Although gamers have been shown an extended gameplay sequence and received first looks at the game’s villain, there continue to be certain elements of Uncharted 3 that Naughty Dog has yet to comment on. Luckily, some new details have popped up, just before gamers forgot about the adventurous Nathan Drake, that remind gamers this should be one of your most anticipated titles of 2011.

While the details are fairly brief to say the least, they do shed light on many aspects of Uncharted 3 including new gameplay mechanics, the return of familiar faces, and how the desert setting ties into the game’s storyline.

While, to many gamers, that first footage of Uncharted 3 may have seemed like the same old Uncharted gameplay, Naughty Dog has confirmed to Official PlayStation Magazine that new mechanics and sequences will be in play.

Among those new mechanics is a new melee combat system that allows the player, as Drake, to pick up and use objects strewn about various locations. Though smashing a bottle over an enemy’s head is the only action detailed, gamers can expect the hand-to-hand combat from Uncharted to become much more dynamic and varied in this iteration.

Also helping to change up the pace in Uncharted 3 will be a vehicle sequence that is rumored to involve motorcycles. While Naughty Dog wouldn’t confirm, they did say that, when it comes to vehicular gameplay, they don’t want to repeat themselves.

Probably the element that is going to be the biggest change for Uncharted, going into its third iteration, is the storyline and setting. While gamers have been well informed of some bare bones details, the OPM article adds a few new ones.

This time around, Drake, Sullivan, and some familiar faces will be in search of the Iram of the Pillars, summed up by Naughty Dog as an Arabian Atlantis. Of course, like each game in the series, Uncharted 3 will see Drake jet setting around the globe, but the desert locations are where he will spend the bulk of his time.

Helping to keep those desert locations new and exciting, Naughty Dog is utilizing every sand-related trick in the book. Though sand might at first seem very plain and boring, things like shifting geography and mirages will help ensure that the game’s settings remain fresh and exciting.

The game’s villain, Katherine Marlowe, also had one little detail revealed that suggests she is part of a secret order that dates back to Queen Elizabeth I. How exactly that plays into the storyline has yet to be determined as Naughty Dog revealed the story is still being ironed.

New Uncharted 3 Details - Katherine Marlowe

For those who are looking forward to not only getting to jump back into the shoes of Nathan Drake, but to playing many more of his adventures, you are in luck. Though Uncharted 3 is releasing amidst a ton of trilogy-ending titles, the developer revealed they never planned to end the series at three.

With a few bits and pieces here and there, Naughty Dog has done enough to keep gamers intrigued, while still keeping the big reveals for trailers and media events. From what was detailed, though, it seems like Uncharted 3 will be a perfect combination of Uncharted favorites with a new villain, dynamic combat, and a new environment.

Which of these new Uncharted 3 details has you the most intrigued? Do you think that Naughty Dog is doing enough to evolve the series in order to keep it from becoming stale?

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception releases November 1, 2011 on the PS3.

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Source: SystemLink PlayStation