And just when Tiger Airways thought things couldn’t get any worse…

Are you ready for your first taste of one of the year’s most anticipated PS3 exclusives? The Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception multiplayer beta, which has thus far been restricted to PlayStation Plus members and purchasers of inFAMOUS 2, will be made available to all PSN users from today. By the time the beta concludes on 13 July, you’ll have had access to three maps and nine adversarial and cooperative game modes.

While the original Uncharted was strictly a single player game, the first sequel introduced a number of (generally well received) multiplayer modes. This time around, developer Naughty dog is aiming to transform multiplayer into an “active cinematic experience”. Translation? Expect to encounter a range of extravagant scripted events… over and over again.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is scheduled for release on PS3 on Thursday 3 November 2011. This is a great time to be an Uncharted fan as a second title, Uncharted: The Golden Abyss is also in the works, this time for the recently announced PSVita.

Epic staff react to the news.

Try to picture yourself toiling away for years on what you sincerely hope will be a great game. Now, imagine how you would feel if your work was stolen months prior to its release date and made available free of charge. As reported by GameSpot, this is the unpalatable scenario currently facing Epic Games.

An unfinished version of the studio’s rabidly anticipated Gears of War 3 has been published on torrent sites. Though some multiplayer components are absent from the build, it reportedly contains the single player campaign in its entirety. The one saving grace is that the pirated software will only run on certain modified Xbox 360 consoles.

Epic Games has issued an official statement acknowledging that it is aware of the leak, noting that an investigation is underway and emphasising that the product currently available is “not representative of what fans will enjoy when the game launches worldwide on September 20, 2011.”

“Ugh. I’m getting too old for bachelor parties.”

Parisian independent Darkworks has commenced work on its latest project. Black Death is a survival horror game set in a city overrun by a mysterious black smoke. While this alone sounds like a major public health concern, the authorities will have more to worry about than a few cases of smoke inhalation. Those unfortunate enough to be effected by the noxious cloud tend to mutate into barbarous monstrosities hell bent on being gunned down by the protagonist wreaking havoc at every opportunity.

Players will be tasked not only with shooting and bludgeoning their adversaries, but also with crafting makeshift chemical weapons. It will also be possible to cure rather than kill at least some of the mutants.

Black Death looks to be an ambitious project, especially in light of the fact that Darkworks hasn’t released a game since 2006. At one stage, the studio was attached to Ubisoft’s long delayed action title I Am Alive, but has since departed that project. Darkworks is yet to announce a publisher or release date for its latest game.

According to IGN, Black Death will be coming to 360, PS3 and PC.

Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing?

MICROSOFT Xbox 360 Nothing

NINTENDO Wii Nothing 3DS Nothing DS Nothing

SONY PS3 UFC Personal Trainer PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Nothing

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the new downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Backbreaker: Vengeance * Galaga Legions DX * Half Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax

NINTENDO WiiWare Nothing 3DS eShop Airport Mania: First Flight * Delbo * A Fairy Tale DSiWare A Fairy Tale

SONY PSN Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp  * Gatling Gears * Puzzle Dimension * Star Raiders Minis Nothing

VALVE Steam Killing Floor: Complete Pack * F.E.A.R. 3 * Puzzle Agent 2

Recent instalments of New Media: 26.06.11 l 19.06.11 l 12.06.11 l 05.06.11 l 29.05.11