Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Message Board older than one year ago

How are the character animations of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception so darn lifelike? It's because they're the movements of real human beings, captured through some sort of ... witchcraft. Watch the video above to see this occult practice in action.

#gameclub Welcome back, Game Clubbers! Since last month's Game Club was Xbox exclusive, it seems only fair that we do one for our PS3-owning members next. With that mind, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception stood out as a logical choice. More »

What do you want from a video game review? Enlightenment? Purchase justification? Quotes to lob at people in your favorite message board? A link that could shoot you to the top on Reddit?

One of gaming’s most articulate writers, Simon Parkin, filed his review of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception for Eurogamer yesterday--read it here. Parkin’s material is typically well considered, thoughtful and challenging. His dissection of Naughty Dog’s latest cinematic adventure was no exception, a sharp critique of the fundamental design choices that have fueled the Uncharted series since the beginning, and how the studio’s emphasis on recreating a movie-like experience means breaking that tight script causes serious issues.

Movies, unlike games, don't have fail states, so Indiana Jones will always miss the boulder.

I’m not sure how many people actually read the review, as most comments focused on the 8 score assigned to the game, one slightly under the 9s and 10s (or equivalent) found elsewhere on the web.

There was reason to assume Uncharted 3 was going to be pretty great. Naughty Dog’s track record is solid, and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was so spectacularly impressive that you mostly felt bad Naughty Dog’s designers, programmers and artists had to follow it up all over again. Plus, nothing Naughty Dog has shown since Uncharted 3 was announced suggested we were in for anything altogether different--Uncharted 3 was more Uncharted, which to most (including me) is fine.

What this meant, however, was that most reviews would likely largely be a thousand words of praise.

Thing is, I’d rather read a thousand words about why someone didn’t like Uncharted 3, so long as the author’s building a proper case, rather than trolling fans. In Parkin’s review, he outlines a grand critique against the Uncharted series as a whole, written through the lens of its latest release, and makes a credible argument for why Uncharted’s highest highs naturally create unavoidable lows. It’s a feeling that’s been with me since the beginning of Drake’s journey, but especially so in Uncharted 2, when players may miss the directorial cue from the game, such as a timed jump, and have to repeat it over and over again.

Other reviews mentioned this point, including Brad’s take on the game, but Parkin made it the focal point of his. By doing so, Parkin's review cast a slightly negative tone, but on the flip side, such concentration allowed Parkin to properly articulate the nuance of his argument, using his megaphone as a reviewer at a major outlet to make a serious point to a very large audience.

One comment beneath the Eurogamer review really stuck out to me.

“I equate reviewers to sports referees and economists; they make a living our of getting it right only some of the time. Once you bear that in mind you don't get annoyed by this review.”

It’s possible this commenter has played and finished Uncharted 3 enough to make a judgement call--but it’s unlikely. By comparing game reviewers to “sports referees,” he (or she) is suggesting the job of the game reviewer is solely to say whether a game is worth a purchase or not. For some, that may be absolutely true; $60 isn't cheap. That’s one of the goals of many game reviews, but reviews can (and should) also function as a design critique, and the best kinds of game reviews are informative to the player and developer, providing an outside perspective that illuminates what did and didn’t work.

Maybe this illustrates a fundamental disconnect between the audience for reviews and the writers themselves. Time is precious, and when I make time for a work, I want my assumptions to be challenged, preconceptions torn apart. If I’m wrong, maybe I’ll learn something from it. This proved especially instructive with Demon's Souls, a game I was only able to understand by reading other people's passionate thoughts. It’s possible to read something you totally agree with and come away with useful lessons, but I’ve found the most instructive moments in life to come from moments involving viewpoints vastly different from mine. As someone who takes thinking about games pretty seriously, this extends to games writing, too.

Electronic Arts has purposely pitted fans against one another, exploiting the passion of players.

This disconnect--an intense backlash from fans--isn’t unique to games.

The technical term for the phenomenon is confirmation bias, where individuals seek out information favoring their already established opinion. Confirmation bias is a massive problem in today’s politics, as evidenced by the existence of deliberately liberal and conservative leaning networks like Fox News and MSNBC, and there’s reason to believe today’s highly personalized marketing by the video game industry has trained an audience to seek intense validation for their expensive purchases.

Just take a look at the way Electronic Arts has promoted Battlefield 3 against Call of Duty, stoking the flames of fandom and leading to obnoxious arguments almost everywhere on the Internet. I just want both games to come out so it's all over.

It’s completely, totally, 100% okay to disagree, just make sure you’re aware of what it is you’re disagreeing with.

Next time you read a review that winds you up, take a deep breath, and think before you comment.

If you're looking for other works similar to Parkin's review of Uncharted 3, I cannot recommend places like Kill Screen enough--but go in expecting and wanting something very atypical. Kirk Hamilton wrote an excellent offbeat critique of L.A. Noire, for example, and the publication's web-defying analysis of Infinity Blade by J. Nicholas Giest is as mesmerizing as it is true. Critical Distance is an excellent resource for discovering these kinds of pieces, with quality roundups on a weekly basis.

Uncharted 3 game designer Robert Cogburn discusses multiplayer strategies and other goodies in this latest trailer for the most excellent adventure game available November 1. Also, Uncharted multi vets, don't get too mad about the blindfire comment.

[Last weekend Blizzard brought its annual fan explosion BlizzCon back to Anaheim, CA. I desperately wanted to be there, to watch the latest GSL finals in person and catch a Foo Fighters show. More than anything, though, I really, really wanted to see all the new multiplayer changes in the new StarCraft II expansion pack, Heart of the Swarm. But alas, there's a lot of work to be done this time of year that makes it hard to get out of town. (Hey, have you read my Uncharted 3 review?)

Enter special contributor and friend of Giant Bomb Brian Leahy, a diehard fan of StarCraft II who did make it through BlizzCon and lived to bring us a wealth of info and analysis of all the new stuff Blizzard is working on. -Brad]

I haven’t been playing as much StarCraft II as I used to, opting to watch professional matches instead of brave the ladder, but my hands-on time with the current build of Heart of the Swarm’s multiplayer component has reenergized my love of SC2. It’s a breath of fresh air to have some new units and some fairly drastic balance tweaks, which have so far been unheard of in Wings of Liberty. HOTS is very much its own game, which lets Blizzard shift the power balance in a major way.

Kerrigan Is The Heart Of The Swarm In StarCraft II's First Expansion

But regular Zerg are here too!

I played nine games of multiplayer, three as each race, and while I won’t rehash the list of new units or tweaks (already written up elsewhere), I’m happy to share some of the cool things I experienced. Again, everything here is subject to change, and Blizzard will be conducting a full beta test of HOTS multiplayer, so anything you read here may be dramatically different by the time we see it next.

TerranA few Battle Hellions lay waste to a Zerg base full of lings.

Of the three races, I was least impressed with the Terran tweaks, but that could just be because my Terran game is trash. The Warhound is intended to fill the void now that the Thor has reverted to its classic “one at a time” super-unit role. The Warhound is basically the equivalent of the original StarCraft's Goliath with a few tweaks, and it completely rips up enemy mechanical units, making it quite good in TvT or TvP. Beyond that, it’s not that exciting. The Hellion’s new Battle Mode is a bit closer to the mark, as its higher damage and lower movement speed adds some situational strategy to the unit and gives it a bit more late-game usage against Zerglings or Zealots.

The Shredder is a very interesting unit, and this is one that I think will evolve during the beta. It’s got a lengthy eight-second deploy, but once it's deployed it deals constant damage to any enemy unit (not including buildings) in its circular range. But if any of your own units enter the field, it shuts off. However, this doesn’t include other Shredders, which means that if you can sneak two into the enemy mineral line and somehow manage to go undetected for 8 seconds, you can destroy an entire worker line in a little under two seconds. That’ll probably never happen at the pro level, but I can see this working wonders in the lower leagues. Beyond that, the Shredder should be good for area denial, especially when backed up by a Siege Tank line. It may help defend against Zerglings, Zealots, and Hellions early in the game, as well.

I didn’t really get to play around with any of the tweaked Terran units, but did go up against a boatload of Warhounds in a PvT and got steamrolled by them, so there may be some hope yet for this new toy.

Zerg

The biggest change to the Zerg is the complete removal of the Overseer, which had a few interesting spells, moved quickly without an upgrade, and was the Zerg’s only detection outside of the Spore Crawler. Gone! In its place is a new flying spellcaster called the Viper that currently rocks a trio of spells. One of them lets you make any unit a detector (including the Viper itself). Thankfully, the spell also pops a big goofy Overseer eye on the target unit so those DTs will know which unit to target to return to stealth. Blinding Cloud is a twist on Dark Swarm, a spell sorely missed from the Brood War days. Instead of negating ranged damage, it will reduce all attacks to melee range and prevent energy based spells. This is incredibly useful for advancing on the Terran and Protoss. Additionally, since the Viper is a flyer, it’s a bit easier to dart in and cast Blinding Cloud than you could Dark Swarm in Brood War. Oh, and the Viper can grab units and pull them up close, Scorpion-style, which is great for picking off powerful enemy units individually, even massive ones.

The Swarm Host gives Zerg a ground-based siege option of sorts.

The Swarm Host is a really interesting concept and basically amounts to a burrowing Brood Lord with a much slower spawn rate on its Locusts (the equivalent of Broodlings). Locusts can be manually spawned, or just set to auto-spawn with rally points. They only last a short time, but it’s long enough to close the distance on some bunkers, soak up Siege Tank shots, or otherwise harass an entrenched position. These are enabled with the Infestation Pit, so they’ll see much more mid-game use than the Brood Lord and should really help give the Zerg something else to do besides expand or throw expensive units against a defending player at that stage of the game.

Oh, and now Banelings can move while burrowed, Ultralisks can rush underground and pop up under a targeted location, and the Hydralisk finally gets a meaningful off-creep speed upgrade. This is the Zerg expansion, so I guess this all makes sense, but man, those are some major buffs. I’m really scared for my PvZ game.

Protoss

Ah, Protoss, my race of choice and currently the weakest race in the pro leagues. What does Blizzard have in store for my squad? Well, turns out it's two really interesting units and yet another flying capital ship that replaces the Carrier. In its place is the Tempest, which is basically a Protoss version of the Battlecruiser with a better air-to-air weapon. It requires the Fleet Beacon and sits at the end of the tech tree. It’s quite beefy and does decent damage to ground forces. Currently it will absolutely shred a Mutalisk flock, though, so it might find some use.

At least more players will soon be constructing their builds around the Stargate, because the Oracle is the harassment unit Protoss players have been missing. Sort of. The Oracle can be built straight from the Stargate, currently has no upgrades, and gets all three of its spells immediately. The first, Entomb, is amazing. It's an AOE spell that can block mineral fields from being mined unless the enemy waits for the lengthy duration to expire or attacks each patch one by one to remove the force fields. On most of the maps, I was able to shut down every mineral field in my opponent’s base in a single casting. The value of that ability speaks for itself.

Look at all those unusable minerals! LOOK AT THEM!

The other harassment spell, Phase Shift, can stun a building to effectively remove it from the game temporarily, which would prevent it from building and researching (or attacking in the case of defensive structures). The best use here is in PvZ. If you Phase Shift an enemy Roach Warren, say goodbye to the ability to hatch Roaches until it wears off. Preordain, the third spell, shouldn’t be ignored, either. It lets you tag an enemy building, granting vision around it for a set duration and also letting you see what that building is doing. For instance, you can see if that Starport is building a Medivac or a Banshee (though the tech lab would tell an experienced player it’s a Banshee). That sort of intel is invaluable at high levels of play.

Finally, the Replicant is a fun little unit that, while expensive, can lead to some creative uses. It’s built from the Robotics Facility for a hefty 200 minerals and 200 gas, and its only ability is to instantly copy a non-massive unit. Blizzard is still tuning what abilities the replicated unit will get, relative to your opponent’s tech level. Should you get Siege Mode if you copy a tank even if your enemy doesn’t have it yet? If not, you wouldn’t be able to research siege yourself, and then you’d end up with a un-siegeable tank. Hooray. I think a lot of tuning will have to go into the Replicant, but it definitely adds a good bit of depth to Robotics Facility play.

Finally, the Mothership gets the axe and the Nexus gains two abilities to compete with your valuable Chrono Boosts. Arc Shield is quite useful and functions as a great panic button, briefly turning any structure into a photon canon, though it can only damage light units. I heard whispers around the show floor of a quite deadly photon cannon rush using Arc Shield on the proxy Pylon to defend while the real cannons warped in, but I didn’t see it myself. The Nexus can also recall units from anywhere on the map back to itself for a whopping 75 energy (that’s three Chrono Boosts!). That's a nice new tool for the box and should make players feel a little safer about being aggressive in the early game, since they can bail out of an engagement if things are going badly.

I’m (massively) biased toward the Protoss as it's my chosen ladder race, but I was really happy with the changes here. I’m not yet sold on the Tempest, but I hate Mutalisks, so maybe I’ll come to love it in time.

Muta-hating Protoss players are probably going to love the Tempest.Some Random Things I Did

Here's a handful of memorable situations that came up in my time with all these new toys.

• While under attack by a Zerg force with Swarm Hosts, they burrowed and I didn’t have any detection. Thankfully, I could quickly use the Replicant to copy the enemy’s Viper and pop a goofy eye onto my Immortal, giving me instant detection and allowing me to see the burrowed Hosts.
• Now that Reapers regenerate their health while out of combat, I had a lot more fun harassing mineral lines with them, retreating, and coming back when they were all patched up. They lost their D8 Charge building attack, though, so it’s not all fun and games.
• As the Zerg, I was trying to break the front lines of a Protoss player with a Roach and Zergling force. I saw a few Immortals up on the high ground with my Vipers, so I positioned my Zerglings forward and snatched them down to the low ground to surround them. Then, when my opponent comes down the ramp with his Stalkers, I dropped a Blinding Cloud on them so they couldn’t hit my Zerglings until they closed the distance.
• The Terran’s Orbital Command is really powerful for building an economy. How about sneaking a Replicant in a Warp Prism to the enemy’s mineral line, copying an SCV, and escaping to go build my own Terran base elsewhere, complete with Mules. Yup.
• Similarly, if you can copy a single enemy unit (like a Siege Tank) and get it safely back to your base, you can continue to replicate that unit from the comfort of your own home.
• OK, one more Replicant story (they're really interesting). I built a Stargate to play with the Oracle and then added a Robotics Facility. I decided to mass Void Rays to exploit a lack of anti-air on my opponent's side. Instead of having to build a second Stargate, I can just pump out Replicants and Voids and copy the real deal. Double production, no extra buildings!
• My Terran opponent tried to use the new Thor against me. It hits like a truck, dropping Stalkers in two hits, but it still dies a bit too quickly to really find a place in the Terran lineup. (Don't forget you can only have one at a time now.) I’m really concerned this Thor change is just going to turn it into the next Mothership.
• Baneling bombs on mineral lines are already powerful. How about dropping them into the enemy’s blind spot and burrow-moving them into position first? Because, yeah, you can do that now.
• As a Terran against the Zerg, I was putting pressure on his natural expansion and was able to get a Shredder into position right at his ramp, drastically weakening the reinforcing Zerglings coming to defend the expo.

You can bet all this stuff is going to change in some fashion between now and the beta (and then change again before release), but it was really refreshing to play some games of StarCraft II with a ton of new options and some big surprises. It would be foolish to judge the eventual product purely on what was shown at BlizzCon, but I think Blizzard is on the right path with the new units and tweaks. As with all such massive balance changes, only time will tell if Heart of the Swarm will hit the right notes with players from professionals all the way down to comp-stomp versus-AI players.

#uncharted On November 1, Nathan Drake ventures into the hidden depths of the Earth to capture the most elusive treasure he's ever sought — the heart of game reviewers everywhere. More »

#gutcheck Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is the follow-up to inarguable the best game released in 2009. That predecessor managed to lock in more than 200 game of the year awards, including our's. How do you think Uncharted 3 will fair in the long shadow of Among Thieves? Here's our gut check on Uncharted 3, due out early next month. More »

If you were to take all the good parts -- you know, "Oh, guys, you have to see this one part," or "Watch! Watch! My favorite part's coming up!" -- of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and strip away all of the filler, you'd be left with the same game you had when you started. It's not one to play host to unextraordinary moments: Every plane must crash, every truck must flip and every ancient, long hidden civilization must be discovered (and, as a natural result, destroyed).

The sequence of events that propels Uncharted 3 from start to finish has clearly been the subject of the same brilliant centrifuge which separated wheat from chaff in the series' previous outings. The moments of thrilling peril which punctuate Uncharted 3's every chapter have been daisy-chained together with exhausting proximity -- they're so close, in fact, that it's sometimes a little difficult to see the thread that ties them all together.

5 out of 5

Hey, look who it is!

If I were to tell you Naughty Dog has just delivered another superb Uncharted game, would you be the least bit surprised? Actually, the only thing that might surprise you about Uncharted 3's relentless roller coaster ride is that it doesn't advance the standards for video game action like its groundbreaking, mind-blowing, superlative-generating predecessor did. But it certainly does match them. There's a slight sense of "been there, done that" in the way this game hews so closely to Uncharted 2's masterful blend of puzzle-solving, parkour, and dizzying action scenes. I was more than ready to continue being there and doing that the moment the last game ended, so I'm thrilled just to play another sequel that hits all those right notes, even if they're the same notes, with such precision. And you probably will be too.

By now, you should know if you're onboard with Nathan Drake's smirking brand of globe-trotting adventure or not. If you are, you could just stop reading here, because anyone who enjoyed the previous games should play Uncharted 3, full stop. The storytelling is certainly familiar; our hero visits numerous far-flung locales, invokes some ancient explorers, twiddles a few antique cartographer's instruments, and gets shot at with disturbing frequency on his way to rediscovering a long lost land of supernatural significance. At least you're seeing some brand new sights, with memorable levels set in places as wide-ranging as an ancient stronghold underneath London, and a brutal desert that seems to go on forever. In a slight tonal shift, this third game replaces the series' overtly evil mercenaries and warlords with... an old lady. But that old lady has a smoldering inner malevolence of her own, and she's got ties to the pasts of Drake and his cigar-chomping mentor Sully, to boot. One of Uncharted 3's quieter joys is getting to see a glimpse of the history between these two, what drives them to risk life and limb in the pursuit of ancient wealth that always seems just out of reach. This game provides back story and context in a way the previous games didn't.

By Uncharted standards, Marlowe is an understated sort of villain.

In a lesser game, there's a good chance you wouldn't even care. It's true that Uncharted presents a by-the-book action-movie milieu populated by characters who fit into tidy genre archetypes, but even in this third game it's still a little startling that they aren't all boringly one-dimensional. The primary credit for that belongs to the dialogue and voice work, which remain as snappy and artful as they've always been. I don't know if it's more remarkable that the game seems to have a pithy remark ready for every conceivable occasion, or that so many of them are actually funny and natural without being cheesy. But there are also a few moments with emotional range, in between all the swashbuckling, where you realize there's a toll taken on Drake and the people close to him in exchange for his driving obsession with the past. This is still an action-movie storyline, but it's a damn good one, with people who feel relatable and real.

The basic act of playing Uncharted--the shooting, the climbing--hasn't changed at all, though a few things feel improved here and there. You'll see some neat touches in the hand-to-hand fighting where Drake will contextually grab nearby objects and incorporate them into the brawl. And I felt like the stealth gameplay, though entirely optional, worked a little more smoothly than in the last game. Enemies still soak up a few too many bullets--you've decided by now how bothersome that is--but for a game that offers so much variety, it's impressive that the combat is as intense and challenging as it sometimes can be, especially on harder difficulties. And like the last game, Uncharted 3 also excels at letting you interact with its lushly detailed environments in unexpected ways. It's still genuinely impressive how an organic-looking scene in a village or old temple or even a capsized cruise liner can break down into a logical series of handholds for you to climb and jump across, nevermind how conveniently placed those handholds are.

The part where you play the game is as great as it ever was.

The core game is familiar, but Naughty Dog continues to have plenty of fun within those confines, even managing to insert some meta-humor in a couple of places that pokes fun at the very mechanics that drive the game. And though the shooting and the climbing occupy the vast bulk of your time, one of my favorite things about Uncharted is the occasional foray into an ancient temple or crypt. This series is especially good at offering puzzles that blend into the level design, making you reference your in-game notes and really look closely at everything around you to see how it all fits together. Some of my favorite moments in these games are the ones when you slide some clockwork mechanism into place and, stone grinding against ancient stone, the truth is revealed. Those are the instances where you feel like you're actually touching a small part of the long-forgotten, mystical past Drake is so eager to recover, and there are several great moments of that sort in here.

And then there are the set pieces. Man, those set pieces. Think back to Uncharted 2, and the first things you remember are that building collapsing, or the fight on top of the speeding train. Uncharted 3 has its own healthy list of action sequences the likes of which you've never seen in another game... except Uncharted 2. Do you want to dangle a hundred feet above a roaring inferno as an entire castle collapses around you? How about fist-fighting a seven-foot strongman on the lowered ramp of a soaring cargo plane? Maybe shoot an RPG at a speeding convoy from horseback? (Who wouldn't?) The way the game frequently transitions almost seamlessly from gameplay to cinematic cutscene back to gameplay in short bursts is just as exciting as it was when you'd never seen it done before. There's still nothing else quite like it.

Discovering ancient stuff is one of this game's primary joys.

There's a danger, though, to meticulously hand-crafting your action sequences the way these games do, with all the fixed camera angles and split-second timings. Some of the game's more tightly scripted action sequences, particularly the ones where you're running somewhere at breakneck speed, can fall apart if you don't do exactly what the designer wanted you to do exactly when they wanted you to do it. When you're running toward the camera from a giant wall of water and can't really see where you're going, one split second's hesitation or missed jump means you're going to repeat everything you just did, which is a detriment to the frenetic way these games move. This isn't at all troublesome from a gameplay standpoint, since the game liberally checkpoints your progress. It's more about maintaining the momentum of these fast-moving segments which depend on the action never stopping. When you miss your cue, it stops, and suddenly the excitement is gone. But the benefits of this kind of design are worth the occasional collapse, and moreover, this style of sequence tends to work more often than not. And when it works, it works.

Actually, the other danger of such a tightly scripted experience is that you only get to play it for the first time once. There might be more and better thrills per minute packed into this game than any competing one, but once you've seen it, you've seen it. So it's a good thing that there's as robust a multiplayer component in Uncharted 3 as you could possibly want, once you've gone through the eight-to-10-hour storyline. Both the cooperative and competitive elements are incrementally improved over the similar modes in the last game, with a rich progression system that ties them together and offers more ways to customize your weapons and appearance than most players will probably ever unlock.

The game does some great stuff with its playable camera angles.

The competitive multiplayer still feels a bit like Gears of War, not just because you snap to cover but also due to the relatively slow movement and aiming speeds. There are plenty of interesting modes here to keep you busy, and some interesting things going on within the matches, such as a random bonus that's sometimes granted to the currently losing team. There's plenty on the cooperative side as well. The standout is a five-chapter adventure mode that has three players fighting through a coherent storyline set in a variety of the story maps, with some light dialogue and cinematics added in for context. There's even an appearance by some old familiar faces in there. Then there's Hunters, which feels like a nod toward Left 4 Dead since it pits two fully equipped player characters against two other, weaker human players who are joined by a bunch of AI guys. And the Horde-like Arena mode has evolved a bit, so you're not just taking on wave after wave of enemies. Now, the rules shift between waves, so in one wave you might only get credit for kills that happen while you're inside a small territory, and in the next you might have to fight your way through the enemies to deliver a treasure to an objective point. You may not much relish the idea of playing deathmatch against people who have way more time to play deathmatch than you, so it's great that there's a good bit of value in the co-op offering as well.

Naughty Dog achieved an incredible feat in Uncharted 2, elevating the basic action video game to such a cinematic height that, as clichéd as it sounds, you could almost believe you were playing an action movie. That game set the bar so perilously high that it's no crime this sequel merely rises to meet it, and not surpass it. Both games are so impressive that it's tempting to wonder whether there's even much more to be done in this style of game on this generation of hardware. That's a question only time will answer, but today, right now, you should spend some time playing Uncharted 3.

Believe it or not we’re now in the final week of the Subway Taste for Adventure, UNCHARTED 3’s full competitive Multiplayer experience! Not only are we in the single digits as we countdown the days until the release of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception, but we also recently revealed our launch trailer and the final UNCHARTED 3 TV Spot. If you haven’t watched those be sure to check them out!

We hope you’ve found your time online playing the Uncharted 3 full competitive multiplayer experience enjoyable and wanted to share a video that includes hints on how to effectively use melee, cover, evasion, aiming, and other skills while playing multiplayer. Moves like executing stealth kills and doing an edge grab are great ways to earn medals and achieve a medal kickback quickly. You’ll learn about this and much more as Robert Cogburn returns to talk about the Way of the Iron Fist (or how to use melee and other techniques to your advantage in multiplayer). Check out what he had to say to the PlayStation.Blog in this video:

For week four, we’ll be rolling out the revamped Museum map. If you were lucky enough to attend our AMC events and make it to the final round you might have gotten a chance to play on this map. If not, you’ll have a few days of practice ahead of you before the full retail release of Uncharted 3.

In order to get into the multiplayer before November 1st, you’ll need to hurry down to your local Subway. After you purchase any specially marked 30oz UNCHARTED 3 themed cup from a participating Subway, head online to the Subway Taste for Adventure website and redeem the Subway code printed on your cup. That redemption will give you a PlayStation Store download code redeemable for the full competitive UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience before the full game launches on November 1st!

So get in and be one of the first to play, create and share your matches of the UNCHARTED 3 full competitive multiplayer experience! You can still potentially win a variety of other cool prizes such as a collector’s edition of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception or an adventurous trip that Drake would be proud to take. A full list of prizes can be viewed at the Subway Taste for Adventure website. Of course, one of the coolest parts of it all is that all of your progress earned during the Subway Taste for Adventure carries over into your profile in the final retail copy of the game.

We are only a few days away from 11.1.11 and the release of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Be sure to get your final rounds of competitive multiplayer practice in before the full game release by participating in the Subway Taste for Adventure today! See you online!

If something's truly important you can't trust it to paper or parchment. You need something more permanent. Something that will last. Something like stone...

It's been two years since we left Nathan Drake yammering on and on about clowns, but the wait for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is almost over. In fact, so is the wait for the IGN review. Monday -- October 24 -- we're going to post our Uncharted 3 review at 9 a.m. Pacific time (Noon Eastern, 5 p.m....

Nathan Drake’s adventures are never easy: There’s danger around every corner! As you may remember from our casting call, Spike TV developed a blockbuster reality competition that brings that action to life in the UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception Race to the Ring TV special that airs on Spike TV Monday, October 31st at 11:30pm Pacific Time (10:30pm Central).

We were stoked to hear from so many wannabe Drakes out there. After we sorted through the mountain of die-hard UNCHARTED fans that entered, we chose five lucky contestants — all with very different backgrounds — to participate in a competition worthy of an UNCHARTED adventure. The competition will test the limits of their endurance, strength, accuracy, and agility while pushing their knowledge of Drake’s adventures to the extreme. For a taste of the action, check out our preview video for the UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception Race to the Ring Special above.

After they tackle the grueling challenges seen in the video (and more!), and if they can overcome the other competitors, the winner will receive an incredible UNCHARTED-themed prize package including the ultimate Sony home theater system valued at over $12,000!

So who will win? Who does the best Nathan Drake impression? You’ll find out very soon. Just hours before UNCHARTED 3 officially launches on 11.1.11, tune in to the premiere on Spike TV on October 31st at 11:30pm Pacific/10:30pm Central. It’s a great way to get ready to jump into the action.

Here in week three of the Subway Taste for Adventure UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience, we’re hitting our full stride. We’ve played in some great matches, seen fantastic emblems and have been wowed by colorful, custom character designs. There are many ways to make the UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience uniquely your own and we’re thrilled every time there’s an “Oh snap!” taunt thrown up just for fun.

Taunting, customizing your characters, and creating your emblem are just a small portion of what you can do to create your own multiplayer experience. The PlayStation.Blog caught up with Game Designer Robert Cogburn to acquire some in-depth information about how you can play, create and share UNCHARTED 3’s multiplayer experience. Learn about some of the other cool stuff you can do in-game in the video here:

This video only scratched the surface of what you’re capable of creating and sharing in the UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience. The best way to create anything is to get in there, try it out, and make your own magic. Log into Facebook and find a friend to play with online. Create an emblem that gets plastered all over the map during your latest match. Or jump into Cinema mode and create a video to share on YouTube. We’re excited to see what kind of awesome videos you make with Cinema mode and can’t wait to share your most impressive moments with the world via UNCHARTED TV!

In order to get into the multiplayer before November 1st, just take a trip down to your local Subway. When you buy any specially marked 30oz UNCHARTED 3 themed cup from a participating Subway, you can head online to the Subway Taste for Adventure website and redeem the Subway code printed on your cup. That redemption will grant you a PlayStation Store download code redeemable for the full competitive UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience before the full game launches on November 1st!

Not only will you be one of the first to play, create and share your matches of the UNCHARTED 3 full competitive multiplayer experience, you can potentially win a multitude of other cool prizes such as a collector’s edition of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception or an adventurous trip that Drake would be proud to take. A full list of prizes can be viewed at the Subway Taste for Adventure website. Of course, one of the coolest parts of it all is that all of your progress earned during the Subway Taste for Adventure carries over into your profile in the final retail copy of the game.

Now get your designer’s and director’s hats on and go make some epic adventure! We want to see your next YouTube video shared on UNCHARTED TV!

#uncharted Though the third chapter in the Uncharted saga isn't due out until November 1, Naughty Dog just couldn't wait to show us the full trailer for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. After watching it yourself you'll see why. More »

Last night at five select AMC Theaters from coast-to-coast and now here online we are stoked to premiere the Launch trailer for UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Launch? Yes, we’re a couple weeks away from November 1st but we were so excited after finishing up this trailer that we couldn’t wait to share it with you.

This trailer is taken entirely from in-game footage. Click play and check it out!

Drake’s secret waits. If that didn’t get you ready to uncover the truth November 1st, I’m not sure you’re ready for the truth. In fact you might not even be able to handle it regardless but you’ll definitely have a great, fun adventure ahead of you once November 1st hits. We’ll have more info and video to get you primed and pumped so check back to the PlayStation.Blog and over on Naughtydog.com regularly. We’re looking forward to reading, watching and hearing about your reactions to what’s revealed in UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception!

In 1981, Harrison Ford became one of the most iconic action-adventure heroes of all time: Indiana Jones. But now he's 69 years old, and there's a new kid on the block. In this footage, Ford passes judgement on the young pretender as he plays Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception...

If you're not swept away by the slick editing, exciting heroics and rousing score in this Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception launch trailer, we've got a different kind of commercial for you. It's never too late to pull Harrison Ford from the fridge for a bit of awkward celebrity endorsement.

With spiralling production costs, there is more than ever before a gnawing impetus within the games industry to get things right - to recoup costs at any price. But this situation isn't entirely without precedent. The sensible journey towards dependable returns was taken over fifty years ago by Holl...

Uncharted 3's "Fortune Hunters' Club" is really more of a "Bargain Hunters' Club," offering savings on future DLC for the latest Drake-shaker. It's the latest in the growing number of "season pass" DLC deals, offering a discount for the bundled pre-order of "the first four multiplayer map packs and the first three multiplayer skin packs."

All told, the $24.99 purchase gets you around $45 worth of content, Sony says, plus an exclusive theme and an XMB message service to keep you up with new DLC. If the kind of fortune you seek is "more Uncharted 3 stuff," then you can hunt for the pre-order link today on the PlayStation Store.

#uncharted Eschewing the generic Season Pass label many games are using to package together downloadable content, Sony and Naughty Dog opt for the much classier Fortune Hunters' Club to give Uncharted 3 fans a discounted price on upcoming DLC. More »

The PlayStation 3 community is abuzz with anticipation for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception's imminent release on November 1st. And even though Uncharted 3 has gone gold and will be shipped to retailers soon, news is still emerging about the game, this time from the PlayStation Blog. And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that Uncharted 3 will require the PSN Pass first introduced with Resistance 3...

Are you a Fortune Hunter who is dying to get your hands on UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception in just two short weeks? Can’t wait to find out what Naughty Dog has in store for you after you and Nathan Drake “UNCOVER THE TRUTH” on November 1st? Will you be scouring the PlayStation Blog in hopes of finding out when the next DLC release for Uncharted 3 will be? Do you want to get your Uncharted 3 DLC first and save a ton of money at the same time? Then you do NOT want to miss this! Announcing, the Fortune Hunters’ Club, a DLC Pre-order program that gets you WHAT you want, WHEN you want, and HOW you want it!

The treasure seekers and Fortune Hunters that Nathan Drake deals with are known to be smart, resourceful, and a very exclusive bunch. Similarly, you the UNCHARTED fans, have told us that you want an option to get your DLC at a discount, and you want to get it like a Fortune Hunter would (quick and easy). This is the club for you, and now is the time to join it!

The Fortune Hunters’ Club DLC program entitles you to the first four multiplayer map packs and the first three multiplayer skin packs for UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception with the first DLC release coming in November. Pre-order now for only $24.99 and immediately score the exclusive Fortune Hunters’ Club THEME, then with each DLC release you will receive an XMB message on your PS3 linking you directly to the content on the PlayStation Store! Valued at over $45.00, these DLC releases will be must-haves for any UNCHARTED fan.

Join now to save over 45% on 7 multiplayer packs, get the FREE Fortune Hunters’ Club theme, and then get your DLC like a Fortune Hunter would with fast and easy XMB message links!

Available for pre-order today on the PlayStation Store and select retailers!

We are hitting the start of week three for the Subway Taste For Adventure UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience and we’re noticing that some of you are getting pretty good. But the best player isn’t the best for long. We think it’s a good time to dive into some of the more advanced multiplayer gameplay mechanics and strategies to help you step up your game.

Sure, you can lob a grenade out there, but have you mastered the aim throw yet? How many BBQ medals have you achieved? Did you know that the Idol can be used as a melee weapon? Game Designer Robert Cogburn sat down with the PlayStation.Blog to drop some high-level knowledge regarding UNCHARTED 3’s multiplayer experience. Check out our new video above for some lessons!

Starting today, we’re adding a revamped map — Facility — to the experience so you can practice your new skills on this fresh level. If you were lucky enough to attend New York Comic Con, you may have already gotten a taste of this map and you can now explore it online with some new friends and enemies from the comfort of your couch.

If you’re a freshman, jump into the action by purchasing any specially marked 30oz UNCHARTED 3 themed cup from a participating Subway, heading online to the Subway Taste for Adventure website and redeeming the Subway code printed on your cup. You’ll be granted a PlayStation Store download code redeemable for the full competitive UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience!

Aside from being able to win some very cool prizes like trips to adventurous and exotic locations and collector edition copies of UNCHARTED 3, you will be one of the very first to play our full competitive multiplayer experience. Additionally, all aspects of your profile progress earned during the Subway Taste for Adventure carry over into the final retail copy of the game so you’ll be well-prepared to create some UNCHARTED TV-worthy highlight videos in the coming months!

We’ll be posting up a couple more video with tips and strategies soon so check back regularly to make the most of your UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience. Fortune hunting class is now dismissed! Happy hunting!

DLC is all the rage this season (along with dead raccoon headpieces), and publishers are charging the inflated prices expected with such a widespread trend. But trends don't appear out of nowhere -- they come from someone doing it differently, turning left at the fork, zigging where others zag and other motivational business terms. Naughty Dog is doing just that -- those trailblazers -- announcing that there will be no single-player DLC for Uncharted 3.

Naughty Dog said it would rather build a new game than release episodic content, mainly because its DLC ideas are just too awesome. "Dialing back our ambition is difficult," community strategist Arne Meyer said. Justin Richmond, game director, explained in more detail the trials of having such an abundance of amazing ideas:

"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," he said. "We'd rather build out another game than we would do episodic content. We're so small that we can't afford to have a whole team working on DLC." We're going to add this approach to DLC to the extensive list of Naughty Dog's fantastic ideas.

Hey UNCHARTED fans, as you know we kicked off our advertising campaign for UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception right here with you, our loyal PlayStation.Blog readers back in September. Since then,you’ve been “feasting” your eyes on our fantastic 15 second spot for Subway starring noneother than Nathan Drake himself, as well as his cameo in Subway’s 30 second”AnyTober” spot gracing tv’s all over the country right now.

As you are about to see, our brand new spot showcases never before seen footage from Drake’s upcoming adventure that absolutely delivers on the promise that no other game can provide – actually “PLAYING” through a Hollywood, blockbuster action movie!

We’ll be premiering this brand new 30 second tv spot live on the NFL this Sunday night, October 16th (Vikings vs Bears) 8:20PM (ET), but we wanted to share with you first! Set your DVR’s to capture this to watch again and again. And remember friends, no matter who wins Sunday night’s game, we ALL win as we set out to Uncover The Truth with Nathan Drake when UNCHARTED 3 hits stores just 17 days from now, November 1st! If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy already, don’t wait, the Collector’s Editions are disappearing fast!

When you’re venturing into hostile territory, it’s important to know that somebody is watching your back. The Buddy System in UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer ensures just that. As we hit week two of the Subway Taste For Adventure competitive multiplayer experience, we’re excited to detail the finer points of the UNCHARTED 3’s Buddy System and how it impacts the pacing and flow of competitive multiplayer matches.

In addition to good buddies, good booty will also make your multiplayer experience more layered and enjoyable. PlayStation.Blog spoke with Game Designer Robert Cogburn to learn more about how to make friends and earn treasure in UNCHARTED 3’s multiplayer experience. Check out this video for some in-depth information about buddies and treasure:

If you still haven’t gotten down to Subway…well, what are you waiting for? We just added two new maps to the experience and will continue to roll out updates and content as we march towards launch (November 1st!). We will be rolling out another newly revamped map (any guesses as to which?) starting next week that those of you heading to New York Comic-Con this week can preview and play.

To get into the action, it’s as simple as purchasing any specially marked 30oz UNCHARTED 3 themed cup from a participating Subway, heading online to the Subway Taste for Adventure website and redeeming the Subway code printed on your cup. You’ll be granted a PlayStation Store download code redeemable for the full competitive UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience!

Aside from being able to win some seriously cool prizes like trips to adventurous and exotic locations and collector edition copies of UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception, you will be one of the very first to play our full competitive multiplayer experience. What’s more, all aspects of your profile progress earned during the Subway Taste for Adventure carry over into the final retail copy of the game, so jump in to get your multiplayer battle plans ready!

Check back regularly for more multiplayer tutorial videos with tips and info that will amp up your UNCHARTED 3 multiplayer experience.

Calling all Fortune Hunters! This Thursday, October 13th, one of the most celebrated game franchises of all time comes crashing into PlayStation Home. UNCHARTED 3: Fortune Hunter provides a third-person adventure game experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen in PlayStation Home, including 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. UNCHARTED 3: Fortune Hunter is the latest Total Game Integration event allowing players to unlock exclusive content in UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception directly from PlayStation Home.

Over the course of the next three weeks, players will be pitted against waves of enemies developed from character models straight from UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Progress through challenges to unlock special PlayStation Home rewards, such as collectible weapons; complete all 10 challenges to unlock the Kickback Endurance Booster for use in UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer when the game releases on November 1st. That’s not all – players that pre-order UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception directly from PlayStation Home will receive an exclusive Nathan Drake costume with custom shooting animation for their PlayStation Home avatars. Don’t miss out – log into PlayStation Home this Thursday to take advantage of this special offer!

In other news, VEEMEE will release a brand new arcade game, Savage Cosmos, into the wide world of PlayStation Home this week. This single player arcade game is a top-down, run and gun shooter that includes over 40 rooms/levels to explore, 15 unlockable medals, leader boards, and a host of special rewards. Grab your X1VM Plasma Rifle and enter the doomed SS Cosmos ship where hordes of alien combatants dedicated to your destruction await you. Will you be able to fend off the onslaught and escape the ship in time or will you succumb to the horrors that lie within? Pick up the Savage Cosmos arcade cabinet from the Exclusives store in the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday to experience a true blast from the past with this fresh take on the classic arcade games of old.

Of course, the PlayStation Home Mall receives an update this week with new canine companions, additional Halloween costumes, more Granzella beachwear, and some ultra-premium “Diamond” clothing and furniture items in the Exclusives store – check ‘em out!

The Extra Life 2011 gaming marathon charity event starts this Saturday, October 15th. Gamers that register through the PlayStation portal at Playstation.Extra-Life.org will receive a voucher for a special PlayStation Home virtual item. Extra Life is an annual 24-hour video game marathon that raises money to help kids at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. It’s never been this much fun to do this much good. Register today to get your own personal page and begin tracking your progress. To learn more about the Extra Life charity event, click HERE.

Get over $35 worth of games and content for the low price of $9.99 with the Sodium Collection, available this Thursday exclusively on the PlayStation Store as part of our Only On PSN promotion. This PlayStation Home value pack includes the SodiumOne Pilot’s Jacket – which unlocks the full 50 level tank combat Salt Shooter game – and weapon upgrades for your SodiumOne tank. Also included is a variety of upgrades for Sodium 2: Project Velocity – a high-speed, free-to-play, futuristic multiplayer racing game exclusive to PlayStation Home – and the wildly-popular Blaster’s Paradise personal space, which hosts a tabletop version of Salt Shooter. Buy from the PlayStation Store and play in PlayStation Home!

Last but certainly not least, the PlayStation Home Community Theater receives an update this Thursday with new videos from the PlayStation community, for the PlayStation community. Log in the Thursday to watch as Urgent Fury returns with a look at Namco Bandai‘s Ace Combat Assault Horizon, followed by the third installment of their inFAMOUS trophy hunt and the ever-popular Bullet Points!

See you in Home!

Calling all Fortune Hunters! This Thursday, October 13th, one of the most celebrated game franchises of all time comes crashing into PlayStation Home. UNCHARTED 3: Fortune Hunter provides a third-person adventure game experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen in PlayStation Home, including 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. UNCHARTED 3: Fortune Hunter is the latest Total Game Integration event allowing players to unlock exclusive content in UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception directly from PlayStation Home.

Over the course of the next three weeks, players will be pitted against waves of enemies developed from character models straight from UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Progress through challenges to unlock special PlayStation Home rewards, such as collectible weapons; complete all 10 challenges to unlock the Kickback Endurance Booster for use in UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer when the game releases on November 1st. That’s not all – players that pre-order UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception directly from PlayStation Home will receive an exclusive Nathan Drake costume with custom shooting animation for their PlayStation Home avatars. Don’t miss out – log into PlayStation Home this Thursday to take advantage of this special offer!

In other news, VEEMEE will release a brand new arcade game, Savage Cosmos, into the wide world of PlayStation Home this week. This single player arcade game is a top-down, run and gun shooter that includes over 40 rooms/levels to explore, 15 unlockable medals, leader boards, and a host of special rewards. Grab your X1VM Plasma Rifle and enter the doomed SS Cosmos ship where hordes of alien combatants dedicated to your destruction await you. Will you be able to fend off the onslaught and escape the ship in time or will you succumb to the horrors that lie within? Pick up the Savage Cosmos arcade cabinet from the Exclusives store in the PlayStation Home Mall this Thursday to experience a true blast from the past with this fresh take on the classic arcade games of old.

Of course, the PlayStation Home Mall receives an update this week with new canine companions, additional Halloween costumes, more Granzella beachwear, and some ultra-premium “Diamond” clothing and furniture items in the Exclusives store – check ‘em out!

The Extra Life 2011 gaming marathon charity event starts this Saturday, October 15th. Gamers that register through the PlayStation portal at Playstation.Extra-Life.org will receive a voucher for a special PlayStation Home virtual item. Extra Life is an annual 24-hour video game marathon that raises money to help kids at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. It’s never been this much fun to do this much good. Register today to get your own personal page and begin tracking your progress. To learn more about the Extra Life charity event, click HERE.

Get over $35 worth of games and content for the low price of $9.99 with the Sodium Collection, available this Thursday exclusively on the PlayStation Store as part of our Only On PSN promotion. This PlayStation Home value pack includes the SodiumOne Pilot’s Jacket – which unlocks the full 50 level tank combat Salt Shooter game – and weapon upgrades for your SodiumOne tank. Also included is a variety of upgrades for Sodium 2: Project Velocity – a high-speed, free-to-play, futuristic multiplayer racing game exclusive to PlayStation Home – and the wildly-popular Blaster’s Paradise personal space, which hosts a tabletop version of Salt Shooter. Buy from the PlayStation Store and play in PlayStation Home!

Last but certainly not least, the PlayStation Home Community Theater receives an update this Thursday with new videos from the PlayStation community, for the PlayStation community. Log in the Thursday to watch as Urgent Fury returns with a look at Namco Bandai‘s Ace Combat Assault Horizon, followed by the third installment of their inFAMOUS trophy hunt and the ever-popular Bullet Points!

See you in Home!

When you buy Uncharted 3, you won't just get Uncharted 3 (and an optional belt buckle); you'll get a ticket into space. All retail copies of Uncharted 3 will include a code for entry into a Starhawk multiplayer beta that will be active sometime in early 2012.

Think of it as Sony's response to the persistent complaints that the Uncharted series doesn't have enough transforming mechs or mutant cults. Or, more realistically, think of it as more evidence that Sony's marketing plan will pack a beta of some first-party PS3 game with every other new first-party PS3 game from here on out.