Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
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What We Know Already: Nathan Drake’s third go-round on the PS3 will bring him into conflict with a secret society called the Cabal, whose history stretches back to Victorian times. Cabal’s leader wants the ring of Sir Francis Drake that Nathan wears on his neck, and events lead our hero to the Arabian desert in search of yet another powerful artifact. Naughty Dog’s latest will also delve into the relationship between Drake and mentor Sully, while shedding more light on Drake’s past.
The Big Mystery: “Deception”? Which Drake are we talking about here? Deceiving who? From what? And when? Needless to say, plot details about the single-player storyline aren’t exactly forthcoming.
What We’ll Probably Find Out: All about the Buddy System in multiplayer. Naughty Dog’s stated that they want Uncharted 3‘s online component to become a go-to destination for PS3 owners. Their new Buddy System lets players re-spawn wherever a partner is and hi-five over fallen opponents to earn more in-game cash. The Buddy System will shake up a lot of the more common dynamics of online competitive play, which also features different modes like a three team deathmatch. All this will take place in the franchise’s best-looking environments yet, as the devs have upgraded all their environmental graphics and effects.
(More on TIME.com: ‘Uncharted 3′ Gets First Gameplay Demo on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon‘)
Sony NGP
What We Know Already: The new handheld from the PlayStation people offers a front touchscreen and a touch panel on the back, as well as a long-asked-for second control stick. Codenamed NGP, the unit purportedly pumps out PS3-level graphics and will also have 3G cellular capability. Games from the Uncharted and Wipeout franchises are in the pipeline, as well as new games like touch puzzler Little Deviants and experimental hybrid platformer Sound Shapes.
The Big Mystery: What’ll it cost? Sony’s notorious for premium pricing on its products, but the NGP’s about to arrive in a world where supercharged smartphones go for $199 and great game experiences can be had for a dollar. Given the lukewarm reception so far to the competing 3DS, old pricing rules may not apply anymore and hopefully Sony understands that.
What We’ll Probably Find Out: An exact launch date and the games that’ll accompany the NGP when it lands. The Nathan Drake adventure on NGP will be called Uncharted: Golden Abyss and it’ll be the highest profile game that’s been revealed yet. Hopefully, Sony will pull out Ratchet & Clank, Kratos and some of their other first-party big guns to make the NGP irresistible.
(More on TIME.com: NGP vs. 3DS vs. iOS vs. Android: Which Gaming Platform Will Earn Your Love?)