Uncharted 2 : Multiplayer Preview

The original Uncharted took many by surprise; the game was an unexpected hit selling over two million units on the PS3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves looks really promising and offers better visuals as well as new multiplayer mode. The multiplayer beta has been active for the past three weeks and it's quite popular as you will always find people queued up for a match. 

To be honest I was a little surprised when Sony announced multiplayer for Uncharted 2, as they didn't really need a multiplayer component since Uncharted was a stellar single player experience. But these days developers' don't believe in a core single player experience anymore, hence UC2 will ship with some traditional and some not-so-traditional multiplayer. The multiplayer beta offers two game modes; competitive and co-operative. Competitive mode consists of traditional Team deathmatch and a CTF inspired mode called Plunder. The deathmatch is pretty standard stuff, with two sides, permanent spawn spots and an abundance of weapons. The shooting mechanism is very similar to the original UC, with a similar control scheme.

You have standard weapons like rifles, snipers, shotguns and pistols, with applicable real life physics like recoil, so it's not just run-and-gun. You can take cover behind most solid objects, which adds a little depth to the game. The cover system slows down the game as you won't find people running around aimlessly. However, players tend to use the cover mechanics a lot. The deathmatch is fun but be prepared to die a lot, since the maps aren't too big and players tend to chuck grenades.  On the other hand Plunder is a very team centric mode, and requires some really good co-ordination. Players need to infiltrate and pick up a heavy gold statue, which needs to be carried back to base. The carrier slows down and is limited to using his pistol, so it's up to his teammates to protect him. What's really cool is the option to pass on the statue to a teammate or leave it on the ground, finish off the enemies nearby and then proceed.

The 'Plunder' mode is really addictive and although it follows an age-old formula, it works like a charm. The players can choose special abilities in competitive multiplayer. You have two slots that can be filled with abilities that range from more accuracy while shooting to carrying more ammo. The other winner is the co-op mode, which is a welcome addition to UC2. The co-op mode features Nathan, the new female lead Chloe as well as Sully (your old companion). The game randomly assigns you a character though all players have equal attributes, so no one has an unfair advantage. The co-op level is about 10 min long and features many co-op events. These are very simple acts that need to be performed by at least two teammates. These include helping teammates scale high structures or helping them over a wall. The game makes it challenging to carry out these acts as there are enemies constantly firing at you, but it's the challenge that makes the co-op mode fun.

One thing that I noticed in co-op was that, enemies tend to jump out from all sides, so you always need to watch out for yourself and your partner. If one of the players is killed, the mission goes on but once the remaining players clear the area and reach a checkpoint, everyone joins back. The co-op mode takes a lot of inspiration from games like Gears of War and Resident Evil 5, so you will face situations when you need to revive your teammates when they are down and bleeding. The co-op works smoothly and provides a very good experience.

Overall the new multiplayer component in Uncharted 2 looks very good and will add to the overall appeal, thus making UC2 even more exciting.