Today, Naughtydog posted on the PlayStation Blog explaining a cool aspect of Uncharted 3's multiplayer.
The Buddy System as they call it is an interesting new part of Uncharted 3's multiplayer that rewards people for playing in pairs in the various competitive team modes of Uncharted 3. To request someone be your buddy in any online match, you simply need to stand aside them and press the d-pad down. If they agree to be buddies from that point onwards, any kills or tasks you both are working on will reward extra experience and treasures if you work well together. Occasionally, enemy players will drop a treasure unique to you and your buddy. It may be for them or you, but regardless who claims it, extra points and medals will be rewarded. Likewise for performing something like a high-five (a taunt unique to being paired with a buddy) you are also rewarded more experience and more medals.
While it may seem quite simple, it's things like this which add great incentive to teamwork and co-operation in online gaming, something that is quite often lacking when playing with strangers over the internet. If Naughtydog's system helps keep me from getting stuck in groups with people who think that playing solo is the key to victory in team based gaming (hint: it's not), then I am that much more excited to check out the various online modes that will come packaged with (arguably) Sony's biggest title of the year.
Watch the below video if you're interested as game designer Robert Cogburn explains the system in further detail.
