I’m trying something a little different with Download Lowdown the next few weeks. I'll still be writing about what's good and bad in the world of digital downloads, but I’m only going to cover one game per update. Rather than one big DLLD per week, you’ll now get two or three bite-sized ones.This will make the updates timelier and more frequent.

Today I tackle the Uncharted 2 multiplayer demo. Hit the jump to find out if it’s awesome or super-awesome. Or, maybe it's both...

Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Demo
System: PlayStation 3
Price: Free

The Lowdown:
A lucky few got a chance to play the Uncharted 2 multiplayer beta a few months ago, but as of 11am today, everyone’s invited to the party. In fact, the party is even better now because there’s more content than before. This hefty 1.3GB demo includes two more maps, two more competitive modes, and a new co-op mode, as well. That brings the total to four maps, four competitive modes, and two co-op modes. Sometimes patience does pay off.

There’s also a cinema mode that allows you to be a super nerd and rewatch previous matches to scour the footage for ways to improve. If you want to be a super-ultra-nerd you can use the machinima mode and make your own action flicks. It may be kind of nerdy, but it’s pretty robust (there’s a green screen mode and the game even syncs the character’s lips with your voice). I’m sure people with more talent than me will do some pretty cool stuff with it.

But nobody cares about how much content there is if the game sucks, right? That’s not a problem here. I spent about an hour playing deathmatch and had a great time, even though I got my face shot off with regularity. Although I got my ass handed to me, I never felt particularly frustrated, which is what usually happens to me with online shooters.

I can’t quite put my finger on one particular reason as to why this game isn’t frustrating, but I think it’s a culmination of things; it’s easy to find weapons, you always start with one grenade, and the controls are responsive. I also liked the level layouts, the feel of the weapons, and the speed of the gameplay -- pretty much everything about it.

I got all excited about annoying the crap out of my Twitter followers with the game’s insanely idiotic Twitter notifications, but Naughty Dog has wisely realized that this is a horrible idea and has disabled the feature. It’s still there in the menus, but you can’t keep people abreast of your exciting trips through matchmaking anymore. Drat!

What Twitter says:
JuniorDoug is so excited about Uncharted 2 that he simply has to do a Ric Flair impersonation: “Uncharted 2 Beta Time... Wooooooooooooooo!!!”

JoeyNL is saying this in a Swedish Chef in my head and it cracks me up: “Nog ffjes Uncharted 2 doen en dan slapen!”

Fiedermauss... I don’t even know what the hell is going on here: “haha it was a polite way of saying ‘let's have sex’. Omg so want a ps3. ME is awesome DS is better. Want 2 play uncharted 2.”

King_Chile proves that both he and California, know how to party: “Got drunk with friends, played Uncharted 2, and reached rank 50. Fantastic night.”

Taswell probably had cake and ice cream when they heard the news about Twitter updates being disabled: “This Uncharted 2 Twitter shit is maddening. God knows what it'll be like when the game actually ships. I may be driven to murder.”

Like the new format? Hate it? Share your thoughts in the comments!