Earlier this week, the highly anticipated Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Multiplayer Beta was released in hopes that it would not disappoint; sadly, the technical difficulties gamers encountered after downloading it, were enough to give everyone a headache, and set the tone for a dreadful experience.
Lag, console freezing, unknown strings… these were just some of the errors fans dealt with, but as Naughty Dog got to work and the day went on, the Uncharted 3 Beta began to fulfill it’s promise as a new, dynamic multiplayer adventure.
I. Graphics, Design, and Detail~
Drake’s Deception takes the term “realistic” to a whole-new level; From the characters, to the cars, Uncharted 3’s graphics are much more pristine and refined than they were in Uncharted 2… and I bet you thought Nathan Drake couldn’t look any better! But while the graphics in the game were obviously a step in the right direction, the multiplayer menu’s, (level) badges, and booster images were beyond lackadaisical. It’s a very rare happenstance that Naughty Dog appears uninspired, but these designs say otherwise. I’m just hoping these are merely beta facades, because I normally wouldn’t expect something so bland and bulky from the Dogs (especially after Uncharted 2’s flawless multiplayer interface)!
II. Character/Weapon Customization~
In Drake’s Deception, you are now able to customize your multiplayer profile and make it more… you. In the beta you’re only given 3 options for Heroes (Treasure Hunter, Nathan Drake, and Victor Sullivan) and 1 option for Villains (Pirate), as well clothing and accessories; as you level up, more of these options become accessible to you. Along with character customization, you can build your loadout to suit your playing style. Below are the weapons and weapon mods available during the beta:
Primary Weapons: AK-47, G-MAL, Dragon Sniper, M9
Secondary Weapons: PARA 9, Arm Micro
Primary Weapon Mods: Clip Size, Rate of Fire, Call Out, Max Ammo (available for Sniper), Blindfire Accuracy (Co-Op Only), Scope Zoom (Co-Op Only)
Secondary Weapon Mods: Clip Size, Reload Speed
Not only are you able to customize your character and weapons, but you can give yourself an emblem and make your mark on the map(s), pick your primary free-for-all character, and set your choice of taunt (don’t forget to check out the four NEW taunts Naughty Dog added)!
III. Multiplayer Modes and Gameplay~
The beta features both old and new modes that we can expect to see in the full length release of Uncharted 3. Returning multiplayer game types are Team Death Match and Co-Op arena with a twist, while the newer modes we’re introduced to are Free For All, Three Team Deathmatch, a “Hardcore” Playlist (which is barebones, no boosters or medal kickbacks), and soon-to-come Co-Op Hunter and Co-Op Adventure. Below is a rundown of how the beta will run from June 28th to July 14th:
*June 28 to July 3 Gametypes:Team Deathmatch, Plunder, Three Team Deathmatch, Hardcore, Co-op Arena
Maps: Airstrip, Chateau
*July 4 to July 9 Gametypes:Team Deathmatch, Free For All, Team Objective, Hardcore, Co-op Hunter
Maps: Airstrip, Chateau
*July 10 to July 14 Gametypes:Team Deathmatch, Plunder, Three Team Deathmatch, Hardcore, Co-op Adventure, Co-op Arena
Maps: Airstrip, Yemen
(via NaughtyDog.com)
The actual gameplay itself hasn’t changed much from Uncharted 2, it’s just been given a few enhancements. With added bonuses like Medal Kickbacks and Power Plays, Uncharted 3’s Multiplayer is sure to keep the adrenaline rushing.
Power Plays are quick events that occur, giving the losing team an advantage, and the winning team a bonus. The three power plays provided in the beta are:
Marked Man – A player on the winning team is targeted, and whenever he is killed, the losing team is granted 3 points. The winning team gets double cash for each kill during that minute, and a chance at a medal if the marked man is kept alive.
Exposed – The location of each player on the winning team is shown, and the winning team once again receives double cash for each kill during the minute.
Double Damage – The losing team inflicts double damage against the opposition, and the winning team is given double cash [for the minute].
The power plays spice things up for both teams, and keep the match exciting. I am a huge fan of these because they give everyone a chance to work together as a team, which was what lacked in a lot of Uncharted 2’s multiplayer.
Medal Kickbacks are the “kill-streak rewards” of Uncharted. These are granted to you by collecting enough medals, which can be obtained via treasure chests or kills when your opponent drops one upon death. The Medal Kickbacks found in the beta are:
RPG –
What: Player is given an RPG with 2 bullets instantly
Duration: Until death
Cost: 14 medals
Speedy G –
What: Speed Boost
Duration: 20 seconds
Cost: 7 medals
Smoke Bomb –
What: Player vanishes into a puff of smoke
Duration: Until death
Cost: 7 medals
Militia Man –
What: No reloading
Duration: 30 seconds
Cost: 7 medals
Cluster Bomb –
What: One grenade explodes into multiple grenades
Duration: Until death
Cost: 10 medals
Disruption –
What: Nerby enemies cannot see player arrows
Duration: 25 seconds
Cost: 7 medals
Boosters have also returned in Uncharted 3, and this time you can level up your boosters to make them more powerful. The following boosters are provided in the beta:
Slot 1 Boosters:
Come Here – See the opponent that killed you up to 15 meters away until they die. (3 Lvls)
Endurance – Decrease sprint recovery time by 20%
Cloaked – Opponents will not see your player arrow and you are difficult to hear
Weapon Expert – Add one additional MOD slot to all pistols
Booster Slot 2:
Power Hunter – See the location of Power Weapons within 10 meters
Daredevil –Taunt over an opponents body to receive ammo
Back in the Saddle –Respawn time reduced by 2 seconds
Bargain – Decrease Medal Kickback cost by 1
Co-op Booster Slot 1:
Scoped In – Co-op Reduced pain wobble while scoped in
Regeneration – Co-op Recover from wounds faster
Beast Mode – Co-op Move faster with heavy objects
Co-op Booster Slot 2:
Monkey Man – co-op Increase traversal speed
Bargain – Co-op Decrease Medal Kickback cost
Back in the Saddle – Co-op Respawn time reduced by a specified time
(via GotGame.com)
A few more quirks added to the multiplayer, are the mini-cutscenes before and after matches, interactive turret guns located around the maps, and the woman shouting commands to you, which a lot of people find extremely annoying, but I think it’s a great addition to the excitement and dynamic of the multiplayer experience.
IV. Things to Improve~
I am thoroughly impressed with the direction Naughty Dog took, but there are still things that need to be improved; and while some of these may be small details, they’re still part of our experience and effect us as players nonetheless.
– Invites: There needs to be a notification that pops up when a party invite is sent; it’s impossible to know if someone has invited you or not.
– More Buddy System Capabilities: There should definitely be more to the “Buddy System” than spawning on your buddy and being able to “fist-bump” them over a corpse.
– Abrupt cut-off at the end: When a match ends, the abrupt cut-off really makes me cringe; the screen sort of “freaks out” for a second and goes straight into the cut scene, causing you to wonder if you even got killed the opponent you were working on! This feature definitely needs some polishing.
– Multiplayer Interface: As I stated before, I really hope what we have to look at now is not the finished product!
– Pull-Downs/Kick-offs seem to still have issues: It’s inevitable that Uncharted 2 became laggy and set the stage for a lot of unfair situations, but I believe the pull-downs/kick-off’s still have issues! There’s plenty of times where I’ve been hanging from a ledge, had an opponent standing right above me, and his kick-off reigned supreme over my pull-down… how? The melee instances are frustrating, and I just hope this gets tweaked a bit.
– (Primary) Gun Noise
– Cinema Bugs
– Matchmaking
With 4 months left until the final product, I think the beta is a great way for Naughty Dog to gain feedback from fans on what to improve or tweak before the big day. It is a learning experience for all of us, and I have faith that they [Naughty Dog] will listen and do their best to keep us interested, entertained, and satisfied. Make sure to check-back in for impressions on up-coming game modes during phase two of the beta (*check schedule), as well as anymore Uncharted updates or news.
*Image credits go to GotGame.com and The Official Naughty Dog Flickr.
