And if all this isn’t enough, the beta features a full-fledged economy system. The money earned from the games can be spent to buy boosters (almost 80% of the final game’s boosters are present in the beta), weapon upgrades, character skins and taunts. More and more add-ons are unlocked as the player levels up. Money is earned by kills, assists and earning medals in both co-op and competitive multiplayer and medals are earned through specific in game objectives such as getting a kill streak, ending an opponent’s kill streak, using hand-to-hand combat and much more.
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Another brilliant addition to Uncharted 2’s multiplayer is the cinema mode. The recently played multiplayer games are saved in their entirety, and can be viewed at a later date and even uploaded to the internet. Not only can the player tweak with the lighting and contrast of the videos, the videos can be watched in slow motion, or from different players’ perspective, and one can even click pictures to showcase their particularly “bad-a*s” moments. In fact, all images in this feature are from the in-game cinema mode of the game.
Oh, and did I mention that the beta features Twitter support? Phew!
With such an abundance of content, Uncharted 2’s multiplayer isn’t just about adding replay value to the package. It intends to take on the best in the field and stand tall in their presence (I’m looking at you Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). Graphically, the game is absolutely gorgeous. The first time I stepped into the Ice Cave, I stared in awe at the two huge idols locked in battle (and got a rocket in my face for my lapse in concentration).
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There are few minor gameplay bugs and graphical glitches here and there. In one game, a grenade froze mid air and stayed that way for the rest of the game (It was very unnerving every time I stepped into that area during the game). In another, a small waterfall kept clipping around the mid-region. However, knowing Naughty Dog, all these bugs will be sorted out in the retail edition.
With no shortage of content (and quality), it is evident that the multiplayer component of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will translate to hours of entertainment once you are through with the epic single player campaign. However, this brings us back to the question I asked earlier: does it feel like Uncharted? The platforming obviously doesn’t play as much a role in the multiplayer as it does in single player, though it’s still a factor. But it would be unfair to pick on the game for that. The real sense of Uncharted lay in the engaging and visceral combat scenarios, which shifted from gunplay to hand-to-hand and back to gunplay with natural ease. And I’m happy to say, all that is there in the multiplayer.
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Apart from the frantic gun battles, if you manage to sneak up behind an opponent, you can immediately snap his neck. Hang from a ledge, and you can plunge an unsuspecting foe down to his death, just like you can in the single player game. If things get too close for comfort, the action can quickly shift from the nozzle to the butt of the gun in a smooth transition.
Yes, the multiplayer feels like Uncharted. And the game is all the more better for that. Now all I need to do to satiate my single player sensibilities protesting at the presence of multiple Drakes in a team is to assume that he is a Cylon.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is scheduled for release for PlayStation 3 on October 16. You can preorder the game right now at IVG. Click here for more info.
