Our time with Inversion’s gravity-altering multiplayer modes did not start well. The vanilla deathmatch gametype committed the cardinal sin of sometimes respawning you directly in front of the person who just killed you (we’re hoping this is fixed before release); the player movement felt slow; and getting tagged by someone’s Gravlink beam meant that, even though you could still aim and shoot while you floated in midair, you were almost literally a fish in a barrel — or at least as helpless as one.

It showed more promise after that, though. Hourglass is a unique take on Tug-of-War/Capture-and-Hold as the red and blue teams vie for control points on the map. The twist here is that one team’s Gravlink powers float targets upward, while the other pins them to the ground. When your team has more control of the map, the gravity flips in your favor so that your powers work and the opposing side’s don’t.

Finally, Survival is a four-player, Horde-like co-op mode that pits you and your bros against increasingly difficult waves of baddies. We like how it’s timed and that completing each section of the map grants you additional minutes, racing-game checkpoint-style, as you face a tougher mini-boss and his minions.

We’re not sure how enticing Inversion’s online modes will be after Gears of War 3 — from which it clearly takes some cues, such as executions and a bayonet-equipped default weapon — but there are some good ideas here. Keep your Gravlink beams crossed that it all comes together.

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PUBLISHER: Namco Bandai  •  DEVELOPER: Saber Interactive  •  MULTIPLAYER: Yes  •  RELEASE DATE: February 2012  •  FOR FANS OF: Gears of War, gimmicks, shooting fish in a barrel