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Uncharted 3 single-player listed as free for everyone on US PSN [update: gone!]
The single-player campaign from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception has been a PS Plus freebie in the past, but today it's showing up on United States' PSN as free for all users. We've reached out but are yet to verify with Sony if this is correct or some admin mistake. So, just consider this your heads-up with a grain of salt until we find out. Developer Naughty Dog did make the multiplayer side free-to-play just over a year ago, but single-player going free for all would be something else. E3 is just around the corner, so who knows what the Californian studio has up its sleeve? Update: Ladies and gentlemen, Nathan Drake has left the building. Sony has removed Uncharted 3's single-player from the PlayStation Store, so we're guessing - just maybe - it was a goof all along.
Uncharted writer Amy Hennig no longer at Naughty Dog
Uncharted writer and creative director Amy Hennig parted ways with Naughty Dog this week, and the circumstances surrounding her departure aren't clear. Following an IGN report claiming Hennig left her post on March 3, Sony confirmed with the site that she's no longer employed at the studio. "We can confirm that Amy Hennig has left Naughty Dog," A Sony representative told IGN. "Amy has made significant contributions to the game industry and we appreciate all she has done for Naughty Dog. The development timeline of Uncharted will not be impacted." Hennig served as the creative director for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and she also penned the script for the three games. She was understood to be reprising her role for the Uncharted PS4 game. Neither Hennig nor Naughty Dog have commented, but IGN sources claim the writer, a Naughty Dog veteran of more than ten years, was "forced out" by The Last of Us directors Neil Druckman and Bruce Straley, and the pair may take over the Uncharted series. Hennig worked with Druckman and Straley on the first two Uncharted games, before the two men switched to developing The Last of Us. [Image: @amy_hennig]
Celebrate two years of Uncharted 3 with free multiplayer DLC
Instead of requesting gifts for the second anniversary of the Uncharted 3 launch, developer Naughty Dog has decided to reward players by making each of the game's multiplayer map packs available for free. Pay a visit to the PlayStation Network store and you'll find that the three DLC map packs released for Uncharted 3 now feature zero-dollar price tags. Naughty Dog has also reduced the price of a number of multiplayer items found on the PlayStation Network, though that part of the deal will expire on November 4. While this celebration is meant to send the game into retirement with a bang, there is still one more piece of content headed for Uncharted 3. The next time you fire up the game, your PlayStation 3 will download a patch that includes the new "Dry Docks" multiplayer map, as well as numerous balance changes, all of which have been helpfully outlined on the developer's website.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer double XP event postponed until Tuesday
A technical issue has caused Naughty Dog to delay an Uncharted 3 double XP event until next Tuesday, which was set to begin this weekend. The double XP event will now begin on October 22, starting at 12PM Pacific, and go until October 29 at the same time. "This week the Lab will see the return of Lead Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Designer Robert Cogburn's first Block Mesh Map," notes the studio's blog. "If you didn't get a chance to play it when it was first released, it's a ton of fun. Check it out." The first week of November marks the two-year anniversary of the game's launch. It was, and still is, a pretty, good game.
Best Buy, FutureShop accepting orders for 12GB PS3 in US and Canada
Looking for a cheap PS3? Good news: a flash-based 12GB PS3 is available starting today. You can order the system online or pick it up in-store through Best Buy, which has the system for $199.99, and in a bundle that includes the system and two games (Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception GOTY Edition and The Last of Us) for $259.98. For our Canadian friends, you can pick up the system via FutureShop. If the low memory won't cut it for you, the new model supports external storage through the system's USB ports.
Uncharted 3 DLC gets in on PSN summer sale
Naughty Dog is hosting a summer sale this weekend, highlighting deals on select Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception DLC across PSN. Uncharted 3's single-player campaign has been knocked down to $25 for a download, which is the price of a physical copy through Amazon, and all of the multiplayer DLC map packs are available in one bundle for $18. The free-to-play version of Uncharted 3's multiplayer has a level limit of 15 right now, but if you want to raise that to 25 you can do so this weekend for $3. Otherwise, spending $12 unlocks unlimited leveling. Both the Adventure co-op add-on and Arena co-op add-on are priced at $8 and $6. This sale will conclude on Monday, July 29 at 12pm PT, at which point everything will revert back to its full price. To purchase any of this content, simply head through the Extras menu within Uncharted 3.
Amazon Gold Box features $250 320GB PS3 Uncharted 3 bundle
With the next generation of consoles so very nearly here, we should see some tasty deals for current-gen systems cropping up in the next few months. Witness today's Amazon Gold Box, which has the all-day offering of a 320GB PS3, complete with Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and 30 days of PlayStation Plus, for $250, down $50 from the regular price. If that doesn't take your fancy, then as with any Gold Box there's a smattering of short-lived Lightning Deals throughout the day. Looking through the not-so-cryptic list, we can see probable discounts on Ni no Kuni, Dead Island: Riptide, and Black Ops 2, among others.
Uncharted 3, XCOM, LBP Karting free on PS Plus next week
Next week, when the PlayStation Store updates on June 11, three new games will be added to the PlayStation Plus free Instant Game Collection library: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, XCOM: Enemy Unknown and LittleBigPLanet Karting. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will include the full single-player campaign for PS Plus subscribers and the free-to-play multiplayer side. Both XCOM: Enemy Unknown and LBP Karting are their full retail offerings, joining a June that has already yielded a free copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and will later gift Saints Row: The Third.
Uncharted 3 animal DLC takes a bow this month
April is dedicated to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Naughty Dog is participating with some animal-themed items for the free-to-play multiplayer component of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.The proceeds from a pair of t-shirts, depicting Naughty Dog spokescanines Pogo and Trumpet, will go to relevant charities. Other items include various head masks in the shape of sharks, eagles, horses and more. This month's tournament rewards are also animal-themed, including a croc-skinned gun and matching t-shirt.
Uncharted 3 free multiplayer downloaded over 350,000 times
At the end of February, Sony and Naughty Dog flipped the freebie switch on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception multiplayer. Since then, over 350,000 individuals worldwide have downloaded the free client.The news comes as part of a DLC announcement over on the PlayStation Blog, where Naughty Dog reveals it will offer new DLC every month until June, starting first with "Oddball" avatar accoutrements celebrating Extraterrestrial Abductions Day. Some "Oddball" items include a duct tape mask, a bag for your avatar's head and a burlap sack, also for your head – because nothing celebrates alien abductions quite like a sombrero.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer goes free-to-play, available today on the PSN
This week, Naughty Dog will try its hand at the free-to-play market by making the multiplayer component of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception available for all to download.As a standalone PSN download, the free-to-play version of Uncharted 3's multiplayer introduces a host of microtransactions for players to compile the online version of Uncharted 3 they want to play, with the first 15 levels of competitive multiplayer available for free.Naughty Dog lead game designer Robert Cogburn told Joystiq that the studio's plan to go free-to-play is an attempt to accomplish two goals: reinvigorate the pool of Uncharted 3 players and test the freemium waters.Some of the transactions available, according to Cogburn, include raising the level cap to 25 or removing it completely. Cooperative content won't be included in the free-to-play version of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, rather the 'Co-op Arena' and 'Adventure' modes have been split into their own separate pieces of premium downloadable content in the new free version.For game owner completionists, the 'Game of the Year' edition of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will be available to purchase digitally, eschewing the franchise's adventure into the world of microtransactions all together.%Gallery-121445%
Rumor: Uncharted 3 multiplayer going free-to-play
It seems the competitive world of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is expanding to the realm of free-to-play.According to a post on the official PlayStation Blog detailing upcoming PSN releases, a heading revealed the multiplayer component of the latest Uncharted title would be free-to-play; information found under the apt heading "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Multiplayer (Free to Play)."No further details were revealed and the section has since been removed from the official PlayStation blog's post. In a year-end post on Naughty Dog's official blog, the company promised "very exciting information about multiplayer" was coming in 2013.Joystiq has contacted Sony for comment and will update this story as more information becomes available.
Uncharted 3 multiplayer celebrates the holidays with free items and map
Naughty Dog is getting a little nuts with the holiday goodies this year. They're giving away a free new map and some free custom avatar items for Uncharted 3 multiplayer, and the look of these freebies makes us wonder if there's been a little too much egg nog drinking around the offices over there in Santa Monica. The goofy "present head" hat above is only the beginning - there's also a t-shirt with Naughty Dog Co-President Christophe Balestra as an elf that everyone gets for free.And the wildest thing is a "Block Mesh Lab map," made completely of polygons by former Naughty Dog Richard Lemarchand (who's now teaching interactive media at USC). It's quite funky, especially when you imagine the relatively realistic forms of Nathan Drake and friends wandering around it with guns. All of these items are free for all players in the game right now until January 8, after which they'll only be available in the weekly tournaments, so pick them up now. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good Nate!%Gallery-173694%
Uncharted 3 GOTY Edition swings into Europe Sept. 19
The Game of the Year Edition of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (not to be confused with the "Gotye" version, Uncharted 3: Some Treasure That I Used to Know) will whip-swing its way onto European PlayStation 3s next month, on Wednesday, September 19.No word yet on an official US release date, but we do know that the European GOTY box will feature a smörgåsbord of DLC, including four class skin packs, two different co-op multiplayer modes and six different multiplayer maps. It also comes bundled with an artistic music video and additional vocals by New Zealand singer/songwriter Kimbra. Wait, we might be confused again.
Uncharted 3's v1.13 update adds tournaments, micro-transactions, more Drake dress-up
You know that new content Naughty Dog teased? Well, aside from the usual balance fixes that come with a game patch, the 1.13 update for Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception installs a pipeline for weekly DLC updates to the multiplayer side. Each week will bring a new flood of items and other goodies, either unlockable in-game by leveling up and completing certain actions, or purchased directly through the game with micro-transactions.There's also a new Sniper/Pistole game type for online matches, and a Tournament feature where players will be gifted 10 tickets each week that can be used to participate in special tournaments – don't worry, if you run out of tickets, you can always purchase more with real-life cash.Naughty Dog released a pair of video overviews showcasing this new content – one above the text here, the other just past the break.
Uncharted 3's latest lab is 5-on-5 SMGs, riot shields, and grenades
Naughty Dog has issued an update to Uncharted 3 with a brand new experimental Lab playlist to play around in. The playlist is going back to a 5v5 format, this time giving players a combination of riot shields, uzis, and grenades to carry out to the battlefield. Kickback and boosters are disabled, too, so it sounds like your best strategy is to be vicious: Shoot everything until you get close enough to stab them in the back.With this update, Naughty Dog also fixed an issue with DLC maps not showing up properly in the rotation, and there's a full rundown of what you'll see when on the company blog. The developer also promises a full schedule for upcoming labs and events soon, as well as more news about a new character coming to the game (from a Sony contest) and other updates in the next patch, 1.13.
Uncharted 3 patch 1.13 tweaks gameplay, adds mysterious new content
A new Uncharted 3 patch due "around this August 14th" brings a raft of balance tweaks and alterations – like switching Deathmatch from round 3 to round 5 of Team Objective games, and increasing the vertical distance required for the "Death from Above" medal.In addition to more unannounced gameplay fixes (see the full list so far after the break), Naughty Dog is teasing even more content – including an "exciting new system" and more DLC – to come alongside the update.
Uncharted 3 Patch 1.11 brings back Elimination Mode, 'The Lab'
A free content update/patch is headed to Uncharted 3 sometime before the end of this month, bringing with it new multiplayer modes and the promise of a better tomorrow. Well, the promise of more updates in the future, at any rate.In addition to an Advanced Settings menu and various other gameplay tweaks, Patch 1.11 reintroduces two features from Uncharted 2's multiplayer functionality: The Lab and Elimination Mode. The Lab, which is more of a playlist than a gameplay mode itself, contains unique variants of other multiplayer modes. It's set to launch with a T-bolt/Pistole-only version of Team Deathmatch, with "other game types" to be added "as the year progresses," according to Naughty Dog's patch notes.Elimination Mode splits players into two teams of five, with the obvious goal being to eliminate the opposing team. Unlike Team Deathmatch, however, players do not respawn during Elimination Mode matches – victory is claimed once one team has been fulled killed three out of five times.
PSN Tuesday: House of the Dead 4, StarDrone Extreme, Disgaea 3
Today's PlayStation Store update extracts The House of the Dead 4 from its forgotten existence in arcades, planting it in your tastefully lit abode for $9.99. You can also purchase the Vita's StarDrone Extreme, an enhanced and now cross-compatible version of the fast-paced PlayStation 3 hurtling game. (Yes, that's a genre. You hurtle.)Sony has expanded the store with tongue-in-cheek strategy RPG Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, new Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception DLC and a downloadable version of Dead Rising 2: Off the Record. PlayStation Plus subscribers can begin downloading the beta for Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which opens up on April 19.For a full list of this week's additions, check out the PlayStation Blog.
Uncharted 3's discarded level ideas
Uncharted 3 didn't just pop out of Naughty Dog's studio, polished and fully formed, without any work from the developers themselves. Part of that "work" process involves pitching and sometimes discarding a level idea or two -- or 12. Naughty Dog has released a dozen images of the Uncharted 3 that could have been, along with a brief description of each, to IGN.One canceled level is the "Foggy Forest," pictured above, which transformed into the French Chateau setting in the final game, with less mist and early-morning light. "The Sand Pit" had Sandlantis hidden in a desert sinkhole and the "Floating Reservoir" would have seen Drake fight his way up the inside of an oil reservoir in the shipyard.Check out all of the would-have-been, could-have-been ideas here.
