Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Multiplayer Beta Impressions

This generation of videogames has been largely defined by the widespread inclusion of online multiplayer, even in games which have their roots in single player experiences. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has jumped on to the online bandwagon with several multiplayer options. I’ve had a few days to get to grips with the beta so it’s time to answer the burning question; are Uncharted 2′s multiplayer offerings tacked-on or do they offer a worthwhile addition?

The original game provided a solid if occasionally uninspired single player experience. Its excellent platforming being offset by lacklustre combat and a lack of enemy variety. Unfortunately, that lack of inspiration has carried over into the multiplayer experience of Uncharted 2. The beta offers three options for online play; Deathmatch, CTF Plunder and three player co-op.

In terms of the competitive multiplayer modes, there’s absolutely nothing new on offer from Plunder and Deathmatch. Both exist as bog standard versions of exactly the same modes you can find in any other multiplayer shooter. They’re executed competently but there are other games out there and I can’t imagine Uncharted making much of a dent in established online communities.

Further to the lack of originality in the online offering, Uncharted 2 has adopted a character levelling system. You start with a number of perks ‘boosters’ available and unlock more as you earn more experience. Each provides an improvement to your character, such as increased accuracy or a larger clip. Personally I am quite fond of such features but anyone looking for an evenly balanced match will be disappointed. I have yet to unlock any new boosters even after levelling up several times. However I can’t imagine they would include the levelling unless it allows you access to new features.

Uncharted 2 retains the originals cover system. While the issues I had with it aren’t unique to the franchise, they are still notable. The same button is used for the dodging move and sliding into cover. This leaves a grey area where it becomes possible to do a forward roll when you intended to get behind a nearby object. On a few occasions this led to an untimely death as I tumbled forward, stood up again and was promptly gunned down. It’s never game breaking but it can prove frustrating.

Environments are equally generic and don’t really feel like they have any thematic link to the wider Uncharted world. It would be nice if a sniping area or powerful weapon could only be accessed by a platforming sequence. Sadly, they look and play like any generic shooter environment. The beta features a run down town square at night time and a rain soaked South American village in the daytime. Both environments are equally grim and bland.

The weapons are equally generic and feel incredibly out of place in the Uncharted universe. By far the worst offender is the gatling gun. It behaves much as any other gatling gun does in any other game, it takes a while to spin up, you can’t move as quickly as you normally can and you can’t take cover. I was genuinely taken aback when I found it and it really put the final nail in the coffin of feeling like I was still in the world of Uncharted.

The final mode available, three player co-op, is a bright spot on the horizon. It’s fun and actually includes the platforming elements that make it feel integrated with the wider Uncharted experience. As with so many co-op experiences, this mode has to be played with friends. My time spent playing with random partners was frequently utterly infuriating. To this day I still fail to comprehend the stupidity of my fellow gamers. At one point I became convinced that I was being intentionally griefed by a team-mate who wouldn’t move to the next objective. It turned out that he just failed to realise that enemies were re-spawning indefinitely until we reached the end of that section.

Overall, the only notable aspect of the beta is the aforementioned co-op. It adds enough to the experience to be a worthwhile inclusion and I look forward to experiencing it in full. The competitive modes feel tacked-on and I can only hope that this means Naughty Dog spent most of their time on the campaign.