Howdy, Escapist. Today is June 3rd, the day that the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Multiplayer Beta was released. Everyone who has a copy of inFAMOUS also recieved a code to play the U2 Beta. While Uncharted 2 does have Fluid controls, Likeable Characters, and great weapons, I still found the Beta to be rather Dull.. Atleast in the Co-op Department, but more on that later.
Anyway, the Beta is split up into two Sections: Co-op and Competitive. Competitive is your straight-up Team Deathmatch, with one side playing "Heroes" and the others "Villains." This was where I found myself having the most fun. You start out with your team near a supply of weapons, and you soon work your way into battle. There isn't any advanced "Medic" or "Healing" Gameplay, so when you die.. Thats it, 5 Seconds and you can come back into the Fray.
Fortunately to give the gametype some weight, there are 2 Upgrade categories called Boosters. You can choose to give yourself More Ammo in each clip, More Ammo as a whole, and things of that nature. You can also Give yourself upgrades like steadier aim with an assault rifle, or increased accuracy with a pistol while blindfiring. This department feels a bit lacking, but then again, It's a beta. I can only hope that Naughty Dog will add more Boosters down the road. I can see them being an intricate system that really irons out a remarkable competitive option.
"Ahh damn, Jeff is gonna be so pissed.."
Now then, Currency. No need to freak out, this isn't a suprise economics exam (It is summer.. After all) Currency plays a role in your level. For each kill, you get a certain amount of money, which adds to a total. This total then fills up a circual bar and shows how much more money you'll need before you rank up. There are also Award-type trophies for completing in-game milestones, such as you and your enemy killing each other at the same time, and so on. You can also pick up Treasures that are dropped by your enemy in co-op, and even that adds to your score. I like it when an overarching scheme (In this case, Cash) ties into the Multiplayer segments of the same game. It makes the world feel so much more relatable to that of the Single Player.
Now the Co-Op... This is where my journey took a turn for the worse. Oh, Don't get me wrong, It's plenty of fun.. When your team mates aren't complete morons. I know that experiences will differ for each person, but out of the 5 matches of co-op I've played, every one of my two team mates were either too stubborn to work as a team (Defeating the entire purpose) or to.. Lets say.. "Pants on Head Retarded" to quote Yahtzee. My adventure into co-op hell involved me standing around holding the triangle button while my team mates dicked around with Assault Rifles for 5 minutes. Oh and did I forget to mention, there is friendly fire also..
Best part? I know of no way to turn it off. So that means when the 8 year old brat on your team dies, and as he's screaming into the Bluetooth mic for you to pick him up, only to be half a second too late and have to restart the checkpoint over again: He will murder you and your friend, for being too smart to not rush the 3 men armed to the teeth with Kevlar and Shotguns just to revive him.. Jackass..
//cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/04/uncharted_2_coop.jpg
"Woops.. I thought you said SHOOT the propane tanks located next to the cars.. My bad"
The maps are pretty fun. We've played through, what looks like a Tuscany-esque village in the mountains, and through a city at night. There are vantage points like Pipes and signs that you can hang from to give you cover, just watch your back. The climbing works just as well as the first Uncharted, and it ties over into the online nicely. It helps the characters you're playing feel much less... robotic. Normally, this would be the part where I gripe about "Cheap kills" or something of that nature. But to be honest, I have yet to feel that way about dying. Each death had the impact of "You Deserved it.. Fool" to it, and I didn't feel compelled in the slightest to shout colorful expletives through the microphone because of it. This is also aided by the animations. They look really nice.
"Randy.. for the last time. Snipers are looking for people WITHOUT the NDI Tag. Pssh.. Interns.."
Well, thats all I can really say about the Uncharted 2 Beta. For a first attempt at making a Multiplayer mode, Naughty Dog hasn't done a bad job. Hopefully there will be more additions and refinements down the line, but if you're looking to have a good time, Go with Competitive.
Even with some Bugs here and there, this is still a pretty fun Beta, and a blast when you're playing with a few chums. While it won't blow you off your couch in amazement, it's still a modest, if not addictive attempt at capturing the chaos and intensity of online gaming.
Anyway, the Beta is split up into two Sections: Co-op and Competitive. Competitive is your straight-up Team Deathmatch, with one side playing "Heroes" and the others "Villains." This was where I found myself having the most fun. You start out with your team near a supply of weapons, and you soon work your way into battle. There isn't any advanced "Medic" or "Healing" Gameplay, so when you die.. Thats it, 5 Seconds and you can come back into the Fray.
Fortunately to give the gametype some weight, there are 2 Upgrade categories called Boosters. You can choose to give yourself More Ammo in each clip, More Ammo as a whole, and things of that nature. You can also Give yourself upgrades like steadier aim with an assault rifle, or increased accuracy with a pistol while blindfiring. This department feels a bit lacking, but then again, It's a beta. I can only hope that Naughty Dog will add more Boosters down the road. I can see them being an intricate system that really irons out a remarkable competitive option.
"Ahh damn, Jeff is gonna be so pissed.."
Now then, Currency. No need to freak out, this isn't a suprise economics exam (It is summer.. After all) Currency plays a role in your level. For each kill, you get a certain amount of money, which adds to a total. This total then fills up a circual bar and shows how much more money you'll need before you rank up. There are also Award-type trophies for completing in-game milestones, such as you and your enemy killing each other at the same time, and so on. You can also pick up Treasures that are dropped by your enemy in co-op, and even that adds to your score. I like it when an overarching scheme (In this case, Cash) ties into the Multiplayer segments of the same game. It makes the world feel so much more relatable to that of the Single Player.
Now the Co-Op... This is where my journey took a turn for the worse. Oh, Don't get me wrong, It's plenty of fun.. When your team mates aren't complete morons. I know that experiences will differ for each person, but out of the 5 matches of co-op I've played, every one of my two team mates were either too stubborn to work as a team (Defeating the entire purpose) or to.. Lets say.. "Pants on Head Retarded" to quote Yahtzee. My adventure into co-op hell involved me standing around holding the triangle button while my team mates dicked around with Assault Rifles for 5 minutes. Oh and did I forget to mention, there is friendly fire also..
Best part? I know of no way to turn it off. So that means when the 8 year old brat on your team dies, and as he's screaming into the Bluetooth mic for you to pick him up, only to be half a second too late and have to restart the checkpoint over again: He will murder you and your friend, for being too smart to not rush the 3 men armed to the teeth with Kevlar and Shotguns just to revive him.. Jackass..
//cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2009/04/uncharted_2_coop.jpg
"Woops.. I thought you said SHOOT the propane tanks located next to the cars.. My bad"
The maps are pretty fun. We've played through, what looks like a Tuscany-esque village in the mountains, and through a city at night. There are vantage points like Pipes and signs that you can hang from to give you cover, just watch your back. The climbing works just as well as the first Uncharted, and it ties over into the online nicely. It helps the characters you're playing feel much less... robotic. Normally, this would be the part where I gripe about "Cheap kills" or something of that nature. But to be honest, I have yet to feel that way about dying. Each death had the impact of "You Deserved it.. Fool" to it, and I didn't feel compelled in the slightest to shout colorful expletives through the microphone because of it. This is also aided by the animations. They look really nice.
"Randy.. for the last time. Snipers are looking for people WITHOUT the NDI Tag. Pssh.. Interns.."
Well, thats all I can really say about the Uncharted 2 Beta. For a first attempt at making a Multiplayer mode, Naughty Dog hasn't done a bad job. Hopefully there will be more additions and refinements down the line, but if you're looking to have a good time, Go with Competitive.
Even with some Bugs here and there, this is still a pretty fun Beta, and a blast when you're playing with a few chums. While it won't blow you off your couch in amazement, it's still a modest, if not addictive attempt at capturing the chaos and intensity of online gaming.
