For the past few years, we here at Naughty Dog have been cranking away at creating not only a new single player adventure for Nathan Drake, but an awesome new online experience as well. It has taken blood, sweat, and possibly even a few tears to get to this point, but on June 3, you can get the first crack at a small slice of the multiplayer modes we’ll pack into the full game.
Everything in the Uncharted 2 multiplayer experience has been designed to get you into the game and playing quickly, so you can just skip this blog post if you’re really that impatient. Just kidding.
When you boot up the beta you’ll find we’ve included 2 playlists for you to try out: co-op and competitive. If you’ve got friends, we’ve made it easy to play together – just hit the triangle button to see your PSN friends list and you can send them an invite, join their party, or just check out their profile. Keep in mind that for the beta, the party size is limited to 5 for competitive and 3 for co-op!
Let’s give you a quick rundown of our two playlists so you can be ready day one…
The competitive playlists contains 2 maps, with 2 game types available on each: Deathmatch and Plunder. Deathmatch is pretty similar to what you’ve come to expect out of “team deathmatch” in other games. Plunder is Naughty Dog’s take on “capture the flag.” At the start of a round, we’ve placed a treasure in a neutral location on the map and the first team to bring it back to their capture chest scores a point – three points to win. What takes this mode into the UNCHARTED universe? Easy; you can now throw the treasure quite a ways in any direction – in some cases, you’ll HAVE to if you want to score a point.
The biggest thing to keep in mind while playing in competitive matches is to keep thinking three dimensionally. There are many, many different places to climb, hide, and shoot from above ground level. The best advice I can give: remember to look up. And keep moving – if you stay in one place too long, you are likely to have your neck snapped from behind or even be pulled off the ledge you are perched on!
As for the cooperative playlist, we’ve put in a snippet of one of our co-op experiences. Our co-op setups are really rocking right now with three people playing as Drake, Sully, and Chloe as they fight their way through a war-torn city to recover a treasure worth a fortune. In this mode, teamwork is everything and running off alone is a sure way to get killed. Thankfully, in most cases – except for, say, being blown up —you’re not out of the game. If you’ve been downed, you can be revived by one of the other players before your timer runs out! If everyone wipes, you start at the last checkpoint you passed, but be careful, if everyone wipes three times the match is over and you have to start over again. Oh, and keep an eye out on the combo meter on the upper right of the screen. Keep your combo meter increasing by getting kills, picking up treasures or completing objectives and you’ll get a multiplier to the points and cash you’re accumulating. Enemy kills are worth different point amounts depending on what gun you used, so experiment to get the best results. I’ll give you a hint, pistols are awesome.
A quick note on your rank and the Profile screen. You are ranked on the total amount of online cash you have earned. This includes both the co-op and competitive modes, so you can rank up either way. In competitive, you earn cash for defeating enemies, and earning medals. In co-op, you earn cash for your point score and by earning medals. You can see your rank both next to your name in the lobby and scoreboard, as well as in the Profile screen. In the Profile screen you can see your rank and how far until the next level, you can select Boosters to give yourself a leg up in competitive multiplayer, and select your player skins for competitive multiplayer. Remember to select your boosters before playing competitive multiplayer, and be aware that boosters do not apply in the co-op playlist.
Before I go, I want to let you know that we are asking all of you for your help. To make this the best game it can possibly be, we want to hear from you. Comments, concerns, things you like, things you hate, we want to hear it all. Keep an eye on the “message of the day screen” in our beta to find out where to leave us feedback and for dates and times you can play with the Dogs!
Hope to see you in the beta!
Justin Richmond
PSN: wildspeculation
Multiplayer Designer
Naughty Dog
Oh gosh I’m so excited for this. I can’t wait. Hope to see some of you there!
LoL! I hope Sony announcing that the Uncharted 2 Beta is going to be a day late isn’t their way of trying to help us cope with them LOSING Metal Gear to Microsoft! It seems like Sony is going to lose yet another E3 Event to Microsoft. They set the bar with their event today, and I’m hoping Sony has something to surpass it. Otherwise, it will be Microsoft and Kojima for the win!
I cant wait to play, look forward to pwning you all soon
Can’t wait to play aga… finally this beta. (:
Can the UK get involved in this too?
I have my copy of infamous already but no beta code was there :(
Is it an open Beta??? If not where can I get a Code???
@ 30 it was never planned for june 2nd.
I can’t wait to play this game it’s going to be one great experience.
yeah, another cool game for the ps3.. i’m still trying to platinum infamous, though
this is a good consolation after the 360 exclusive Metal Gear Rising announcement.. sony, you better top that tomorrow..
LET’S GET IT STARTED!!! :D
So awesome good thing I purchased inFAMOUS!
@56 All you need to do is Buy inFAMOUS
Can’t wait for this! Not only was inFamous an AMAZING game but I get to be in the Uncharted 2 beta!!!
Any chance of a release date at E3? :p
should be fun
I wish I could get in… :(
Will I be able to play online with my friends who don’t have the beta?
And is there no character customization? :(
Oh well, I can’t wait.
I can’t find the June Qore download?! It isn’t showing up in the download list.
So is there any other way to get into the beta??
I ordered inFamous online thinking all the first prints would come with the voucher, but no!!
Oh well, Uncharted 2 will rock.
I really like the Co op idea!
Are the key active now? Mine doesn’t work..
I bought my copy of Infmous, does this mean I automatically get access to the demo? EBGames didn’t give me any seperate voucher for it.
will the beta be open at midnight?
i’m guessing this game won’t have split-screen co-op? Oh well I’m still picking it because I loved the first game and I know it’s going to be better the second time around.
I’m happy I bought inFAMOUS right off the bat. I am really excited to see how the co-op is especially.
@70
It should be in the box.
do you know when the codes from gametrailers.com will be sent out to the users who sign up?
How big is the file size?
GREAT! I am sure the BETA will be amazing. Sadly i will hv to wait until saturday night to finally download it!!!!
This thing really does look pretty freakin’ amazing. I look forward tomorrow with arms wide open. >:)
Awesome I’ve got my codes ready to go!!! :D
please sony show ms whats a real kick up the ass. make the audience exult!
My copy of inFAMOUS didn’t come with a beta code. Boo hoo. =(
You can count me in.
I’ll most likely be there and I will submit all my thoughts about the experience to help make U2 when it’s ships out one of the best game out there
a have a few Uncharted 2 Multilayer Beta codes. i really want to play that Fight Night 4 demo..if anyone has that to trade, send me a message.
PSN: PROish
Thanks naughtydog!
I CANT WAIT! @ bob52:
the new mgs its coming to the ps3 & 360 bc its going to be a shorter game and what not.
I didn’t have the qore code yet… is this normal?
I can’t wait for this Beta! You guys have outdone yourself ND
No need to remember us that it is coming, we are Ready! loll Thanks for the post
Looks pretty cool.
@86 No,the New MGs is 360 only sadly.
@91 BoobooJones
no its not confirmed
Wednesday cant come soon enough!!!!
SONY/PS FTW! :D
I want in! :)
Hi,
I was just wondering at what time the beta goes live?
i got infamous but no beta key so im screwed… at least im still enjoying infamous which is a great game
can we download it at 12am?
MGS not being exclusive is great. The announcement is no surprise compared last years FFXIII. But after playing PS3 exclusives i am not even going to cry for any third party developers. Those games will be on the PS3 but exclusives are amazing. This Wednesday is going to be awesome. U2 looks incredible.
p.s. We got Ghostbusters lol.
PSN:stennex
GAP member.
SO PUMPED! Can’t wait to play uncharted multiplayer style!
Thanks Jusin…boy busy week with Uncharted 2 Beta and E3 !
Anyone that bought Infamous and says they don’t have a Beta….the add said only specially marked Infamous discs will have it.
I bought mine in Canada at Future shop and it has an Uncharted 2 sticker on the front cover…..inside the case is a one page flyer about Uncharted 2 and on the back of that at the top is the Beta Code.