Mike Sharkey, News Editor: Looks like Nathan Drake has a few more stories to tell in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, thanks to the game's new narrative-infused (mmmm, narrative-infused) co-op multiplayer mode. You had a chance to go on a co-op adventure at E3, but I noticed you weren't playing as Drake or Sully. Who were you, Dame Helen Mirren?
Eric Neigher, Contributing Editor: I was some hot blonde chick, which is ironic because that's exactly what I have sitting on my lap as I write this. Actually, I believe that character's name is Elena Fisher, an Uncharted staple. As far as I can tell, she was equal to the boys in every way, especially in her ability to die quickly -- which I had my first experience with, thanks to you knocking me off a perfectly good ledge with your fat-ass Sully character. Thanks a lot for that, Mr. Co-op Man. Anyway, whether my alter-ego was a guy or a girl, I liked some of the collaborative stuff we were tasked with doing; shooting bad guys and climbing stuff was only part of it. Another aspect of the level we played was grabbing a treasure from a cabinet and then taking it to an exposed point, while our teammates had to provide cover. You can see this dynamic functioning well with a small group, and Naughty Dog assured us that the co-op was just for two or three, no more. So I guess that's a good thing?
Mike Sharkey: That was Elena? I could've sworn that was an older woman, which would most certainly be a more believable description of the fictional woman on your lap. It's true, though -- as Sully, I was as much an enemy as an ally, racking up as many friendly kills as the most badass bad guy we faced on the Syria level we played. Co-op cuts both ways, I suppose, especially when the Naughty Dog rep that was leading us through the demo as Nathan Drake (funny how he got to play the star, huh?) seemed less interested in actually leading us through the demo than running off on his own in search of glory. But you're right: After the initial hiccups, we found some interesting co-op options. But we should probably paint a clearer picture of where we were and what we were doing, don't you think? What was your impression of the Syria level and our narrative-infused objective?
Eric Neigher: Yeah, what was that guy's problem? You and I finished the playthrough with like $3,500, and he had like $11,000 and all the power-ups and weapons. Thanks for the measly $3,500 bucks and 9mm pistol, buddy, are you sure you can spare it? Anyway, to be honest, I wasn't really feeling much "narrative." It might've been because my headphones sucked, but it seemed like we were plopped down in some kind of ruin, and tasked with picking up heavy stone blocks and then grabbing treasures out of them. Enemies came in waves, broken up with a cut-scene or two in which Drake put some kinda something into another kinda something and some whatnot occurred, but other than that, it just kinda felt like a standard "fight the waves of bad guys" level. The inevitable boss was somehow able to single-handedly lift the stone blocks and pick up the treasure -- he didn't require any special teamwork to kill, but he did kill us all a lot of times, requiring us to at least revive each other a lot. We had access to many of the series' weapons, including the "Pistole" blunderbuss and the RPG (surprisingly ineffective), and plenty of the series' trademark climbing -- including a sequence in which we had to scale a parapet while enemy troops shot down at us. In all, it felt like an Uncharted single-player level, but with a couple of buddies. Or, you know, one buddy and one guy who bogarted all the damn bonuses.
Mike Sharkey: I love the narrative-in-multiplayer concept, particularly with Naughty Dog's signature cinematic touch. But I agree: Whether it was because of the particular circumstances of our demo, our less-than-helpful leader, or the actual design of the mode, the storyline aspect of the whole thing basically went out the window once the bullets started flying. One thing that stood out to me was the enhanced melee combat system. Did you notice how simple and intuitive it was to get in close on a foe, hit X, and watch a brutal animation unfold? Mainly because of the tighter, seamless melee, combat overall felt much tighter for me in Uncharted 3. What did you think?
Eric Neigher: Couldn't agree more. I'm not as expert with thumbsticks as I am with a mouse and keyboard, but I nevertheless was popping caps in heads and triangle-choking large men into submission all over the damn place. In fact, I almost felt a little too badass -- but I'm sure all that will be balanced out. Let's also mention Uncharted 3's version of killstreak rewards: kickbacks. Basically, if you do enough damage or pull off enough cool maneuvers (headshots, melee attacks, etc.), you earn abilities that can help you or you team with a press of up on the d-pad. You, I think, had some kinda invincibility that you earned... and I, as a weak and feeble woman, was given some kind of party-healing thing. Actually, I doubt it was tied to my character; I think I just didn't do well enough to earn a "good" kickback. I liked the way the game rewarded us for killing people in interesting ways, or saving our teammates, etc. It felt a little like all the enemies were the same, and that most of them were pretty dumb... but in a press demo, you never want to kick the press' ass too bad, so I'm sure this will be tweaked down the road. In all, I'd say that Uncharted 3's co-op (at least the Narrative Mode) is shaping up to be a fun experience, and at least a little bit unique. Time will tell.