Uncharted 3 Revealed as 'Drake's Deception'

Ahead of its formal announcement, Entertainment Weekly has been granted a look at Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, the third entry in Naughty Dog's action-archaeology series. It's slated for release on PlayStation 3 towards the tail end of 2011.

A little arid concept art from Uncharted 3.

Drake's Deception will see Nathan on a deception-filled romp in search of the legendary lost city Iram of the Pillars, a setting apparently borne of Naughty Dog's desire to make some pretty digital sand. "We just look for something that will be a technical, artistic challenge, and allowed us to push into an area of the world and history we've never tapped into before," said Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells.

EW mentioned several "innovations," including "enhanced backward climbing and the ability to fight multiple baddies at once." The height of innovation indeed!

Online multiplayer and co-op are being expanded, with details promised soon. "We want to take on the big boys of the multiplayer genre," Wells explained. "It has become something here at Naughty Dog that will become an important part to all our games."

Uncharted 3 is due to launch exclusively on PlayStation 3 "late next year." EW teases that a release date might be revealed by the debut trailer during the Spike Video Game Awards on December 11--a trailer which EW itself has a short teaser trailer for.

In case you missed the good news last month, Mark Whalberg is set to star in the movie adaptation of Uncharted.