Aug 18, 2011 22:41 GMT  ·  By

What it is: Naughty Dog and Sony hit a gold mine with the Uncharted franchise, so they’re now getting ready to debut a brand new installment in the series, with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.

The new game sees players learn more about protagonist Nathan Drake, his friends, including Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan or Elena Fisher. All the meanwhile, new villains, huge adventures and big dangers await the fortune hunter who is now searching for the ‘Atlantis of the Sands’.

How it is: The first thing that impresses with Uncharted 3 is the sharp presentation, with graphics looking stunning and, as opposed to many games these days, with a rich color pallet, not just the same old shades of brown or grey.

After that, the detailed animations start making themselves noticed, with both Drake, as well as other characters acting like live human beings, not just clunky robots in disguise. Whether it’s grasping a wall to keep steady or an extra gesture during an execution, Drake and others are much more nuanced in behavior.

After that, from the two separate levels, one set on a ship and the other at an airstrip and on a plane, you once again know you’re dealing with an Uncharted game, thanks to the cinematic nature, which sees Drake face off against his many enemies in all sorts of unique situations, whether it’s a sinking ship or a crashing airplane.

Drake however is a bit more changed in Uncharted 3, as his ever joking, happy go lucky nature is toned down a bit, at least in the scenes that were presented to the press. Naughty Dog insists that the Drake we all know and love is still there, but he’s certainly evolved from the first two games.

  
  Uncharted 3 also impresses not just through the rich and detailed environments, but also through their sheer size and dynamics, and the fact that not a single loading or black screen is seen when passing through one area to another.

The melee and stealth options have also been improved in Uncharted 3, as Drake can use his hands, fists or legs more easily in combat, while sneaking around is much more rewarding.

When and on what: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is out on November 1, exclusively for the PlayStation 3 home console.

We have a special page with all our Gamescom 2011 coverage.

Photo Gallery (6 Images)

A hands off look at Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)
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