So E3 has past and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, the sequel to the excellent PS3 2007 exclusive Uncharted, won game of the show. Currently there is a closed Beta for new online portion of Uncharted which includes both Competitive and Cooperative Multiplayer modes. Fortunately I was able to get my dirty mitts on a US code just to tell you all how great this game is going to be.

Is it enough for you if I tell you that this game is awesome and if you have to sell your grandmother to get this game when it FINALLY arrives you should do it? I didn’t think so, that’s never enough for all of you. Well as many of you may know I loved the first uncharted; I still rate it as one of the best games of this generation both graphically and in terms of the quality of the game. I must say that Uncharted 2 takes everything I liked about the first game and turns it up to eleven.

The first thing that needs to be addressed are the visuals, they are already fantastic. The beta are already looks noticeably better than the first game, considering that most games have the visuals turned down for Multiplayer this has me really excited to see how good Uncharted 2’s single player will look. When a game makes you stop and look at the water effects for a puddle, you know the game is special. Animations are also another example of the visual quality of this game, they are smooth and realistic.

A necessary part of the first game’s combat was the cover system, it worked well but at times seemed a little bit hard to use. This seems to have been fixed in the beta; the cover system is smooth and easy to use and is just as necessary as ever. Also it’s a lot of fun to be able to hang from a wall and still be able to shoot, though only with your pistol. Another of the fixes from the first game seems to be the Melee combat, now it’s a lot smoother and your characters seem a lot more powerful. The combo’s have seemed to be traded in for a more dynamic system that is easier to use.

The gunplay is as smooth as ever and in the Beta there are more weapons that I can remember from the entire first game. Everyone starts out with an AK-47, a 92FS Pistol and a Grenade with heaps of ammo lying around and other guns to find in hidden places. These include a FAL, M-4, Dragon Sniper, grenade launcher, Desert Eagle pistol, Micro 9mm. I found that I tend to use Pistols as much if not more than the other weapons. This is a game where knowing the map is essential to finding the best weapons. Oh speaking of the best weapons there is a Gatling gun, this thing is all kinds of awesome. It is the most powerful gun and you can rip through opponents but you cannot enter cover without dropping it and you move incredibly slowly to balance things out nicely. Another improvement to note is that now you can aim with your reticule and throw a grenade where you are looking; it is much simpler system than the Sixaxis aiming from the first game.

In the Beta there are 2 different Competitive modes, no word on how many will be in the final game. The 2 modes are a basic Team Death Match which proved to be the most popular in the Beta and Plunder. Plunder is a unique take on the classic Caputre the flag mode, only this time the flag is a heavy “treasure” that when you’re holding you can only use your pistol. The other interesting thing is that you can throw the treasure to your team mates.

Anyone who has played multiple online shooters knows that a good map is essential to a fun online experience. This is one area that Uncharted has locked down; the 2 maps that the beta has let me play are great. The village is my favourite of the two and is set in well, a village. It has plenty of hiding spots for snipers and a few cramped streets for the 1 v 1 and an open courtyard begging for a shoot out. The plaza is a much different looking map, and seems to be the easier map. It is a lot more open yet snipers are going to have a harder time on this map. The maps give plenty of places to try out the platforming that Uncharted is now famous for. Certain buildings and structures area able to be climbed and they blend into the environment nicely; this may be a problem to some because the level of detail in the game makes it hard to find a good climbing spot at times. But it is also one thing that I think keeps the Uncharted 2 Multiplayer relevant in a Holiday period that contains Modern Warfare 2, MAG, and Halo ODST. Another huge plus for the game is that a party chat has been built into the game making for a much smoother online experiance than most PS3 games.

Also in the Beta is a 3 player co-op scenario, 3 players take the role of Drake, Chloe or Sully. The Co-op scenarios seem to run along side sections of the single player with changes to them to allow teamwork in getting past certain platforming sections. It can be annoying when your working with someone and they take too long to figure out hey I'm meant to go over there and can break the flow of the game. The enemies in the scenario come from multiple entry points; you may think you have found a nice piece of cover until an NPC sneaks up behind you. When a team mate gets downed a countdown forms above their head indicating how long you have to revive them before they die. If someone dies they enter a spectator mode until the area is cleared of all enemies. Your team gets 3 tries to finish the scenario; you fail once if all 3 of you die.

The 2 different gameplay types are joined together by earning money, which translates to experience and increases your overall rank and giving you access to more boosters, think Call of Duty Perks. There are boosters that concentrate on better accuracy from the hip or down the barrel and how much ammo you receive. 2 can be selected at one time. It seems that this could be a very addicting game come its release.

Overall the Uncharted 2 Beta has me hyped for the full release of the game, as if I wasn’t already. I was worried that Uncharted 2’s multiplayer would feel tacked; the beta proved that is will just a lot of dept to the game. The levels are well laid out and the game is generally a lot of fun. Hibernation is sounding like a good idea for me until this game comes out.