Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception heads to a PS3 near you on 1 November 2011 just in time for Christmas. But while we wait for that magical day to come, Pocket-lint caught up with the game at this year's E3 in Los Angeles to see whether it's living up to the hype and whether or not you should be excited about the game that's number three in the series. 

Read on to find out how we got on and what we thought in our quick play of the game from the show floor. 

Name

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

What platform is it on?

PS3

When's it due out?

1 November 2011

What other game is it like?

Uncharted 2

Does it use any new tech like 3D, PlayStation Move, or Kinect for Xbox 360?

Nope

The pitch

UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception blurs the entertainment boundaries, delivering the cinematic scale, adrenalin rushes, thrills and mystery that are the UNCHARTED trademark; together with its unique and enhanced multiplayer experience.

With its award-winning storytelling, blockbuster cinematic action sequences, immersive high resolution 3D and stunning environmental detail and effects, UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception is the chance to lose yourself in the world of Nathan Drake - and to experience the true power of PlayStation 3.

The storyline

In a search for the fabled "Atlantis of the Sands." The journey propels fortune hunter Nathan Drake on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert, a journey that pits him and his mentor Victor Sullivan against the occult treachery of a shadowy clandestine organization and its ruthless leader.  When the terrible secrets of this lost city are unearthed, Drake's quest descends into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.

Trailers, demoes, and video

Our first impressions

We caught Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception twice at E3 this year. Once at the Sony E3 press conference, and a second time in the Sony press area where we got to spend some time with the multiplayer element of the game.

Starting with the live demo from the presser first, it’s clear that Naughty Dog, the developers of the series, mean business. The level starts with Drake sneaking on to a hostile cruise ship full of badies only for that ship to get into trouble after a grenade goes off in the hold (clumsy) punching a big hole in the side of the ship and presenting you with a Titanic moment.

It’s pure cinematic Hollywood stuff with you playing Drake doing everything you can to escape the flood of water heading your way. Live action crossed with set scenes in the order of the day, and as with previous outings, the developers have looked to create a game that will as compelling as it is fun to play.

Of course graphics look great with plumes of water gushing everywhere and you being turned upside down and on your side as the boat rocks in the ocean.

We never find out whether Drake escapes, or what happens next, that will have to wait until November when the game is out, but it does tell us that combined with other “blockbuster” levels, Uncharted 3 is all about wow and the chance to play against big scenes as they play out in the background and foreground.

But it’s not all big Hollywood moments, during the show we managed to get a hands-on with one of the multiplayer levels, called chateau back, allowing us to see how the game actually handles first hand rather than just watching it on a big screen at a press conference.

The good news is that we’ve got good news to report. Uncharted fans are only likely to be pleased, with gameplay physics similar or better to that of previous outings. The multiplayer level we played saw plenty of walls to climb, plenty of guns to shoot, and plenty of other players to take down.

We played Three Team Deathmatch, a variation of Team Deathmatch that is for 10 players. Instead of two teams, you get six players across three teams - 2 vs. 2 vs. 2 – it’s fun.

Sadly we didn’t get to play the new multiplayer feature Free-for-All that is new to Uncharted 3 and is basically you against everyone Billy-no-mates style.

Also new is the chance to get into customising your character. Both heroes and villains skins will have a hundreds of customizable parts, from accessories to shirts and pants to a deep weapon customization feature.

All in all it was a fun experience (we won) and something we found ourselves playing far longer than we should have done given our busy show schedule.

Better still you don’t have to take our word for it. The Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer beta will be open from the 28 June to those who’ve bought Infamous 2 for the PS3

Please note

The E3 games convention is a fantastic chance to see the latest games due out over the coming year, as well as, letting us get a glimpse into what is going to be the big titles and the ones to avoid like the plague.

The big problem however is that for most of the titles that glimpse is, well, just that. At the show you'll get to play a level here or a multiplayer map there or even have a product manager walk you through a specific level.

So with that in mind we present you with our Quick Play.

What we've done is broken down the key facts you need to know and then given you our first impressions based on around 15 minutes of gaming. For us that 15 minutes isn't enough to do a First Look review or even a review. How can you rate a game that offers over 30 hours of gaming on just 15 minutes of play? However it should hopefully give you an idea, a feeling, a notion, of what to expect come launch day.