Nathan Drake (character)
Nathan "Nate" Drake is the fictional protagonist of the Uncharted video game series, developed by Naughty Dog. He is a playable character in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and appears in the motion comic prequel...
. Drake will have a large number of different animation sets, enabling him to react according to his surroundings. Drake is physically adept and is able to jump, sprint, climb, swim, scale narrow ledges, wall-faces to get between points, and perform other acrobatic actions
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...
. Drake can now take on opponents in more ways than before: hand-to-hand combat with multiple opponents, contextual melee attacks, and new stealth options. Uncharted 3 also features expanded and diverse traversal moves with deep gunplay. Drake can be equipped with up to two firearms – one single-handed and one two-handed – and four grenades. Drake can pick up weapons, automatically replacing the existing weapon he was using, and additional ammunition from downed enemies.
The player can direct Drake to take cover behind corners or low walls using either aimed or blind-fire to kill his enemies. The player can also have Drake fire while moving. If Drake is undetected by his enemies, the player can attempt to use stealth to take them out, such as by sneaking up behind them and killing them with one hit, or by pulling an unsuspecting foe over a ledge from which Drake is hanging. The stealth mechanic has been simplified and improved. Some areas of the game will require the player to solve puzzles with the use of Drake's journal, which provides clues towards the puzzles' solutions. When enabled, a hint system provides gameplay clues, such as the direction of the next objective.
Multiplayer
Similar to Uncharted 2: Among ThievesUncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an action-adventure platform third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was first shown and announced on December 1, 2008...
, Uncharted 3 is planned to include a separate multiplayer component with network play that runs in open beta during July 2011, featuring competitive and cooperative modes of play. The beta features several customization options, such as different character skins, ability boosters, skill medals to attain, and a progressive ranking system. Uncharted 3 will introduce free-for-all modes such as standard deathmatch, character model and weapon modification, and dynamic environmental 'events' within multiplayer maps, similar to the set pieces from the game's campaign - such as a hostile plane flying above shooting all players it catches in its crossfire. Collectible treasures are also said to be available within the multiplayer maps, which can be used as in-game currency for unlocking new characters, customization equipment and boosters. Unlocked customizations can either allow for changes to be made in character appearance, such as clothing and skin tone, or upgrading weapon attributes.
A Buddy System has also been implemented into multiplayer. At the beginning of each match, the player may be joined with a random partner or a friend if joining their game. The buddy's emblem remains displayed as part of the player's HUD to indicate their location relative to the player's own on the map. With your Buddy, you can do a cooperative taunt over dead enemies you defeated together, and can also collect each others' earned treasures for them. The player is able to spawn next to his buddy so long as the buddy remains alive and out of combat. With the aim of making the multiplayer more flexible and accessible, several logistical improvements have been added, such as the capability to join games in progress or for two different PlayStation Network accounts to play together in split-screen multiplayer on a single console. In the event of ties or near-ties, matches enter an elimination mode as they wind down, in which the players are restricted to one life and must compete to wipe out all of the opposing team's members first within the allotted remaining time.
Several new features have been included in the game, including mechanics that create gameplay situations designed to assist the losing team, improves ability enhancements and augmentations that must be purchased for each use, special abilities that are made available when a certain amount of medals has been attained within a match, and "Uncharted TV", a small video window that appears throughout the multiplayer menus, creating a video that can be uploaded to Facebook, YouTube or the XMB. Multiplayer also includes a character creation system, allowing a user to extensively customise their in-game character. Co-operative multiplayer also returns from Uncharted 2.
Plot
The story begins with Nathan "Nate" Drake (Nolan NorthNolan North
Nolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
) and Victor "Sully" Sullivan (Richard McGonagle
Richard McGonagle
Richard Francis McGonagle is an American actor and voice actor.McGonagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Hildagard Virginia and William Francis McGonagle....
) meeting with Talbot (Robin Atkin Downes
Robin Atkin Downes
Born in London, England, Robin Atkin Downes is an English actor who is one of the most prolific voice-over actors in Los Angeles. He is well known for his work in film, television and voice acting...
) in a pub in England. They negotiate a trade, a large sum of money in return for Sir Francis Drake's ring. Nate and Sully accuse Talbot of offering them counterfeit bank notes and, after fighting their way past Talbot's thugs, Nate and Sully emerge in an alleyway, where they are surrounded and subdued by Charlie Cutter (Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish
Graham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor.He has played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood...
), Talbot's cohort. They are then approached by Talbot's client, Katherine Marlowe (Rosalind Ayres
Rosalind Ayres
Rosalind Ayres is an English actress. Active since 1970, Ayres may be best known by a wide audience for her role was in the 1997 film Titanic, in which she played Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon....
), who steals Drake's ring. Nate attempts to go after her, but Cutter guns him and Sully down, seemingly killing them.
The story transitions into a flashback from 20 years earlier. A 14 year old Nathan Drake explores a museum in Cartagena, Colombia, in search of Sir Francis' ring, but is thrown out after guards suspect him of being a thief. Intrigued by the actions of a younger 40 year old Victor Sullivan- who he does not know at this point- Nate follows Sully to a keymaker and pickpockets him, before returning to the museum. He steals the ring but before he can leave, he is caught by Marlowe, her henchmen and Sully, who was working for her. Nate flees with the ring and is rescued from Marlowe's agents by Sully, who decides to act as a mentor to Nate.
Returning to the present day, it is revealed that the meeting was an elaborate set-up by Nate and Sully to get closer to Marlowe, with Cutter being an old friend of theirs. With the help of Chloe Frazer (Claudia Black
Claudia Black
Claudia Lee Black is an Australian actress and voice actor, known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in the science fiction television series Farscape, Vala Mal Doran in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, Chloe Frazer in the Uncharted series, the witch Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins and...
), they trace Marlowe's car to a hidden library, where they manage to retrieve T.E. Lawrence's notebook and a map showing Francis Drake's secret voyage to Arabia, where he was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I to search for the lost city of Ubar
Iram of the Pillars
Iram of the Pillars , also called Aram, Iram, Irum, Irem, Erum, Wabar, Ubar, or the City of a Thousand Pillars, is a lost city on the Arabian Peninsula.-Introduction:Ubar, a name of a region or a name of a people, was mentioned in ancient records, and was spoken of in folk...
. Using these items, Nate works out that clues to the city's location lie in Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
crypts in a French chateau and a Syrian citadel. Nate and Sully head to eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and locate the long abandoned chateau in a dense forest. They find one half of an amulet inside the crypt but the two are ambushed by Talbot, who takes the amulet and sets the chateau on fire. Nate and Sully escape and quickly head to Syria, fearing that Chloe and Cutter, who travelled to the Syrian citadel, may have been followed as well.
They meet up with Chloe and Cutter, who have learned that Marlowe is the head of an order dating back four centuries that seeks to gain power by exploiting the fears of their enemies. The group reaches the second crypt and find the other half of the amulet, revealing the location of the next clue in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. However, while trying to exit the citadel, Cutter is cornered by Marlowe and Talbot, forcing him to hand over the amulet piece. Although Nate, Sully, Chloe, and Cutter manage to escape, Cutter breaks his leg in the process, forcing him and Chloe to back out while Nate and Sully travel to Yemen on their own.
Drake reluctantly follows Sully's advice to meet with his ex-wife Elena Fisher (Emily Rose
Emily Rose (actress)
Emily Rose Maier is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role in the Syfy TV series Haven .-Early life:...
), who helps them locate the underground tomb where they discover the location of the lost city as well as evidence that Sir Francis Drake had also found the tomb and what he learned there caused him to abandon his mission. The trio are then attacked by flesh-eating spiders and flee above ground, where Nate is shot with a dart containing hallucinogens. After stumbling away alone, Nate wakes up outside a café with Marlowe and Talbot. Marlowe gives Nate to a band of pirates she hired led by Rameses to interrogate him for information about Iram of the Pillars. Rameses claims to have captured Sully who is being held captive on a cruise ship on the docks. Nate manages to escape captivity and searches the cruise ship, but discovers the pirates did not take Sully hostage. Mortally wounded, Rameses blows a massive hole in the ship's hull, causing the entire vessel to capsize. Nate navigates the overturned ship before diving into the ocean, ultimately washing back onto shore. He is reunited with Elena, who informs him that Sully was captured by Marlowe's men and taken on a convoy into the Rub 'al Khali desert, but they may be able to rescue him if they stowaway on a cargo plane due to deliver supplies to Marlowe's convoy.
The two of them infiltrate the airstrip and Nate manages to stowaway onboard as it takes off. He is soon discovered by Marlowe's men on board and a shoot-out ensues, resulting in serious damage to the plane. Nate is pulled from the plane by an air vacuum, but is able to activate a parachute and descend safely. After wandering the desert, suffering from heat exhaustion, severe thirst and experiencing hallucinations and mirages, Nate arrives at a ghost town in the desert where he is attacked by Marlowe's men. A troop of men on horseback, led by Salim (TJ Ramini
TJ Ramini
TJ Ramini is an English actor best known for his role as DC Zain Nadir in The Bill.He attended King Alfred School in North London. His father is Palestinian, while his mother is Australian and was a newsreader for ITV. He is also of Russian Jewish and Scottish ancestry. At 19, he moved to...
), appear and ride to Nate's rescue. At the horsemen's encampment, Salim tells Nate that the city of Ubar was doomed thousands of years ago by King Solomon when he imprisoned evil Djinn within a brass vessel and cast it into the heart of the city. He agrees to help Nate and leads him to the convoy spotted by his scouts. Nate and Salim destroy the convoy and rescue Sully. Salim then instructs Nate and Sully to follow him into a nearby sandstorm, but the pair lose him amidst the dust and they realise that they have arrived at the gates of Ubar.
Upon entering Ubar, Nate and Sully come across a sophisticated water fountain that Nate drinks out of. Suddenly Sully is shot in the back and killed by Talbot. Overcome by rage, Nate gives chase and has to fight more of Marlowe's men, who seem to have been possessed by the Djinn, engulfing themselves in flames and moving at impossible speeds. Nate eventually comes to his senses and finds Sully alive. The true mystery of what happened to the people of Ubar thousands of years ago becomes apparent: when King Solomon cast the brass vessel into the depths of the city, it fell into the water and began to taint the water with a powerful hallucinogenic agent. The people were subsequently driven mad, and civilization within the city collapsed. Nate realises that the vessel is what Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
had sent Francis Drake to find, and what Marlowe was looking for now. Nate and Sully search the city and locate Marlowe, who is using a winch to pull the brass talisman from the water. Nate and Sully destroy the winch and the explosion sets off a chain reaction throughout the entire city, causing the city to collapse. Nate and Sully attempt to escape, but run into Marlowe and Talbot and see Marlowe trapped in quicksand. Nate tries to save her but he fails and Marlowe is left to drown in the sand, taking Drake's ring with her. After Nate and Sully defeat Talbot, who attempted to kill them, Salim rides in on his horse and leads them to safety as the city is engulfed by the desert.
Nate and Sully return to the airport in Yemen where Sully explains why he took such an interest in the young Nate. He then gives back Nate's wedding ring which he secretly kept safe when Drake and Elena separated. Nate turns to see Elena joining them. The two embrace each other and the trio flies back home on Sully's new sea plane.
Development
It was first revealed by Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
on December 9, 2010. Officially it was announced at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards on December 11, 2010, the first teaser trailer showed a table covered in Arabia-related paraphernalia
Paraphernalia
In modern usage, the word paraphernalia most commonly refers to apparatus, equipment, or furnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity as in, "Beth is such an avid sports fan that her walls are covered with baseball paraphernalia"....
. The worldwide demo of the game was premiered on the American late-night talk show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
on December 14, 2010, the demo showed Nate Drake and Sully rushing through a burning building. A second demo was was shown at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on June 15, 2011, Drake skulking his way through a cruise ship that's being rocked back and forth by furious waves. Naturally, he's snapping a few necks and getting himself stuck in life-threatening situations too, previously shown at Sony’s E3 press conference. At Gamescom 2011, an another demo was shown, during the demo Drake busts his way onto an airfield and chases a jet before boarding it and causing all manner of havoc on board. On August 31, 2011, Naughty Dog released another direct-feed video that extends the airport action scene, the video shows the last two minutes leading up to where the previous video ended, and then a further two minutes of action showing more of the Gamescom demo. At the Eurogamer Expo 2011, a new demo was shown, which depicts wise-cracking hero Nathan Drake battling enemies in a “ghost town” in the middle of the baking desert. Creative director Amy Hennig
Amy Hennig
Amy Hennig is a video game director and script writer currently employed by video game company Naughty Dog. She began her work in the industry on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with her design debut on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City...
explained that the desire for a desert-themed Uncharted stemmed from wanting to push the team creatively and technologically, as "organic" elements such as sand, water, and fire are "technically difficult to credibly render with animation".
New features in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception includes automatic ammunition pickup, and the ability to fight multiple enemies at once. Multiplayer and co-op features will also be greatly expanded. It also support stereoscopic 3D. Game director Justin Richmond explained that the game feels more open than other Uncharted games mainly due to the great new character creation feature. "We're not an open-world game, we're never going to be an open-world game but; we can try. It's still up in the air how much gameplay we're going to let you wander around. But we aim to let you just ride a thousand miles off into the middle of nowhere and still find action and adventure as you go." Ultimately the feel we want to get is, yeah, your character is lost in the desert. So it needs to feel like that. We aim to make it feel open-world." In regards to whether or not PlayStation Move would be supported in Uncharted 3, Naughty Dog explained that "A great Move game is a game made around Move and we started Uncharted long before that. It would be very difficult for us to adjust it. We tried a couple of things but it wasn’t making a lot of sense."
While speaking with GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
, Naughty Dog admitted that Uncharted 2s multiplayer could have been much better if they were given more time to perfect it. So for Uncharted 3, Naughty Dog drew inspiration from Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2010, Microsoft Windows in March 2011 and Mac OS X in May 2011...
and Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption to make their offering the "go-to game for PS3 multiplayer." Naughty Dog also told the magazine that one thing they learned through all their multiplayer testing is that damage and health in multiplayer should be "the same or similar to single player." Naughty Dog announced that Uncharted 3 won't feature dedicated server, because Naughty Dog looks for potential four year lifespan instead.
Software manager for Sony Spain, Juan Jimenez, told Spanish gaming site The Vault that Uncharted 3 will make use of the PSN Pass, making it the second game to carry the feature following Resistance 3
Resistance 3
Resistance 3 is a 2011 science fiction post-apocalyptic first person shooter developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. The game is the third title in the Resistance series and is the sequel to the best-selling PlayStation 3 launch title...
. As is standard, a one-time code will be provided with copies of Uncharted 3 for first time buyers giving them access to online multiplayer features from the off, but second-hand buyers will have to pay extra for online play. When asked why the developers implemented the pass system, game director Justin Richmond replied, that without the money from Sony's PSN Pass it wouldn't be able to afford to include as much online content as it has with Uncharted 3, and would possibly have to separate the online and offline content into separate products.
On October 6, 2011, Naughty Dog's community strategist Arne Meyer, confirmed that developer Naughty Dog's work on Uncharted 3 is done and has sent the game to be certified at Sony. According to lead designer, Richard Lemarchand, Naughty Dog had worked on “the biggest and most epic and jaw dropping game” with Uncharted 3. On October 10, 2011, Uncharted 3 had officially achieved gold status, enabling the videogame to enter the manufacturing process for its upcoming release next month. It was also confirmed that the Uncharted 3 disc will also contain four behind-the-scenes videos detailing the development and production of the videogame, including exclusive material from Naughty Dog. Sony announced that Uncharted 3 will come with codes for early access to the Starhawk
Starhawk (2012 video game)
Starhawk is a third-person shooter video game to be released exclusively for the PlayStation 3 system on July 11, 2012 in North America. It is the spiritual successor to 2007's Warhawk.-Development:...
multiplayer beta.
Motion capture
Naughty Dog community strategist, Arne Meyer, said that Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is created like a Hollywood film. The Uncharted series has received praise for its movie-like sections, which Naughty Dog keen to take to the next level in Uncharted 3. Naughty Dog has likened the motion capture and voice acting procedure of Uncharted 3 to that of a Hollywood film:Graphics and technology
Naughty Dog said that Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception uses an "evolved" version of the same engine they used in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among ThievesUncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an action-adventure platform third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was first shown and announced on December 1, 2008...
that has allowed the game to have better physics, visuals, and environmental effects. The game features new innovations in sand, fire, smoke, and water dynamics and effects, also it adds to the movement of the characters, more realistic textures and animations. According to Naughty Dog Uncharted 3 will be graphically superior to Uncharted 2. "We’re at full speed, optimizing code specifically for the SPUs," Naughty Dog co-president (and former technical director) Christophe Balestra told Edge." "We were, at any given point, using 100% [of the PlayStation 3's power]. We were using everything we possibly could. There is always room where you find something where you can do the processing in some different way to find more power. There are all of these different ways to squeeze more power out of the box," Justin Richmond, game director told VentureBeat.
As a result, the game blurs the line between game and reality. Real physics and environment deformation are key in creating a realistic playing experience, according to Naughty Dog’s Community Strategist Arne Meyer. Game director, Justin Richmond, said that Uncharted 3 pushed the PlayStation 3's graphical capabilities to its limits, but Uncharted 3 doesn't manage the same graphical advance seen between the first two games because the Playstation 3 simply can't handle it, "We pushed it really hard. Uncharted 2 to 3 is still a jump, but it's a narrower jump. And going forward, it depends on what we do."
In an interview at GamesCon 2011, Senior Manager of Marketing Communications Arne Meyer spoke of the unprecedented size of Uncharted 3 stating "Uncharted 2 barely made it to 25GB, while Naughty Dog is going over 50GB this time, for Uncharted 3. But in the end we’ll be under 50. We’ll be one disc." Meyer also spoke of what it is like to work with the PlayStation platform stating "I think it really helps. It’s not even about sales. It’s about what we can push on the platform and how far we can take it. I’m sure you’ll hear this from every other Sony developer but you know, I can’t tell you how much we’ve been able to optimise Cell and you know, the amount of content we can put on Blu-ray."
On September 27, 2011, Naughty Dog’s Co-President, Christophe Balestra, posted a picture via his Twitter account, which showed Uncharted 3 assets taking nearly 24.2 Terabytes consumed while stating, "We’d better finish this game soon…". It was not clear if this network drive is for general use or for Uncharted 3 game assets and data. However, Balestra’s comment seems to allude to the former, indicating that the purpose of the drive is for the game. A larger game typically translates into mo-cap and art assets, high-res textures, music, voice audio, more environments, more content, and as a result a more fulfilling game to play. Uncharted 3 will probably be the largest game to-date. According to Mick Hocking, the director of Sony WorldWide Studios' 3D team, Uncharted 3 "will show a new level in 3D gaming". He went on "Uncharted 3 in 3D will really convince people of our full-screen HD 3D solution... Genuinely, Uncharted 3 looks phenomenal in 3D."
Marketing
On August 30, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment America and Spike TVSpike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
announced a competition, challenging the Uncharted fans to become "a better adventurer than Nathan Drake!". Fans (21 years of age or older) could enter the contest and win a chance to play Uncharted 3 before mainstream release. On October 31, 2011, Spike's GameTrailers TV presented the Uncharted 3: Race to the Ring at 11:30 p.m. on Spike TV. The 30 minute special featured five Uncharted fans from the United States engaged in physical and mental challenges, with the winner receiving an "incredible Uncharted-themed prize package including the ultimate Sony home theater system valued at over $12,000."
On September 22, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced a competition, challenging the Uncharted fans to win the title "Uncharted Treasure Hunter". Fans (18 years of age or older) could enter the contest and win a change to join an action-packed quest treasure hunt through the Arabian Desert inspired by the game and a chance to play Uncharted 3 before mainstream release. The travel was from October 2 through October 6, 2011, with 20 competing adventurers from across Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Australasia. The 20 competing adventurers engaged in physical and mental challenges, with the winner receiving an "$10,000 worth of prizes."
From October 18 through October 20, 2011, AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
hosted a Uncharted 3 “Play it First in 3D” event, showcasing Uncharted 3 at participating theaters across the United States. Participating theaters offered "an inside look from the development team at Naughty Dog," a multiplayer tournament, gaming shown on the big screen in 3D, and raffles, prizes, and giveaways. "General Admission" tickets to the event cost $25 and the "Insider Access" $60, which allowed attendees not only get entry into the event, but also get a copy of Uncharted 3 before it releases. All "Insiders" had a copy of the game shipped to their homes on October 25 via FedEx
FedEx
FedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
, giving the attendees a full one week head start over everyone else.
The first TV spot was released on September 8, 2011, during the 2011 NFL Kickoff game between the Packers and Saints. On October 16, 2011, Naughty Dog released the launch TV spot for the game. The trailer contains around 25 seconds of footage, and features Drake traversing canyons, riding horses, and battling above wrecked airplanes. On October 19, 2011, a Japanese commercial to promote the game was released, which starred actor and producer Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, and what Harrison Ford himself thinks about a game he inspired. Also on October 19, 2011 Naughty Dog released the launch trailer for the game. It features deserts, boats, planes, horse-riding and treasure hunting. To promote the game, Sony had several promote events during October 2011, where the public had a chance to try out the multiplayer, as well as the single-player and Q&A session with Naughty Dog. These events were in several regions, such as the European countries Norway and UK. On October 15, Sony offered gamers "the first ever public sampling" of Uncharted 3s single player campaign at The Pelican Bar, London. Developers from Naughty Dog also turn up at the event, with a subsequent Q&A session.
Sony Computer Entertainment UK is spending £5 million ($7.82m) on its marketing push for Uncharted 3, a figure which the platform holder claims makes the game its biggest software launch ever. The campaign includes a short documentary produced by Oscar-winning director Ed Zwick, as well as TV ads, online videos, homepage takeovers and outdoor posters. "This will be the biggest launch in SCE UK's history, both in terms of ambition, numbers and spend and will be supported by a marketing budget of around £5 million," SCE UK senior product manager Ian Vinten told MCV. "To really reach that mass audience at launch we will be running a large outdoor campaign with a number of different premium formats including high quality 48-sheets as well as builds across the country."
To celebrate launch of Uncharted 3, Sony and Media Molecule
Media Molecule
Media Molecule is a British video game developer based in Guildford in Surrey. The studio was founded in January 2006 by former Lionhead Studios employees Mark Healey, Alex Evans, Dave Smith, and Kareem Ettouney...
released a Nathan Drake costume for LittleBigPlanet 2
LittleBigPlanet 2
LittleBigPlanet 2 is a puzzle platformer video game, centred around user-generated content. The game is developed by Media Molecule, published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for PlayStation 3 and was originally scheduled for release in November 2010 but was delayed until January 2011...
. The Nathan Drake costume consist of Nathan Drake Hair, Nathan Drake Trousers, Nathan Drake Scarf, Nathan Drake Skin and Nathan Drake Top. A selection of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception themed stickers are also included. The pack was available to download through Playstation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
from November 1 in North America and November 2 in Europe, which is the same day as Uncharted 3 was released in these territories.
Complete Official Guide and Drake's Journal
Two Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Complete Official Guides were released alongside with the retail release of the game, both designed by Piggyback. The standard edition is available with a complete game walkthrough, hi-res maps, in-depth extras, and a full 64 pages on the multiplayer mode alone. The Hardbound Collector’s Edition features 272 pages with an exclusive 16-page Naughty Dog Cast Gallery, access to the Piggyback in-game multiplayer emblem, and a free CD with ten tracks from the official Uncharted 3 music score.To coincide with the release of Uncharted 3, lead voice performer Nolan North (Nathan Drake) wrote a book detailing the journey during Uncharted 3: Drake's Deceptions development. Drake's Journal, a 128 page "coffee table" book, which takes a look at the making of Uncharted 3 from the viewpoint of Nolan North, is due to go on sale in November, shortly after the game is released. The book features over 500 photos from Sony Pictures Sound Stage, where the motion capture for Uncharted 3 was performed, alongside plenty of stories of Nolan, which document the development of the game. Included are also Quick Response codes which link to "50 uncut videos from the mocap stage". If the book is pre-ordered, the receiver receives a 20% discount and enters into the sweepstakes for a signed copy of the Uncharted 3: Explorer Edition.
The Subway Taste for Adventure
In North America during October, a month before the games full retail release, players who purchased certain items from SubwaySubway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
had access to the entire multiplayer mode of Uncharted 3, as part of a cross-promotion between Sony and sandwich chain Subway. The Subway Taste for Adventure promotion ran from September 29 through October 31, 2011. Buyers were able to enter a code from a specially marked Uncharted 30 oz drink cup before November 1 to get early access to the Uncharted 3 multiplayer. The offer entitles fans to play all of the competitive multiplayer maps and modes a month before the game is released. Subway items such as a Subway cap and shirt could be unlocked by picking up Subway treasures. The players rank and unlockables was carried over into the main game.
In Europe, South Africa, The Middle East, Australia and New Zealand only PlayStation Plus members had a chance to get to the full multiplayer suite from October 5. There was other ways to get in for non-Playstation Plus members according to Sony, however, noting to keep an eye on local Playstation Blogs and community forums. Although both multiplayer suites was the same content, however, the Europen, South African, The Middle East, Australian and New Zealand didn’t had the Subway items like the US. Other vouchers that purchasers could get access to by picking up a Subway sandwich or chip was an Uncharted 3 dynamic Playstation 3 theme, an Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunter Bounty ability pack, an Uncharted 3 Drake multiplayer skin, an Uncharted 3 multiplayer weapon skin or a Subway cup and sandwich virtual costume for PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home
PlayStation Home is a virtual 3D social gaming network developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 on the PlayStation Network . It is available directly from the PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar under PlayStation Network. Membership is free, and only requires a PSN...
.
Playstation Home
On October 13, 2011, PlayStation Home was updated with a new Uncharted 3-themed space and game. Uncharted 3: Fortune Hunter is the latest Total Game Integration event that allows players to unlock exclusive content in Drake’s Deception directly from PlayStation Home. Fortune Hunter includes a “partial recreation of the Yemen level from the Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer mode, and a cover-based shooting system complete with weapons and gameplay inspired by the hit Uncharted series.”Players will be pitted against waves of enemies (developed from character models from Drake’s Deception) for the next three weeks, and be able to unlock special PlayStation Home rewards once challenges are complete. For example, you can unlock collectible weapons and even the Kickback Endurance Booster for multiplayer gaming in Uncharted 3 if the player complete all 10 challenges. If the player pre-order Uncharted 3 from PlayStation Home, the player also get an exclusive Nathan Drake costume with custom shooting animation for your PlayStation Home avatar.
Multiplayer beta
A multiplayer beta for Uncharted 3 began worldwide on June 28, 2011, with early access for PlayStation Plus members and all buyers of specially marked copies of Infamous 2Infamous 2
Infamous 2, stylized as inFAMOUS 2, is a 2011 open world video game for the PlayStation 3 video game console developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...
. The beta launched for all PSN members on July 5. The multiplayer beta allow for Team Deathmatch, Three-Team Deathmatch, Team Objective, Free For All, Plunder, Hardcore, Co-op Hunter, Co-op Arena and Co-op Adventure modes. Two maps were accessible first, Chateau and Airstrip, but two more maps was unlocked over the course of the beta, Yemen and Syria. At launch, players were experiencing console freezes, game-breaking glitches, lagging issues and long connecting times. Naughty Dog released the first patch for the multiplayer beta on June 29, 2011, titled version 1.01. However, some gamers still reported that their Playstation 3 is still getting locked completely and required a hard reboot. Naughty Dog wrote on Twitter:
"We [have] found a problem with matchmaking a couple of hours ago and a fix is on its way. Today will be a better day. Thanks for your support :)"
On July 5, Naughty Dog released the second patch, titled version 1.02, which included some significant improvements and tweaks. In the update; aside from inclusions such as Facebook integration and 1080i upscaling, a number of in-game elements such as medals and power plays was altered for a more balanced online experience. On July 6, Naughty Dog released the third patch 1.03 in Europe and it should have fix any European connectivity issues. Naughty Dog’s Co-President, Christophe Balestra wrote on Twitter:
"Okay... I just pushed #uncharted3 beta patch 1.03 in Europe which should eliminate the matchmaking problems."
Naughty Dog released the fourth patch, titled version 1.04 on July 8, which fixing the Facebook, the XP and the cash during playback of cinema files issues. On July 8, Naughty Dog revealed that just one day after the beta went fully public on July 5, it passed the one million unique players in the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta and the player count is still growing. Naughty Dog also advised players to reap the rewards from the beta, such as the Uncharted 3 PSN Beta Tester Avatar and Treasure Hunter’s Starter Pack, along with in-game cash for the full release of the Uncharted 3 multiplayer component. Naughty Dog confirmed on July 12, that player progress in the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta has been reset for some, sending them back to level one. User data that keeps track of level, cash and unlocks cannot be retrieved by the studio. However, beta players who were looking forward to rewards in the final version of Uncharted 3 based on their multiplayer beta play history will still get those rewards. Naughty Dog’s Christophe Balestra announced on Twitter that the Uncharted 3 beta had reached 1.5 million unique players on July 13. On July 14, when the beta actual should have been ended, Naughty Dog extended the beta for an additional 24 hours, to give players a little more time to level up the multiplayer stats. On July 15, Sony announced that the beta for Uncharted 3 is the "LARGEST online beta ever to appear on the Playstation 3".
Release
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was first officially released in North America on November 1, 2011, then November 2 in Europe and Japan, and November 3 in Australia. In the UK, Uncharted 3 was scheduled for release on November 4, but in July 2011 its release was pushed two days forward to November 2, making its release simultaneously with the rest of Europe. On October 22, reports starts coming out that a few gamers in Europe and other regions had managed to get their hands on retail copies of Uncharted 3, all thanks to retailer's breaking the street release date. Just few minutes later after confirmed that retail copy of Uncharted 3 has been leaked early, more image surface on internet to proof the leak claim. This time the picture arrived showed Uncharted 3s title screen. However, the release date was pushed forward to October 28, 2011 in parts of Europe last-minute.Speaking on the topic of the price of video games, game director, Justin Richmond told VideoGamer.com:
"I don't know what the manufacturing costs are, I don't know what the shipping costs are. I have no concept of that. I do know that for the amount of stuff we're putting in here, it is certainly not a bad deal. There are literally thousands of hours of content in this game. It doesn't seem like a crazy price to me. But again, I have no idea what the proper margins are. If someone is saying 'What am I going to buy this month?' in November, I hope that our game is the one they pick out, because we're offering something that nothing else on the market is. But if they don't, I totally understand. There's a lot of really cool stuff. What I'm hoping is that as time goes on... These things are still going to be on the shelf, it's not like we're taking it away. Maybe they don't buy it day one, but maybe they buy it in February? Maybe they buy it in March? We're not going away, and obviously people want to play things the day they come out, if they possibly can, but sometimes they can't."
Pre-order bonuses
In North America several pre-order offers through several retail outlets. Pre-order consists of multiplayer weapon mods, medal kickbacks and booster. Which of the pre-order bonuses the player received depended upon where they pre-ordered the game. The multiplayer weapon mods, medal kickbacks and booster on offer is Regeneration Booster, Carpet Bomb Kickback and Clip Size Mod for Para 9 and G-MAL, Creepy Crawler Kickback, Callout Mod for AK-47, as well as Uncharted 3 PSN Avatar and Static Theme for Playstation 3. All of these pre-orders bonuses are also available and vary between retailers across Europe.In the Nordic countries, players who pre-ordered the game from GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
, received a bonus pack, which consist of two exclusive posters, a T-shirt with a print that says "Soon-to-be action hero", and six in-game multiplayer codes (which are the pre-order bonuses). Players who pre-ordered the game from several retail outlets, such as Elkjøp
Elkjøp
Elkjøp is the largest electrical retailer in the Nordic countries, with over 264 stores across six countries and 6000 employees. It is owned by Dixons Retail....
and Game
GAME (retailer)
The Game Group plc is a British video games retail company. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index....
, received another bonus pack, which consist of the six in-game multiplayer codes, as well as the "Soon-to-be action hero" T-shirt.
Retail editions
Exclusive to Europe, Australia and New Zealand is the Special Edition, which includes a "Steelbook" journal-styled game box case packaging. The Special Edition also includes a PSN voucher that allows to download the Multiplayer skin and weapon 'London Drakeand Pirate AK-47', Multiplayer 'Upper Cut Taunt', 'Cash Multiplier' and 'Special Edition Decals Pack'.
Exclusive to North America is the Collector’s Edition. It comes with a Nathan Drake Statue from Sideshow Collectibles, a replica of Drake's belt buckle, a replica of Drake's ring/necklace, a "Steelbook" case packaging with exclusive artwork, as well as a PSN voucher that allows to download all the pre-order bonuses. All of that is put in a "Traveling Chest", it’s got exclusive exterior artwork, comes with a lid that is held shut by a magnet and contains storage areas for all of the goodies that come with the Collector’s Edition.
Also exclusive to Europe, Australia and New Zealand is the Explorer Edition. It includes the Nathan Drake Statue, belt buckle, ring/necklace from the North American Collector’s Edition. Instead of including the "Steelbook" case packaging from the Collector’s Edition, the Explorer Edition includes the Special Edition and its DLC, as well as all the pre-order bonuses. The "Traveling Chest" is replaced by the "Uncharted Wooden Travel Case", which has space for 19 Playstation 3 games. A 3D lenticular image is also included.
Exclusive to Japan is the Uncharted 3-themed tan and brown color scheme DualShock 3 controller. The limited edition controller will feature a two-tone color scheme, with a map design and a smattering of mountains and coastlines sketched across the control pad. With a high level of detail, the controller also sports a compass drawn behind the directional pad, and Nathan Drake’s signature ring on the right hand grip. It will be bundled with the game for a collective cost of 9 980 yen ($129) for a limited time.
In UK, to coincide with the game's launch, GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
will exclusively sell the 320GB 'Classic White' Playstation 3 system in stores across Ireland and the UK, since GameStop obtained the exclusive right to sell the console on September 9, 2011. The console will be bundled with two 'Classic White' DualShock 3 controllers, and launches on November 1, which is just a day short of Uncharted 3 launching in Europe. For mainland UK buyers the console will only be available online, but for buyers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will it be able to pick up in the local store. The console will also sell in GameStop stores in Europe, Micromania
Micromania (video game retailer)
Micromania is a major video game retail company in France.In 2008 it was purchased by GameStop for approximately US$700 million in cash....
and EB Games Australia
EB Games Australia
EB Games Australia is an Australian video game and entertainment software retailer. Headquartered in Pinkenba, Queensland . The company operates over 380 stores across Australia's seven states and territories and 30 more stores in New Zealand. EB Games Australia is part of the GameStop Corporation...
and e-commerce sites from November. In North America, to coincide with the game's launch, a limited edition hardware offering will feature a 320GB 'Charcoal Black' Playstation 3 system, a 'Charcoal Black' DualShock 3 controller, a free month of PlayStation Plus, and a copy of Uncharted 3.
Downloadable content
On July 11, 2011, Justin Richmond, creative director at Naughty Dog told NowGamer that the multiplayer for the game is hundreds of hours long, stating "We're going to continue adding new content after launch with DLC, like treasures, new character parts and so on. While we can't talk about DLC right now, I'd say the content easily amounts to hundreds and hundreds of hours. I mean, you can play competitive, co-op, multiple modes," Richmond continued, "I just can't quantify it enough." On October 14, 2011, Justin Richmond, confirmed that it won't be releasing any downloadable content for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deceptions single-player mode. "There's a very specific reason," said Richmond. "Whenever we sit down and think we should do some single-player DLC, someone pitches something and we realize - that's a five hour level." "Dialling back our ambition is difficult," added Arne Meyer, Naughty Dog's Community Strategist. "We'd rather build out another game than we would do episodic content," continued Richmond. "We're so small that we can't afford to have a whole team working on DLC."On October 18, 2011, Sony and Naughty Dog announced the Uncharted 3 Fortune Hunters' Club that entitles gamers to the first four multiplayer map packs and the first three multiplayer skin packs installment of downloadable content at a discount (over 45%) that will roll out over the course of the next year, with the first batch of content releasing in November 2011. As each piece of DLC is released for the game, the purchaser will receive a PSN message with a direct link to the content on the PlayStation Store
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store is an online virtual market available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The Store offers a range of downloadable content both for purchase and available free of charge. Available content includes full games,...
. As an additional bonus for the purchase, Sony will be offering up a free, exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club PlayStation 3 theme. The theme will be given immediately.
- Along with the retail release of the game, Sony announced day-one DLC will be available as well. Three classic skin packs featuring total of 25 character skins from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among ThievesUncharted 2: Among ThievesUncharted 2: Among Thieves is an action-adventure platform third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was first shown and announced on December 1, 2008...
was released on PSN. Members of the Fortune Hunters’ Club got these three classic skin packs for free.
- On November 15, 2011, Killzone-themed multiplayer skin pack was released for Uncharted 3 via the Playstation Store for $1.49. Members of the Fortune Hunters’ Club got this pack for free as a bonus content on top of the three character skins packs from the Fortune Hunters’ Club.
- On November 15, 2011, Naughty Dog announced Uncharted 3s first major DLC add-on will be a retro map pack, called the Flashback Map Pack #1. it teased screenshots of two of the maps that will be in the pack (there will be others but they're not announced), which appear to show a waterlogged take on Uncharted 2s The Fort map and a thawed out version of The Ice Cave. "We'll have more information for you soon," wrote Naughty Dog's Eric Monacelli.
Previews
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was on display for the general video game audience at the 2011 E3, and received four nominations from the Game Critics Awards
Game Critics Awards
The Game Critics Awards are a set of annual awards held after the E3 video game conference since 1998. The awards are given to products displayed at E3 with the title Best of E3 of their category. The nominees and winners of the awards are chosen by individual judges representing 35 major North...
for "Best of Show", "Best Console Game", "Best Action/Adventure Game", and "Best Online Multiplayer Game". Uncharted 3 was most notably awarded with "Best PS3 Game" by several media outlets, such as 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
, X-Play
X-Play
X-Play is a TV program about video games, known for its reviews and comedy skits...
, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, Digital Trends
Digital Trends
DigitalTrends.com is a high-tech lifestyle, technology news and information website created by Ian Bell and Dan Gaul in June 2001. It publishes news, reviews, guides, how-to articles, descriptive videos and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics products...
, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, GameInformer and Electric Playground. Uncharted 3 was also awarded "Best Action/Adventure Game" by X-Play, Machinima
Machinima.com
Machinima.com is a gaming and media streaming website, that aims to be a hub for machinima, the art of creating animated videos in real-time virtual 3-D environments. The site features machinima-related articles, and news. Machinima productions can be submitted for possible redistribution after...
and Game Rant, "Best Action Game" by Shortlist
Shortlist (magazine)
ShortList is a free weekly magazine published in the United Kingdom which launched on 20 September 2007. The magazine has the biggest circulation of any men's lifestyle magazine in Britain with Martin Robinson as its Editor. Mike Soutar, former editorial director of IPC Media, editor of FHM in the...
, "Best Third-Person Shooter" and "Best Visuals" by VGChartz, "Best Graphics" by GameTrailers
GameTrailers
GameTrailers is a media website that specializes in video game related content. It provides free access to original programming , game trailers and recorded game play. Along with standard definition , many of the video clips are offered in a higher resolution .Users can upload videos, create...
, as well as "Best 3D Graphics", "Best Multiplayer" and "Best Third-Person Shooter". The Official PlayStation Magazine
PlayStation: The Official Magazine
PlayStation: The Official Magazine is a magazine originally known as PlayStation Magazine . After Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine was canceled, Sony Computer Entertainment announced on October 1, 2007 that PSM would become "PlayStation: The Official Magazine"...
and Game Revolution
Game Revolution
Game Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
awarded Uncharted 3 with "Best Game of E3".
Uncharted 3 was placed at number three on Big Picture Big Sound's "Top 10 Best Games of E3 2011" column, and was included in GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
's and Official PlayStation Magazines "Most Valuable Game Award". Uncharted 3 was also on display for the general video game audience at the 2011 Gamescom
Gamescom
gamescom is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is organised by the Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware...
, and received one nomination for "Best Console Game". Numerous gaming websites have called Uncharted 3 one of the most anticipated games of 2011, with 1UP and IGN ranking it number one in their "Top 10 PS3 Games of 2011" column. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
included Uncharted 3 on their "Most Anticipated Games of 2011" column, and stated that "Sony's console has an unusually large lineup of exclusives scheduled for 2011, highlighted by one of the year's biggest titles, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception." In Japan, gaming magazine Famitsu had it listed as one of the most anticipated games in its periodic reader poll. Many shops around the country had large displays advertising its November 2 launch date.
Reviews
The first publication to review Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception was the Spanish magazine Playmania, which gave it a score of 9.9 out of 10, the highest score that the magazine has ever given a game. The reviewer ignored a request from Naughty Dog co-president Christophe Balestra requesting publishers not to include plot spoilers in their coverage. The second review was published by the Dutch magazine Power Unlimited, which awarded it with 94%, and concluded with "It is jaw-dropping. It is rated as one of the best games ever for the PlayStation 3 to date."The third review was published by the Spanish edition of the Official PlayStation Magazine, which gave it a 9.8 out of 10 score, called it "A masterpiece to remember for many years that will be difficult to overcome." PlayStation Official Magazine (UK)
PlayStation Official Magazine (UK)
The Official UK PlayStation Magazine is a now-defunct magazine, launched in November 1995 to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation console. It ran for 108 issues, with the last hitting news stands in March 2004. The first issue sold 37,000 copies...
awarded the game a perfect score and a gold award. In their review they stated, "For the second time in succession, Naughty Dog has created a game that can claim to not only be the best on PS3, but also one of the best in gaming history... A visual, technical and narrative tour de force that takes the sky-high expectations of an entire community and blows them out the back of a jumbo jet, replacing them with more show-stopping moments than you could hope to find in a dozen other games combined." The US edition of the PlayStation Official Magazine
PlayStation Official Magazine
The Official UK PlayStation Magazine is a now-defunct magazine, launched in November 1995 to coincide with the launch of the PlayStation console. It ran for 108 issues, with the last hitting news stands in March 2004. The first issue sold 37,000 copies...
stated, "Viewed strictly as a videogame, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception represents the height of technical achievement--the state-of-the-art, if you will--for the interactive console experience."
Several mainstream press reviews praised the game, particularly for its graphics and cinematic quality. Garrett Martin, of Paste Magazine
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
, said:
"Like the previous game’s hotel sequence, the cruise ship segment is impressive because of how it exploits our perception of both the game’s rules and our character’s surroundings. As the boat lurches downward, we have to maneuver Drake upwards through hallways and staterooms that tilt sideways, climbing up through doors and over bed frames. Our horizontal axis turns vertical as a wall of water surges towards us and suicidal pirates continue to attack, forcing us to quickly adapt to this new perspective. Eventually we fall into a grand chamber whose skylight is fully submerged. The art deco decor, underwater lighting, and skewed angles recall both BioshockBioshockBioShock is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston and designed by Ken Levine. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on August 21, 2007 in North America, and three days later in Europe and Australia. It became available on Steam on August 21, 2007...
and The Poseidon Adventure. Sadly there are no cameos from Red Buttons or Shelley WintersShelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
. Moments like that are what make Uncharted 3 great."
Ars Technica
Ars Technica
Ars Technica is a technology news and information website created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Ars Technica is known for its features, long articles that go...
reviewer Ben Kuchera praised the writing and voice acting, stating "Overall, this is an amazing achievement in design, and it rests comfortably at the top of the heap when it comes to action games. It's also one of the rare video games where the writing and voice acting aren't just good "for a video game," they're good for a television show or a movie. Joy can be found in the small moments and movements of the characters, and their interactions are always fun to watch." In a review for The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Tom Hoggins described it as "If you were to break Drake's Deception down to its base elements, it’s the same Uncharted we have grown to love, just a little trimmer, more slick." Dan Silver of Daily Mirror concluded with "Overall, Drake’s Deception is one of the most spectacular entertainment experiences ever produced, but one you’ll enjoy holding a joypad rather than a bucket of popcorn. And, ultimately, that doesn’t really matter at all." The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
reviewer described it as "It’s another thrilling ride with gorgeous presentation, absolutely exhilarating set pieces, well-integrated puzzles and robust combat that is equally satisfying whether you are wielding a gun or bare-knuckle brawling."
Uncharted 3 has a GameRankings score of 92.08%, making it the tenth highest rated console video game of 2011, and the 15th highest rated video game of all time on the PlayStation 3. The game also received a score of 92 out of 100 on Metacritic, making it one of the most critically acclaimed games of 2011. 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave the game a perfect score, and stated "Developer Naughty Dog continues to prove they are masters of their craft, and the third chapter of Uncharted is a fun and rewarding adventure that's easily one of the best games this year." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
was very pleased with the title by awarding it with a perfect score, and even going as far as to say "From start to finish, single player to multiplayer, this game sings. The characters, the graphics, the sound, the story - they're all top notch. If you're willing to skip Uncharted 3, be prepared to miss one of gaming's finest moments."
One of the lowest scores was given by Simon Parkin of Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
, which stated "As a slice of one-view entertainment, Uncharted 3 is peerless... As an expression of all that a video game could be, however, Uncharted 3 is narrow, focused and ultimately shallow." Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
gave it 9 out of 10 and concluded with, "Just like Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
, the Pyramids and every other engineering marvel of antiquity, Uncharted 3 will stand as a reminder to future generations of gamers that enough problem-solving imagination can turn any old trowel into a magic wand." Chad Concelmo from Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
was even more positive, awarding the game a 10 out of 10 concluding, "For me, though, videogames don't get any better than Uncharted 3. I can't even count on both hands its number of outstanding, absolutely jaw-dropping moments. Every painstaking detail combines to create a world full of wonderful characters and unequaled action. Once you play it, it is impossible to not get swept up into the adventure of it all." Chad also mentioned that Uncharted 3 is the "best Playstation 3 game to date", saying that "perfect" really is the best word to describe it.
Gamers XTREME gave Uncharted 3 a perfect 10 out of 10 stating, "Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception isn’t just one of the best PS3 games currently available or even just a strong candidate for Game of the Year. Uncharted 3 sets a bar that is truly second-to-none. Naughty Dog has once again proven their mastery, not only with the PS3, but among all the developers in the industry. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is a game that will be talked about for years... is a masterpiece of a game that should not be missed by any means… period." The Technique
The Technique
The Technique, also known as the "Nique," is the official student newspaper of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia and has referred to itself as "the South's liveliest college newspaper" since 1945...
reviewer Hank Whitson was less impressed by the game, writing "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was not only one of the best games on the Playstation 3, but one of the best video games to date. It featured a fun sharply-written script, engaging gameplay, a brilliant soundtrack and the best cinematic pacing ever presented in a videogame. Needless to say, expectations for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception were extremely high. While Uncharted 3 is a tremendously satisfying game and one of the best releases of 2011, it fails to fully live up to the legacy of its legendary predecessor."
The game was criticised for some negative issues, such as the aiming system in gunplay. The developer had initially countered complaints that the game's aiming was inaccurate in a blog post on its official site. However, after complaints continued on the Naughty Dog forum and NeoGAF, a patch to address concerns about the game's aiming system could be impending after developer Naughty Dog invited a couple of fans to its HQ to discuss the problem. On November 21, 2011, Naughty Dog announced that an upcoming Uncharted 3 patch will offer a fix for those unhappy with the game's refined aiming controls. The update will offers the option of toggling between the new controls and a set-up more in line with that found in Uncharted 2. The patch was released on November 27th 2011, and added not only the option to toggle between the current and previous aiming controls, but also adds missing motion blur effects in the single-player campaign and fixes a bug in the game's "flipped mode" settings. In multiplayer, medal streaks will no longer reset if the host migrates to another user, blind fire targeting has been adjusted, and other small tweaks.
Sales
During the first week of sales in the United Kingdom, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception became the second best selling game on the all-format chart, beaten only by EA's Battlefield 3Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in North America on October 25, 2011 and in Europe on October 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and EA Mobile confirmed a port for...
. It became the 11th best ever PS3 launch in the UK, and outperformed its predecessor's
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an action-adventure platform third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the sequel to the 2007 game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It was first shown and announced on December 1, 2008...
launch week sales by 37 percent. Uncharted 3 fortunately topped the PS3 and Individual Platforms charts, replacing Battlefield 3. During the first week of sales in Japan, Uncharted 3 became the second best selling game on the chart and sold 124,989 copies, beaten only by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Super Mario 3D Land.
Worldwide, the game broke all records for the Uncharted franchise, in the sales department, firmly ahead of the last game in the franchise. It shipped 3.8 million copies globally on launch day, making it "one of the best-selling titles of 2011, putting the third installment on a clear course to be the biggest selling game in the trilogy", Sony said in a statement.
Awards
- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is currently nominated for Game of the Year, Best PS3 Game, Best Action Adventure Game and Best Graphics at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards. Naughty Dog is nominated for Studio of the Year, Nolan NorthNolan NorthNolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
is nominated for Best Performance By a Human Male for his performance as Nathan DrakeNathan Drake (character)Nathan "Nate" Drake is the fictional protagonist of the Uncharted video game series, developed by Naughty Dog. He is a playable character in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and appears in the motion comic prequel...
, and both Claudia BlackClaudia BlackClaudia Lee Black is an Australian actress and voice actor, known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in the science fiction television series Farscape, Vala Mal Doran in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1, Chloe Frazer in the Uncharted series, the witch Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins and...
and Emily RoseEmily Rose (actress)Emily Rose Maier is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role in the Syfy TV series Haven .-Early life:...
are nominated for Best Performance By a Human Female for their performances as Chloe FrazerChloe FrazerChloe Frazer is a fictional character in the Uncharted series, and serves as a female protagonist of the 2009 video game Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Frazer was designed to provide a darker counterpart to main series protagonist Nathan Drake, and to highlight these facets of his personality. She is...
and Elena FisherElena FisherElena Fisher is one of the protagonists of the Uncharted series created by developer Naughty Dog. Fisher appears in all the three video games in the series: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. While not a playable character, Fisher acts as...
.
Sequel
In Official PlayStation Magazine UKs interview about Uncharted 4, Richmond discusses some of the new directions for the franchise could take in the future, as well as maintaining fan interest and going too far. "We just finished this one and we’re going to go back to the studio and sort of figure out where we’re headed. We’ve always said that there are a ton of Drake adventures out there and we haven’t told all of them yet, and as long as fans want the games and as long as we find something that’s interesting and will push the medium forward, we’ll continue to make them. But we haven’t decided what the next thing is." Speaking to VentureBeat, Richmond pointed out that the studio never set out to make a trilogy. Instead it has always "sort of seen it as a stand-alone adventure", with each game existing as a self-sustaining gaming experience. "We have always said that if we think that we can make something new and interesting, if the fans still want them, then we can make another one. But we never said how many of these things there will be. There are plenty more stories in the universe. It is just a question of what's the company interested in doing next. We really don't know at this moment."Naughty Dog has said future titles will have to live up to a "really high" quality standard. Speaking to IGN, lead effects artist Keith Guerrette said success has made the studio "a little bit reluctant, actually, if we do sit back and decide to continue with the Uncharted world, because we don’t want to ruin" the series. "At this point, because we took off sprinting the moment we finished Uncharted 2 onto Uncharted 3, the studio’s giving us some time to relax and take a breather, so everyone’s off on vacation now," he said. "When we do go back we’re gonna have to sit down and talk and figure out what it is we want to spend time on and that’s part of the freedom Sony gives us. I mean, we’ve shipped 11 games now and we’ve never missed a single deadline, which I don’t think that there’s any other development studio in the world that can say that."