Blind fire is actually blind-if you stick your gun over that pile of bricks to scare an enemy away, you won't see what you're firing at. That approach-applying realistic-but-unintimidating touches to game mechanics-also applies to RO2's other systems: you can take cover behind almost every surface in the game, but levels aren't filled with convenient shoulder-high bits of concrete-a barrier might only cover your torso and neck from the enemy. Now is the time to stop feeding FPS players only cotton candy, and give them some steak and potatoes along with the sweet stuff.вЂќ For too long I feel that multiplayer shooter designers have only been trying to give players joy. вЂњLittle moments of panic are the why we enjoy being scared by movies or amusement park rides. The mechanic is in place, Gibson says, to generate tension. It gives the player a brief moment of panic.вЂќ вЂњYou never know exactly how much ammo you have in your gun, so you end up having those 'oh crap' moments where you run around the corner to shoot at enemies, pull the trigger, and nothing happens. Gibson chimes in over my shoulder when I ask about the design. This might sound like realism for realism's sake, but in practice, it simply means that reloading is a tactical decision.

There's no on-screen counter for bullets you hold the R key to swipe the clip from your weapon, and a message reports if the clip feels heavy or light. In cover behind some steel rails and debris, I check the magazine on my Russian SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle. It's like playing a Risk metagame between rounds, and the urgency of capturing a territory lends a great sense of importance to each round, even if you've played that map a dozen times. The entire Tripwire staff is playing with us-animators, level designers, and the QA team have piled in to populate multiplayer campaign mode-a 10-map mini-war where Axis (Germans) and Allies (Russians) attack and defend to capture and hold territory, or whittle down each other's army count (your total deaths as a team is subtracted from an overall number-you'll lose more if you're on the attacking side). I'm sitting in Gibson's chair at Tripwire's office in Roswell, Georgia, an hour into our day-long multiplayer session.

I don't know how many bullets I have left.

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