One of the more appealing aspects of video games that tell a good story is their use of real-world situations, events, and people to further the story of the game. Seamlessly blending fact with fiction is a great way to keep gamers involved in the plot, due to the familiarity with events going on around them. For example, Mass Effect puts gamers into the outer reaches of space, but the vehicle for getting there (discovery of ruins on Mars, Charon actually being a mass relay and not a moon) seems plausible enough. Assassin's Creed mixes real, historical people with fictional events to tell a grand story about one man's ancestors.

The Uncharted Series is no stranger to this either. In the original game, Nathan is searching for Sir Francis Drake's remains (his ancestor) as well as the fabled lost city of El Dorado. The lineage of Sir Francis to Nathan plays another important role in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, once again mixing fact with the writer's fantasy.

But what about actually finding this lost city, or the actual coffin of Sir Francis Drake?

The Daily Telegraph recently reported that an expedition is underway, one that may have actually uncovered the location of Drake's long lost fleet. Funded and led by former Philadelphia 76ers owner Pat Croce, they discovered what is believed to be two of Drake's ships - the 195-ton Elizabeth and 50-ton Delight - off the coast of Panama. Croce spoke to The Daily Telegraph, expanding on what they believe to have found.

"We are 98 percent sure of their veracity. The charred wood, the lead on board, the English pottery from that period. And we're confident no crew in its right mind would have deliberately sailed there."

While off the coast of Portobelo, Sir Francis Drake became ill and died, being buried in a lead coffin while in full body armor (so the Spanish would not be able to reclaim his body, presumably). The expedition is currently scanning the sea floor, hoping to find the coffin of Drake. Because the ships were discovered within the coastal boundaries of Panama, they remain in the water, virtually untouched.

If the coffin is found, the question remains: will this real-world event have any carry over into the fictional world of Uncharted?

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is currently available exclusively for the PS3.

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Source: The Daily Telegraph (via Kotaku)