Digital Extremes and D3 Publisher have revealed a few new bits of info about their upcoming PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 third-person shooter, Dark Sector. This time, we're given a look at the game's multiplayer mode, which is split into two distinct game types: Infection and Epidemic.

Infection is a match between main character Hayden Tenno and the Lasrian military. One player gets to be Hayden while up to nine other players chase him down as members of the Lasrian military.

Troopers can only attack Hayden and will be armed with either an assault rifle or a shotgun, a couple of grenades, and one proximity mine. To bring Hayden down, Troopers must inflict a set amount damage which will stun him, and then, while he is stunned, perform a finisher. Whoever performs the finisher down assumes the role of Hayden in the next round.

The player who controls Hayden has no allies, but he does have impressive firepower. Hayden comes armed with a Tekna 9mm, the Glaive, all three Evolutionary Powers, and any weapons dropped by the Troopers or lying around the various maps. Hayden also has access to the elements fire, ice, and electricity (depending on the level) to use against the attacking Troopers.

A match will run until either time expires, or a set number of points are reached. The ultimate goal is to be the one with the highest number of points. Points are granted to Troopers by either stunning Hayden, finishing Hayden, or assisting in bring Hayden down. Hayden gets points by killing Troopers. Troopers can also lose points by committing suicide.

The Epidemic game type, on the other hand, is a team-based match between the Lasrian Military and the Agency. Each team has someone who assumes the role of Hayden while all the others play as Troopers. Matches end based on a time limit or point total. Rounds end whenever a Hayden is brought down.

Teams get points whenever they bring down the other team’s Hayden. Individual points are awarded to players based on kills and assists. Players can also lose points by committing suicide. Both the Troopers and the Haydens retain the same functionality they have in the Infection game type.

On the game's Xbox 360 version, multiplayer games can be played through Xbox Live or System Link. On the PS3, PlayStation Network and LAN are the available choices. Each multiplayer game type supports up to ten players and features five different maps.

The differences in the multiplayer mode between the Xbox 360 and PS3 version of Dark Sector include the leaderboards (the X360 board uses TrueSkill rank and the PS3 uses a traditional scoring system) as well as some general multiplayer features.

The Xbox 360 version gives players a Quick game option, a Custom game option, and a Ranked game option. Dark Sector's PS3 version allows players to search for or create multiplayer games.

There you have it folks. Pretty much all you need to know about Dark Sector's multiplayer mode. You can check it out for yourself once the game becomes available later this month.


Buy: [Dark Sector (PS3)]
Buy: [Dark Sector (Xbox 360)]