Together Mode is an extremely fun area of the game and a great addition overall. There are two great modes - Light vs. Dark; essentially a team deathmatch but with some nice twists, and Free-for-all which is exactly what it says. In the former, both teams have life bars that decrease as players are killed, then once it reaches zero an "angel" will spawn (an enhanced fighter) and the first team to defeat the enemy angel wins.
Though this may sound basic, what really makes Together mode succeed is the huge depth there is to the combat. Playing style is influenced massively by the well-designed and varied maps, items, weapons and powers. Because everything is balanced so well, there are a near-infinite number of good combinations of weapons and powers; and you will see them. You can be literally anything from a stealthy sniper to aggressive melee brawler. Love attacking at a specific range? There'll be a weapon perfectly suited to that range. Want to create black holes, turn invisible, teleport or absorb the damage you take? These are all legitimate powers (and only the tip of the 50+ powers iceberg). On top of this there are the items, and although they do not have such a central role as weapons and powers, they are nonetheless a nice addition which, on the whole, work. The maps don't particularly stand out either, but they are nonetheless well-designed and graphically stunning.
This massive variety of weapons, powers, items and maps does make the gameplay quite chaotic, however. Matches are nearly always pure mayhem, but this actually results in many exciting and tense games. This is because you are given more than enough opportunity to fight intelligently - as opposed to being spawn-killed - and it pays off. Given the well-balanced limitations on weapon value and powers, players can only become so powerful, meaning it's never too difficult to defeat them (and often effectively). Your equipment is central to your game, but it's by no means everything. You improve by hard graft, either by working hard to get better equipment or improving your fighting skill, and not getting lucky.
And that, in a nutshell, is the core of Together mode. The main drawbacks are near-useless players on your team in LvD, inactive players, and one of the most hated online features - lag. But this is a small minus from what really is a big plus.
Pure Mayhem (Multiplayer/Together mode review)
Together Mode is an extremely fun area of the game and a great addition overall. There are two great modes - Light vs. Dark; essentially a team deathmatch but with some nice twists, and Free-for-all which is exactly what it says. In the former, both teams have life bars that decrease as players are killed, then once it reaches zero an "angel" will spawn (an enhanced fighter) and the first team to defeat the enemy angel wins.
Though this may sound basic, what really makes Together mode succeed is the huge depth there is to the combat. Playing style is influenced massively by the well-designed and varied maps, items, weapons and powers. Because everything is balanced so well, there are a near-infinite number of good combinations of weapons and powers; and you will see them. You can be literally anything from a stealthy sniper to aggressive melee brawler. Love attacking at a specific range? There'll be a weapon perfectly suited to that range. Want to create black holes, turn invisible, teleport or absorb the damage you take? These are all legitimate powers (and only the tip of the 50+ powers iceberg). On top of this there are the items, and although they do not have such a central role as weapons and powers, they are nonetheless a nice addition which, on the whole, work. The maps don't particularly stand out either, but they are nonetheless well-designed and graphically stunning.
This massive variety of weapons, powers, items and maps does make the gameplay quite chaotic, however. Matches are nearly always pure mayhem, but this actually results in many exciting and tense games. This is because you are given more than enough opportunity to fight intelligently - as opposed to being spawn-killed - and it pays off. Given the well-balanced limitations on weapon value and powers, players can only become so powerful, meaning it's never too difficult to defeat them (and often effectively). Your equipment is central to your game, but it's by no means everything. You improve by hard graft, either by working hard to get better equipment or improving your fighting skill, and not getting lucky.
And that, in a nutshell, is the core of Together mode. The main drawbacks are near-useless players on your team in LvD, inactive players, and one of the most hated online features - lag. But this is a small minus from what really is a big plus.