Beyond The D-Pad

Due to my recent purchase of inFAMOUS, look for that review soon, I had the opportunity to participate in the Uncharted 2 closed multiplayer beta. The beta includes two modes: competitive multiplayer and co-operative multiplayer.

In competitive multiplayer there are two different game types, plunder and regular team deathmatch both of which can be played on one of two different maps. Plunder is sort of like the traditional capture the flag but with loot, your objective as a team is to find the treasure and successfully return it to your “base”. This in turn grants you a point and the first team to 5 points wins the match. Both of the maps, The Village and The Plaza are smaller type maps but highly vertical granting you the ability to scale most of the buildings to successful flank your enemies. Before the match begins you have the ability to customize your character as well as vote on which game type you want to play.

In co-operative multiplayer you play as Drake, Chloe, or Sully in a section called Nepal War Zone. You progress through the level completing different mission objectives and at times are actually forced to work together in order to proceed. Co-operative multiplayer truly captured the classic Uncharted feel and seamlessly progresses through the level. Like competitive multiplayer you gain coins based on kills and other mission objectives along with medals you achieve in order to level up your character.

Overall after playing both of the objectives and maps multiple times I was pleasantly surprised. Upon first glance you can’t help but notice the stunning graphics, which is to be expected, but the controls were simple and intuitive. The levels along with being highly vertical also appear to be well balanced with many different routes and options for tactical play. All of these things are exactly what you want in a multiplayer setting, which is refreshing. Since it’s a beta some flaws are to be expected, the small problems I had were with the hit detection and the occasional spawn camping. Although probably not a problem with the beta I also had trouble at times finding a game. Lastly my only complaint was with the game setup, after completion of a game everyone must cancel out and find another game instead of automatically transitioning into the next game. After playing the multiplayer I can honestly say that Naughty Dog has made a truly top notch multiplayer to compliment their already first rate single player. I will continue to play the beta and eagerly look forward to the full release. This beta only confirms that I will be purchasing Uncharted 2 on day one.

If you have had a chance to play the beta I would be eager to hear your impressions, do so via the comments below.