This Year's Most Anticipated Videogame, UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception™ Launches Exclusively on the PlayStation®3 System

Naughty Dog Sets New Standard for Action Gaming Through Marriage of Cutting Edge Graphics, Critically Acclaimed Cinematography and Evolved Action-Adventure Multiplayer

PR Newswire
FOSTER CITY, Calif.
11/01/2011

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced the North American release of UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception™, available exclusively for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Created and developed by Naughty Dog, the third installment of the award-winning UNCHARTED™ series follows hero Nathan Drake on a treasure hunting adventure to uncover a historical conspiracy tying together Sir Francis Drake, T.E. Lawrence and the mythological city, the Atlantis of the Sands. Harnessing the power of the PS3™ system, Naughty Dog raises the bar again for cinematic gaming through extraordinary visuals, comprehensive character development and action-packed gameplay that together provide gamers with an experience never before found in entertainment media.

"Naughty Dog once again takes a leap forward in cinematic gaming, setting the UNCHARTED franchise apart from anything else in the industry," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Product Marketing, SCEA, "Not only does UNCHARTED 3 deliver an impressive blend of interactive gameplay and stunning graphics, Naughty Dog has weaved an inspiring and personal story with genuinely relatable characters that consumers are going to want to pick up and play to the very end."

In the franchise's most compelling plotline yet, the tradition of exploring real-life historical mysteries continues with a quest for a legendary city lost to the sands in a desert that has ties to a lost chapter in the life of Sir Francis Drake, the reputed ancestor of Nathan Drake. Drake and his mentor, Victor Sullivan, travel through treacherous, new environments--including London, France, Syria, and the vast Rub' al Khali desert--as they unravel a complex conspiracy involving an enduring secret society led by their main antagonist, Katherine Marlowe. The deeply emotional narrative and award-winning motion-capture performances in UNCHARTED 3 immerse players in the role of Nathan Drake as he tests the limits of his strongest relationships and is forced to confront his past and his very identity.

UNCHARTED 3 brings the story and characters to life through powerful set pieces and epic combat sequences only made possible by the Naughty Dog Engine 3.0. Pioneering sand technology recreates the harsh desert of the Rub' al Khali with sand that displaces, swirls, and flows realistically in precise rendered detail. Effects such as fire and water have been overhauled to make each environment unique and interactive allowing gamers to rush through walls of water, aim and shoot through sloshing pools, and escape a chateau engulfed by fire that curls, billows, and smokes as it burns. UNCHARTED 3 can also be played entirely in stereoscopic 3D, which provides deeper immersion into the cinematic presentation and overall gameplay experience through such enhancements as an added sense of depth and scale to environments and an increased feeling of vertigo during set-piece moments.

Fast-paced gun combat, platforming, and puzzle solving all make a grand return alongside superior fighting mechanics. The enhanced melee combat system allows players to engage in brawl-style combat, with multiple enemies at once, using a combination of punches and kicks to shake off opponents. Drake can launch contextual attacks by using objects found in the environment, like an empty bottle, as improvised weapons. The game also features an expanded move-set including climbing backwards and traversal across physics-based objects, such as a crumbling staircase, a swinging chandelier or a fully realized, massive cruise ship that is tossed back and forth by a procedurally generated, real-time ocean.

Competitive Multiplayer and Cooperative Modes

In addition to the explosive adventure of the single-player campaign, UNCHARTED 3 returns with a full evolution of its cooperative and competitive multiplayer experience, introducing online players to expanded feature sets and deep social media integration. The dynamic cinematic experience and high-action, grand set-pieces that are hallmarks of the UNCHARTED series have been incorporated as playable components of the multiplayer maps. This brand new 10-player, action-adventure competitive multiplayer launches with a wealth of new and improved customization features that give players the freedom to define their own unique play styles within the game like never before. Leveraging Loadout slots, upgradable Boosters, Weapon Modifications, hundreds of mix-and-match character accessories and an emblem editor, the options are limitless for enhancing and personalizing in-game characters.

With multiplayer modes across 11 different maps, players can challenge each other in Three Team Death match, Free-for-All, Team Objective, Plunder, or the classic Team Deathmatch. Utilizing a new inherent player balancing system, matches are ensured to stay competitive by matching players based on player levels and by introducing Power Plays and gameplay modes, like Overtime and Sudden Death, to increase the intense competition between teams. Alongside the competitive mode, the local and online cooperative modes in UNCHARTED 3 encourage three teammates to play through rounds of objective-based scenarios, working together against the clock to collect and return idols or defend against waves of enemies with limited lives. Additionally, Co-op Adventure features a unique story arc found only in this mode that spans across five different levels as Drake and Sully embark on a mission to track down a rare and valuable Janus Head treasure. With a unique set of Co-op only Boosters and Kickbacks it'll be up to the players to decide how they work together to solve all the Co-op missions.

Taking the online experience to the next level, Naughty Dog has integrated popular social networking sites like Facebook and YouTube in groundbreaking ways to create a compelling community experience, leveraging these popular social media platforms to share timely, relevant in-game content and activity to a broader network of friends. Players will be able to view their full list of Facebook friends, share treasures and post videos, providing a quick and easy way to participate with friends online outside of PlayStation®Network. An enhanced Cinema feature delivers a new suite of editing tools, including a rewind button and full camera control, to create highlight reels and the ability to upload them to YouTube and Facebook directly from within the game. With the launch of UNCHARTED TV, as players direct and publish their own unique content, the best user-generated content and videos from YouTube will be highlighted within the multiplayer interface.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception is available exclusively for the PS3™ system for $59.99 MSRP and will include an Online Pass activation code that provides access to free online multi-player gameplay for the household. Also being released today is the PlayStation 3 UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception hardware bundle for $299.99 MSRP. This limited edition bundle includes a 320GB PS3™ system, a full Blu-ray™ copy of the highly anticipated UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception game, and a free month of PlayStation®Plus, a premium subscription service that gives consumers access to added features including automatic downloads, online storage for game saves, free games, exclusives, and discounts.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception is rated T for Teen by the independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). For more information about the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® systems, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system and its online and network services the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP, PSP®go and PS3 systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC serves as headquarters for all North American operations. Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com.

"PlayStation", "PSP", "PS one" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks and "PS3" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "SONY" and "make.believe" are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

SOURCE Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

SOURCE: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

This Year's Most Anticipated Videogame, UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception™ Launches Exclusively on the PlayStation®3 System Naughty Dog Sets New Standard for Action Gaming Through Marriage of Cutting Edge Graphics, Critically Acclaimed Cinematography and Evolved Action-Adventure Multiplayer

PR Newswire

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 1, 2011

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced the North American release of UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception™, available exclusively for the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Created and developed by Naughty Dog, the third installment of the award-winning UNCHARTED™ series follows hero Nathan Drake on a treasure hunting adventure to uncover a historical conspiracy tying together Sir Francis Drake, T.E. Lawrence and the mythological city, the Atlantis of the Sands. Harnessing the power of the PS3™ system, Naughty Dog raises the bar again for cinematic gaming through extraordinary visuals, comprehensive character development and action-packed gameplay that together provide gamers with an experience never before found in entertainment media.

In the franchise's most compelling plotline yet, the tradition of exploring real-life historical mysteries continues with a quest for a legendary city lost to the sands in a desert that has ties to a lost chapter in the life of Sir Francis Drake, the reputed ancestor of Nathan Drake. Drake and his mentor, Victor Sullivan, travel through treacherous, new environments—including London, France, Syria, and the vast Rub' al Khali desert—as they unravel a complex conspiracy involving an enduring secret society led by their main antagonist, Katherine Marlowe. The deeply emotional narrative and award-winning motion-capture performances in UNCHARTED 3 immerse players in the role of Nathan Drake as he tests the limits of his strongest relationships and is forced to confront his past and his very identity.

UNCHARTED 3 brings the story and characters to life through powerful set pieces and epic combat sequences only made possible by the Naughty Dog Engine 3.0. Pioneering sand technology recreates the harsh desert of the Rub' al Khali with sand that displaces, swirls, and flows realistically in precise rendered detail. Effects such as fire and water have been overhauled to make each environment unique and interactive allowing gamers to rush through walls of water, aim and shoot through sloshing pools, and escape a chateau engulfed by fire that curls, billows, and smokes as it burns. UNCHARTED 3 can also be played entirely in stereoscopic 3D, which provides deeper immersion into the cinematic presentation and overall gameplay experience through such enhancements as an added sense of depth and scale to environments and an increased feeling of vertigo during set-piece moments.

Competitive Multiplayer and Cooperative Modes

In addition to the explosive adventure of the single-player campaign, UNCHARTED 3 returns with a full evolution of its cooperative and competitive multiplayer experience, introducing online players to expanded feature sets and deep social media integration. The dynamic cinematic experience and high-action, grand set-pieces that are hallmarks of the UNCHARTED series have been incorporated as playable components of the multiplayer maps. This brand new 10-player, action-adventure competitive multiplayer launches with a wealth of new and improved customization features that give players the freedom to define their own unique play styles within the game like never before. Leveraging Loadout slots, upgradable Boosters, Weapon Modifications, hundreds of mix-and-match character accessories and an emblem editor, the options are limitless for enhancing and personalizing in-game characters.

With multiplayer modes across 11 different maps, players can challenge each other in Three Team Death match, Free-for-All, Team Objective, Plunder, or the classic Team Deathmatch. Utilizing a new inherent player balancing system, matches are ensured to stay competitive by matching players based on player levels and by introducing Power Plays and gameplay modes, like Overtime and Sudden Death, to increase the intense competition between teams. Alongside the competitive mode, the local and online cooperative modes in UNCHARTED 3 encourage three teammates to play through rounds of objective-based scenarios, working together against the clock to collect and return idols or defend against waves of enemies with limited lives. Additionally, Co-op Adventure features a unique story arc found only in this mode that spans across five different levels as Drake and Sully embark on a mission to track down a rare and valuable Janus Head treasure. With a unique set of Co-op only Boosters and Kickbacks it'll be up to the players to decide how they work together to solve all the Co-op missions.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception is available exclusively for the PS3™ system for $59.99 MSRP and will include an Online Pass activation code that provides access to free online multi-player gameplay for the household. Also being released today is the PlayStation 3 UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception hardware bundle for $299.99 MSRP. This limited edition bundle includes a 320GB PS3™ system, a full Blu-ray™ copy of the highly anticipated UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception game, and a free month of PlayStation®Plus, a premium subscription service that gives consumers access to added features including automatic downloads, online storage for game saves, free games, exclusives, and discounts.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception is rated T for Teen by the independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). For more information about the ESRB visit www.esrb.org.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

SOURCE Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

CONTACT: Jill Webber, +1-650-655-5979, Jill_Webber@playstation.sony.com, or Jennifer Hallett, +1-650-655-7307, Jennifer_Hallett@playstation.sony.com, both for Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC

Web Site: http://www.us.playstation.com