[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcpanPnKHuM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[Initial reporting done by Eli English]
Naughty Dog, best known for their work on the Uncharted series, has announced that Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be getting a multiplayer beta. The beta will be available on July 5, or, if you’re a massive Uncharted fan and want to get your hands on it a week earlier, either having a Playstation Plus subscription or picking up a specially-marked copy of inFamous 2 will get you the beta on June 28.
The newest details in Uncharted 3 include the following;
Buddy system – The new game is designed to enhance a new degree of team work. As described by Naughty Dog, “Playing with friends and creating a team environment is extremely important for us and we’re trying to encourage this with the Buddy system. Each player will be partnered with a Buddy and you’ll be able to collectively share your successes throughout the match with each other. You can even pick up Treasures — more on that later — for your Buddy. The Buddy system also allows you to choose to spawn on your Buddy if they are safely out of combat so you can jump into the action together quicker. This is key since most of our game modes are all about team play and teams that stick together will do far better than teams who don’t.”
Customization – Naughty Dog is also adding customization for maps, characters and even weapons, stating, “There are a TON of customization options you can pick through and we know that you don’t want to be bogged down in menus in the limited time before the match begins trying to figure out which sets of customizations you want to slot for that match. We’ve introduced four slots to save specific loadouts — your starting rifle, starting sidearm, weapon customizations and mods, Boosters, and Kickbacks.”
“All of these customization and modifier options allowed us to extend our in-game reward system. No longer is everything tied to level gain or cash. During matches, you’ll have the opportunity to get items from treasure chests on the maps. You’ll also be able unlock a wide variety of items and modifiers through Missions. There are two types of Missions – some are instant missions and others, accessible from the Multiplayer menu, are more long term. Instant missions can appear in the middle of a match and provide a target that you can complete within a few matches tops. The Missions you select from the Multiplayer menu will take significantly more time, days of playtime possibly, and the rewards will be accordingly more significant.”
Much more information on the beta can be found off Naughty Dog’s official site.
Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception is set for release on the Playstation 3 on Novemember 1, 2011.