We’re not closing out 2010 quietly! I’m sure it’s been hard to miss that another wave of information, interviews, screenshots and gameplay video for UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception hit the internets today. You’re just seeing the fruits of the nefarious plan we’ve had in the works for a couple of months now. Okay, that’s not quite true, but it sure sounds way better if it’s all dramatic, right?

A good part this wave comes from the event PlayStation.Blog US held for the media just after the Spike VGA 2010.

PlayStation.Blog was there not only to check out UNCHARTED 3 with their very own eyes, but they got managed to snag Creative Director Amy Hennig and Game Director Justin Richmond to answer some questions in the video above.

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No need to scan that headline twice and make sure you read it right – UNCHARTED 3 is real.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception continues to evolve the all of the core principles we laid out for the UNCHARTED franchise, most important of which is creating an unmatched and extremely compelling interactive cinematic experience. In addition to having a compelling story and relatable, authentic characters, we push ourselves and the capability of the PlayStation hardware through constantly refined gameplay mechanics and technology innovation.

Our dedication to creating the best interactive cinematic experience can be seen in our last two games – UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune and UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. We’re especially honoured and humbled that both titles have been so successful, selling nearly 8 million units combined and earning numerous industry awards and accolades. This sets the bar very high for us to outdo the past successes of our previous UNCHARTED games. We’re looking forward to taking on this challenge to top ourselves and create a truly unforgettable interactive cinematic experience that everyone can enjoy.

So, if you’re wondering what UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception has in store for you, we wanted to share some early details.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception features the return of famed fortune hunter Nathan Drake and follows him through a gripping, action-packed storyline that will take you all over the world. In his search for the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands,” Nathan Drake and longtime friend and mentor Victor Sullivan set off on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert. But when terrible secrets of this lost city are uncovered, their journey becomes a desperate bid for survival that will force him to confront his deepest fears.

Throughout UNCHARTED 3, you’ll be taken to spectacular new locations around the globe that will showcase all of the work we’ve taken on to take our physics, particle and visual effects to a new level.

Competitive and co-op multiplayer will return as a key ingredient to the UNCHARTED 3 package, where all of the new features we have planned will combine with our signature single-player cinematic gameplay to create a unique action-adventure multiplayer experience that can only be found in the UNCHARTED universe.

Oh, and there’s one more thing – UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception fully supports high-resolution Stereoscopic 3D.

We’re looking forward to exploring it all with you in the months to come.

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UPDATE: New videos added.

The day is nearly here for our UNCHARTED fans and the multitudes who have been awaiting a new co-op game type — The UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Siege Expansion Pack will be on sale when the PlayStation Network Store updates on Thursday, April 22nd, and will set you back only $5.99.

Look for the PlayStation Store Update blog post on Thursday to know when The Siege Expansion Pack is available for purchase.

As we announced just two weeks ago, the Siege Expansion Pack is our biggest DLC release to date: two new maps, six new multiplayer skins, one new co-op game type and 11 new online-only Trophies.

Do yourself a favor and read the full rundown of what’s included in the pack, check out the screenshots, and watch the gameplay and map fly-through videos. You won’t be disappointed.

The most significant portion to the Siege Expansion Pack is the new Siege co-op game type. You can read impressions of Siege from these IGN and GameSpot reviews of the Siege Expansion Pack. Since we started testing Siege internally, up through last week’s sessions with reviewers, I’ve really enjoyed the complexities of Siege. It’s not as simple as defending pre-defined locations against waves of NPCs: Between the different vulnerabilities of each new location and the lack (or abundance) of weapon pickups, you’ll find yourself testing out interesting new strategies to maximize your points and cash.

(more…)

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The holidays are all about the giving spirit and we’re in a giving mood!

We’re holding another Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Double Cash weekend from Thursday, December 24, 2009, at 6:00 PM GMT (what time is it in my city) through Sunday, December 27, 2009, at 7:00 PM GMT (what time is it in my city?) you would earn double for all kills and medals. Yes, you read that right, you’ll be getting Double Cash for medals as well!

Oh, and our characters have gotten into the spirit of the season to celebrate the occasion!

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Today, Friday, December 18, 2009, at 10:00 AM PST (what time is it in my city?) you will be required to download an update to UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves.

Below is a list of what is different:

• Added Version number to game menu – should display 1.03 after this update
• Added Clan Tags – all players can now add a custom four letter Clan Tag in the Profile Menu (square) to display on-screen before their PSN ID
• Load times have been decreased significantly
• Added “Rematch” functionality
• Adjusted some Boosters for balance
• Addressed issue with Player’s Met screen in game menu and XMB displaying incorrectly
• Addressed issue with Double Cash not doubling medal cash rewards

We’ve also made a slew of other changes to improve player experience.

I spoke with our multiplayer lead designer, Justin, to give us the lowdown on what’s so great about a few of these updates. Justin quickly shot me back an e-mail with the following info:

Clan Tags is an addition we’ve been working for a while on. While it’s not full Clan support, we wanted to be sure that everybody can fly their Clan colors within UNCHARTED 2 multiplayer. Support for this is available to all players from the very beginning and can be edited within the player Profile menu – the same place where you choose your boosters.

We have significantly decreased load times . You will notice that the game loads into a map much faster after leaving the vote screen. This will help get players into games faster and keep people playing instead of waiting in the menu system.

We have also added Rematch functionality. At the end of a game, all players will be put back into matchmaking together, allowing you to play the same group of people over again. This decreases wait times, while still allowing people to leave after a match if they so desire. Again, this gets people into games faster and allows more time playing and less time in the menus – all of which is a very, very good thing!

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