Crysis fans: Get a taste of what it’s like to become a deadly predator in multiplayer starting next week. The Crysis 3 Multiplayer Open Beta (on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and of course, Origin) launches on January 29, and continues up to February 12. Check out a little bit of the multiplayer progression, as you level up your character to rank 10 and customize your Nanosuit with all-new  weapons, attachments, and suit modules. You can also check out the New York Feed, which provides specific challenges (generated by factors such as your performance and whatever multiplayer match you join) that reward you with XP upon completion. Challenges could range from simple "get X amount of kills in a match" to "destroy a giant robot with just a flagpole." Completing these challenges not only grants you XP, but will also generate tailored/further/future challenges for your friends to compete in—think of it like Need for Speed's Autolog but with the Crysis filter.

You can use The Crysis 3 Multiplayer Beta to get a lay of the land in two maps: Museum (ruins of a dark museum located in downtown Manhattan) and Airport (an open field flourishing with flora amidst a decaying airport in the financial district). With these maps, you can play two different modes: Hunter and Crash Site (the final game will have twelve maps and eight modes). Hunter lets you experience the perspectives of both the Nanosuited and the non-Nanosuited soldier. The match starts with two "Hunters" (Nanosuit soldiers who are permanently cloaked) and up to 14 CELL troopers (your traditional grunts) awaiting extraction. Whenever a Hunter kills a CELL trooper, the CELL player respawns as a Hunter. The Hunters win when they sneakily take out the entire CELL team, but  if there is at least one CELL trooper still standing when the clock winds down, the CELL players win, ,. Whether you prefer stalking around with the Nanosuit or coordinating team maneuvers as a soldier, the Hunter mode offers fascinating gameplay opportunities.

Crash Site serves as the Crysis 3 interpretation of the classic King of the Hill mode. Here, an alien dropship randomly deploys a pod somewhere on the map, and players need to hustle over and stand near the pod in order to capture the zone and start accumulating points for the team. To help you stand your ground, the pod will also have shields that you can wield for an extra layer of protection. There’s also a nice tool for players on offense: each Crash Site map has a "Pinger"—aka a giant walking alien vehicle that can provide a lot of help to clear out the team that's currently squatting at the pod.

Until January 29 when the The Crysis 3 Multiplayer Open Beta launchs, check out more information and get ready to become a hunter.