It has been common knowledge for a while now that the upcoming Spike Video Game Awards (VGAs) would be the stage used to reveal an exclusive PS3 game. Many people (myself included) hoped, believed, no- prayed- it would be UNCHARTED 3. The bad news is, that it appears we were wrong. The good news is, that UNCHARTED 3 was announced today, via an article in Ew.com! After the initial “is this true? Is this a hoax?” thoughts buzzing around my head, the announcement was confirmed by none other than Naughty Dog’s co-presidents themselves.

So; where is Nathan leading us this time? The early details that are coming through suggest we are off to a sandy locale, but not to Egypt; where fans expected. The main thrust of this game centres around Iram of the Pillars; a lost city said to be somewhere in the Arabian peninsular. Like the Shambhala of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves, Iram of the Pillars has been lost to modern history and assumed to be purely mythological. It has, of course been looked for (even relatively recently) by archaeologists, although unsurprisingly any finds made have not been conclusively proven to be linked to the city. The most likely settlement found was apparently abandonned in approximately the 4th century AD.

That is the history behind Nathan Drake’s forthcoming adventure; but what else can we expect? One thing that excites me beyond almost anything else is that, according to Amy Hennig, the story itself will also focus upon the relationship between Nathan and Victor Sullivan. Sullivan, you will remember from the first two installments, is the friend, mentor and partner to Nate, and whose relationship I have always found to be fascinating. Despite the obvious age gap they have a very solid friendship; the type that can take a battering but still come out the otherside with quips, banter and the odd jovial insult. Sully calls Nate ‘kid’ all the time, despite that fact Nate is about 35. Maybe now we will find out why.

UNCHARTED 3’s Nathan Drake: Wiser, and maybe worse for wear…

But the title; Drake’s Deception? To what does this refer? Well, Amy Hennig tells us that the theme of deception will be woven through the story, with Nathan deceiving others, Nathan being deceived, and lastly, and tantalisingly, Hennig tells us that there is a big mystery deception surrounding Nathan Drake’s own identity. My appetite, already thoroughly whetted, is now dripping. I had an early theory (that predates this announcement) that Nathan isn’t decended from Sir Francis at all; he just believes that he is. Imagine what it would do to him if he found out that what he had considered to be his heritage, what he had built his career upon, was in fact totally false? I for one would not want to be around to watch him implode. Of course this is speculation, but if this does turn out to be the case; you read it here first.

In terms of gameplay, UNCHARTED 3 (I love typing that and knowing it is real!) promises to be bigger, better and even more cinematic than UNCHARTED 2. The multiplayer element of the game is also to be expanded, both in terms of the competitive gaming, and also the co-operative modes. One final point I would like to make is that being based in sand, I think we can reasonably expect some groundbreaking mechanics. Sand shifts when you walk on it, and I just know that this will be a feature. Remember what they did with the train? I expect more of that quality but in the shiftng sands of Arabia.

Whatever happens between now and release day (which hasn’t yet been announced) you can bet your bottom dollar that All Things UNCHARTED will be on hand to keep you right up to date. Maybe this also means that there will be another reveal at the VGAs, as it won’t be UNCHARTED 3?

What do you think of the news? Let us know in the comments below!