***

Did you know "Brutal Legend" will have multiplayer? I didn't.

The Jack Black-starring, Double Fine-developed heavy metal action game "Brutal Legend" has been heavily anticipated since its announcement. As a result of the Vivendi-Activision merger, the game was without a publisher until Electronic Arts revealed plans to publish the title in December.

We should know a little more about "Brutal Legend" soon; the Game Developers Conference website shows Double Fine is holding an art-centric panel on the game. In the panel description, I thought there was breaking news that "Brutal Legend" will have multiplayer. A quick Google search, however, proved this was already known…we just haven't heard about it since an IGN interview from November 2007.

Electronic Arts didn't even mention multiplayer in their announcement press release. But, yes, "Brutal Legend" will still have multiplayer. "Rich multiplayer," according to the panel description. Whether we'll learn anything about this "rich multiplayer" at March's panel remains to be seen, though. The full panel description is below.

The Brutal Art of Brütal Legend
Speaker: Lee Petty (Art Director, Double Fine Productions)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Visual Arts
Format: 60-minute Lecture
Experience Level: Intermediate

Session Description
A behind-the-scenes look at creating the art for a highly ambitious, Heavy Metal inspired original game, this talk examines how the look of Brütal Legend was defined and realized. Details on how Double Fine met the challenge of creating a unique, stylized look while also delivering a “AAA looking” game on the current generation of consoles are revealed. Creating the art for Brütal Legend was particularly challenging, as the game features a tightly constructed, story-driven single player campaign, a free-roaming open world environment of epic proportions, and a rich multiplayer game. Several specific problems and their solutions are presented on topics such as open world terrain fidelity, the advanced materials approach applied to characters, and the implementation of a dynamic sky, lighting and weather system.

Takeaway
Attendees will take away a detailed understanding of how Double Fine develops art from initial inspiration to final execution. Attendees will also take away the knowledge of how Double Fine solved the numerous challenges of making stylized art that feels contemporary on the current generation of consoles through several specific examples. Attendees will gain an understanding of how these approaches worked and be able to apply them to similar problems in their own productions.

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Most of the attention on Ubisoft's ambitious African-based shooter "Far Cry 2" has been on its tech. underpinnings and open-ended single-player campaign.

Earlier this week, however, I sat down to play an hour of the game's multiplayer.

This was my first time playing any of "Far Cry 2." It's obvious Ubisoft's team has poured time into multiplayer, but I'm not sure it's a game that needed multiplayer.

During my time, I played regular deathmatch, team deathmatch, a capture-the-flag variant based on diamonds that allow teams to upgrade their weaponry and a capture-point mode where a randomly chosen team leader was the only one who could physically capture each point.

All of the technology built into "Far Cry 2" seems, in theory, fit for multiplayer. The ability to dynamically change the environment with fire presents some especially cool situations. Want to add an extra layer of protection to a capture point? Flame the surrounding foliage, preventing the enemy from advancing to your position. They'll simply have to wait it out. The downside, however, is the fire might spread in your direction, forcing you to flee.

There's always a risk-reward element.

But those situations rarely came to pass in my matches. For one, not everyone has a fire-based weapon; that's only available to a certain class or grenade type. Perhaps part of frustration comes from the fact that our multiplayer sessions weren't particularly coordinated. Almost no one was utilizing the headsets, probably because we were mostly strangers, meaning team-based matches were an exercise in futility; the time would just run out.

My other gripe was simple: characters move slowly. Clicking down on the left analog stick enables running, but there are limitations. A few seconds into the sprint, you slow to a crawl and the screen becomes disorienting and blurry. This sounds interesting for injecting additional realism to the single-player, but on large maps where a vehicle isn't positioned near you, it just means players can spend 30 seconds to a minute of a match running over to a capture point and having to stop several times along the way.

The coolest moment during the half a dozen matches I played involved hitching a ride on a hang glider. As far as I could tell, there's no way to shoot anyone while you're gliding through the air, but just having the ability to sail across the entire map and survey the landscape was exhilarating. I could have a lot of fun with a mode that focused exclusively on hang gliding and rocket launchers!

There's promise to "Far Cry 2"'s multiplayer component. I'll make the concession that I wasn't playing in the most ideal environment -- meaning I'm anxious to have a chance to play multiplayer with my own friends -- but some problems may prove universal. It's not long before the game's mid-October release, when we'll no longer have to wait and see.

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"Red Faction" and "Battlefield: Bad Company" have introduced ways for players to change the environment in battle, but not on the same level as "Fracture." The geometry can change every step you make.

I recently spent about an hour playing the multiplayer side of a near-finished "Fracture." As I'd never played "Fracture" before, my time was spent playing catch-up, but the dynamics of the ground play were immediately apparent.

By tapping either the right button or left button on an Xbox 360 controller, you fire a bullet that pushes the ground up or down wherever you aim. It's possible to alter the ground a handful of times before the gun needs to recharge, but in concentrated blasts, it's enough to significantly alter the landscape. And it makes for some pretty interesting strategies to multiplayer:

* You can leap over large walls by jumping and lifting the ground simultaneously
* Someone chasing you? Duck under a building and block off the entrance by pushing the ground up'
* Throw off someone's aim by altering the dirt beneath him or her

There were many moments where I should have died but managed to extend the battle by messing with the environment. I can foresee "Fracture" multiplayer teams devising strategies where some players are solely tasked with manipulating the ground to their side's advantage. There's real potential there.

It was difficult to understand all of the options available to me in just an hour. In addition to having various weapons scattered around the map, there are secondary selectable items (accessed via the d-pad) that can further complicate matters for the opposition. The most deadly of which proved to be a vicious tornado that whipped those in its path into a circular frenzy before killing them. You'd hear a loud groan whenever it appeared.

I was useless in the standard deathmatch or capture the flag modes. I didn't know the maps, weapons or controls to be of any asset to my team. For that, I was sorry for the LucasArts testers forced to play alongside me. However, I did excel at "Fracture"'s take on the land-grab concept. Hidden throughout the map are underground crystals that players must unearth with their guns and defend from the enemy's bullets. The longer you control a point, the more points added to your team -- you've seen this before.

The addition of environmental manipulation, however, proved refreshing. When I left LucasArts offices, that's the mode I wanted to play again. They told me I should have a copy of the game in just a few weeks. I'll let you know if "Fracture"'s ground-altering holds up with extended play.

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***

Have a hot tip? Is there a topic that Multiplayer should be covering and isn't? Are "Fracture"'s ground mechanics enough to interest you? Drop me an e-mail.

I've reported that extensive online multiplayer on the iPhone couldn't happen because Apple hasn't released the tools, leaving creators to only offer multiplayer over a single shared Wi-Fi access point. That's true. But it doesn't mean full-featured multiplayer isn't possible.

iPhone developer Ian Gordon and his team at 3against2 pulled it off more than a month ago with official application "Versus Chess," which is capable of multiplayer over EDGE, 3G and Wi-Fi. It even has skill-based matchmaking!

"There are no proper online multiplayer development libraries in place," Gordon told me. "We actually ended up writing our own. No trickery, just a lot of coding and a somewhat excessive caffeine habit."

The makers of EA's "Scrabble" appears to be relying on Apple eventually providing a backend. "I'm not sure why Apple and EA haven't rolled out there own online multiplayer capabilities," continued Gordon. "But I would guess because of the infrastructure requirements (servers, hosting, bandwidth) and complexity."

I haven't had a chance to try "Versus Chess" myself, but the iTunes reviews are solid. Will more developers step up to the challenge?

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But that's stalled recently. No, I haven't mastered all of the available challenges on the single-player side, but that's not where "Boom Blox" really shined to begin with.

It was the multiplayer. Despite the game's robust edit mode, "Boom Blox" doesn't offer a particularly easy solution to download new puzzles. They have to be passed from person to person via friend codes, rather than retrieved from a central online destination.

Majesco's "Blast Works" has found a way to sidestep the frustrations of Nintendo's friend codes system to create a user generated content portal. "Boom Blox" doesn't have that and desperately needs it -- or Electronic Arts-sponsored downloadable content -- but it sounds like a feature for a sequel.

Am I the only one who wants to play more "Boom Blox," but has run out of content?

Readers of my post asked if the game supported multi-system LAN play, or if it had any single-screen multiplayer gameplay that two friends could play with one system and one TV. The answer to each of those questions is "No." I've checked and double-checked this with Rockstar Games.

"GTA IV" multiplayer is all online or bust.

(What follows is an excerpt of my coverage of my hands-on with "Grand Theft Auto IV" multiplayer mode, originally filed at MTVNews.com)

...Our two hours at Rockstar showed that the secret of "GTA IV" multiplayer is the same as the secret of single-player: Whatever the rules are in "GTA," the most fun may be attained by not following them.

For example, [Rockstar's Jeronimo] Barrera and another Rockstar rep seemed to have a jolly time avoiding the actual point of a "GTA" multiplayer race set in the Liberty City airport. In theory, this race was set up to pit four players on motorcycles and mopeds on a three-lap race across and around an active airport runway. While Monsters [Totilo] was busy finding a fueling truck to race instead and Shoplifting [a guy from Yahoo] ditched his bike to putter along in a luggage-cart cab, Undead CJ [Barrera] was ignoring his lap count to focus on creating a multi-vehicle roadblock. Then he stood there with a pistol, daring people to complete their laps.

....

The full scope of "GTA IV" multiplayer hasn't been revealed. Even just a few weeks before release, the game isn't spilling all its secrets, and that includes the other multiplayer modes. "We put in as many options as we can," Barrera said. "We think this is totally fun."

And how would he distinguish the "GTA" multiplayer mode from that of other games? "Not tacked on," he said. "It fits seamlessly into the game — the variety and ultimately the freedom that players are going to enjoy for a very long time."

For the rest of this piece, go to MTVNews.com

My girlfriend is wiping the floor with me at "Super Smash Bros. Brawl."

I've been able to convert my girlfriend into digging most of my nerdy habits, be it "X-Files," "Lost," or comic books (she just finished Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns") -- but not games. Yet she has an obsession with the "Super Smash Bros." series. I had no idea this passion existed, but she counts the brawlers among her favorite games of all-time, right next to "Tetris."

When I was in middle school, none of my friends were much into "Smash Bros." "GoldenEye 007" always dominated our time, so the N64 and GameCube "Smash" games mostly passed me by. Thanks to my girlfriend's surprise interest, that's changed with the Wii's "Brawl."

My girlfriend is a formidable opponent with the pink puffball of doom, also known as Kirby. Most of the time it seems like she doesn't know what she's actually doing, but there's a method to her button smashing madness.

Why? Because I keep losing. Not every time, mind you, but enough for me to step back and coin her as My Enemy This Week. Playing as Kirby makes a lot of sense, too. Kirby's ability to "fly" by continually inhaling and exhaling prevents him from ever falling off stages for an instant KO. And he (it?) can absorb the powers of any opponent that's being an annoying pest. This has made my girlfriend a formidable foe.

Is there an anti-Kirby character I should pick? So far, I haven't had much luck with newcomers Pokemon Trainer and Captain Olimar. Sword-based characters, such as Link, appear to be a most effective countermeasure, thanks to their bevy of air-countering attacks. Playing the game on something other than the flimsy Wiimote might help, too (it is not the most effective way to play, Jason!).

Or I could just be making excuses. Shh.

Now that she's aware that her Kirby skills have gotten under my skin, it's made her all the more determined to find additional ways to take me down. "We're playing Smash Bros. after work," she said this morning. "I need to learn more characters."

Awesome.

"Smash Bros." was never my game, but apparently that's not my choice anymore. Then again, my girlfriend wants to play games. I can't complain about that.

I'm with you.

If you have ever bought a multiplayer game of any kind before without the intention of playing it against other people, I've been there too.

Are you like me? Are you playing "Smash" as a solo gamer? I've played the coin launcher, looked at the trophies, played a few brawls against the computer. I did a couple of the target levels, whacked the punching bag and am a whole 2% into the side-scrolling mode, the Subspace Emissary (which could be played by two people, but not when I'm involved). I'm playing this game solo, because, well, that's how I play games.

It's not that I hate playing games against other people (spot the telling denial!). And I know I edit a blog called Multiplayer. But I just don't game against other people that much. Back in the old days I didn't because I liked to settle in with adventure-driven games, games with a table that seated only one. These days, I also don't, because my Internet connection is slow. "Halo 3"'s matchmaking service will only match my Level 4 skills to a Level 30-something, because it can't find a closer match suited to my inferior Internet connection. So, solo-play it is.

Did you just say I should have people over and play games with them? Not happening.

Yes, my friends, I have played more "Halo 3" single-player than I have played "Halo 3" multiplayer. Swap in "Call of Duty 4" and the same holds true. I suspect it will for "Brawl" as well. Like I said, it's not just my Internet connection that's to blame. I bought "Mario Kart 64" years ago, unlocked every track, but I don't know if I ever played it against anyone. Yes, my friends, I have friends. I just don’t play games with them.

I'm told that "Brawl" should get me over this problem. I see that it can. I've tried it online and learned that my Internet connection can handle a "Brawl" match. At least I think it can. I understand that when people drop out of an online "Brawl" game that the computer takes over. Maybe the two matches I fought online were against real people; maybe I was just fighting artificial intelligence (that would explain how I won one of them). I don't know. I don't know if I want to know, because, hey, wouldn't it be nice to keep my solo-playing streak?

My solo-playing ways have turned me into a bit of a stalker, I confess, though I'm not sure if that's a Friend-Code-approved term. While you're all playing "Smash," I'm just, uh, watching. I've used the spectator mode to observe a few matches. And I've used that wonderful, all-ages feature that allows me to bet on your matches. I'm watching you. I'm putting fake "Smash" money on you. I'm just not playing a game against you. Creepy, right? (Suggestion to Nintendo: if you're going to include a gambling mode, then let me place my bet with a slot-machine style yank of the Wii remote).

Do I not want to play against other people? It would be nice, I guess. You'd probably all trounce me. I don't have time to practice and get good. I don't have the patience to swap 56 digits worth of friend codes to match with people I trust. I do like being connected to the rest of the world -- I've been comparing my rankings in "Devil May Cry 4" and "Burnout Paradise" with the rest of the world's. I'm just not that eager to play with the rest of the world. Not at the expense of my own private gaming time.

So solo-players of the multiplayer gaming world, join with me. Don't play against me. That's too much. Just join with me. Let your voices be heard. We're playing "Smash" alone, and we don't care.

Patrick Klepek, a man who has been covering video games since he was 16 but somehow got into his first E3 when he was 14, will be joining us as a full-time, San Francisco-based reporter on February 4.

For the last year Patrick has worked as the news editor at 1Up.com, breaking stories about Cory Barlog leaving Sony and "Guitar Hero"-"Rock Band" guitar incompatibility among other things. He's shown initiative, a love for games and a zeal for reporting. He's also been growing a fine head of hair that just can't fit in those 1Up offices anymore. Thankfully, the MTV Multiplayer digs all have high ceilings.

So, we welcome him aboard and hope that you will too when he joins the team in February.