Preview: MAG

Sony seems to be proud of its exclusive first-person shooter games. The two main titles currently spewing hot lead on Playstation 3, Resistance 2 and Killzone 2, boast more online players online at any one time than all of the Xbox 360's shooters. Then comes MAG, formerly known as Massive Action Game, which is a new FPS from SOCOM creators Zipper Interactive.

With three unique factions and a continuing persistent battle, each game is playable with 256 players online at one time. This could keep people playing for a very long time and it all seems too good to be true for a console game. If it does work, however, it could revolutionize console shooters. With its own unique ranking system, weapons, and style, MAG will either live up to its promises or crash and burn. While there's not so much hype surrounding this game right now with Modern Warfare 2 on the horizon, it is interesting to see how the game is shaping up?

This massively multiplayer online first-person shooter, shortened to the less-clunky  MMOFPS, starts off by asking you to select one of three distinct Private Military Contractors. S.V.E.R, pronounced as 'Sever', seem to be focused on guerrilla tactics and have a more threatening, gang-like appearance. They would certainly look at home in a game like inFamous or Grand Theft Auto.

The second, Valor, resemble the more traditional military, with weaponry to suit the aesthetic and similar tactics to boot. Their look and feel seems to resemble that of a more Western military. The final PMC, Raven, are highly tactical and have access to the latest high tech weaponry and are slightly more futuristic than the previous two.

Once you pick one of these factions, you stick with them throughout all of your future battles. You gain experience, influence and more to upgrade and customize your character, including editing of the face, voice and armour. Each PMCs home base is said to reflect that. S.V.E.R, for example, have hastily put together spray painted shacks, due to a lack of funding, while Raven's will look very clean, precise and professional.

The gameplay is structured in a smart way, to prevent the games dissolving into chaos and buckling under the strain of so many players fighting online at once. In each game, the two factions are organised into a Company. Four Platoons make the Company and each Platoon is divided into Four squads of Eight players. The leaders of these squads are determined by the player who has advanced the furthest into the in-game ranking system, which is described as being deeper than even Call of Duty 4.

The squad leader will have abilities such as calling in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or airstrikes and giving orders to their squad. This allows for complete variation in how you want to execute tactics against your enemy, depending on how the tide of battle is turning. Everything you see in the game, whether it be a distant explosion, or a bombing run a few feet from your position, it is all controlled by another player. The scale of the game is incredible, especially after seeing the size of the maps. It's just breathtaking to see everything going on and knowing it's all player driven, with none of it being scripted.

The graphics are looking good as well, although not up to the standard of the current PS3 behemoth Killzone 2. It's by no means an ugly game, but so far, it could do with a little more polish. The graphics are definitely not going to be one of the main selling points in this game, but it is clear they have been down-graded to help reduce lag.

Multiplayer-only games tend to live or die by their ability to run without lag. If Zipper Interactive can produce a game with this many players, but have it running smoothly they may have just pulled off the seemingly impossible. To help alleviate this inevitable strain, the developer has written its own new network architecture just to make sure this doesn't happen.

While a 256-player session at E3 2009 proved that it does work, this will, of course, be tested more thoroughly before release, including a confirmed public beta. However, there are no details on when the Beta will begin, or how you can participate, nor is there a final release date for the final game. Most likely, with the other multiplayer only games on the PS3, you will be able to buy this game on Blu-Ray in the shops as well as download a digital copy from the Playstation Store, but this is pure speculation at this stage.

MAG could bring a lot of gamers over to PS3 who crave that tactical element to their first-person-shooter games. Maybe even those who wish a good version of Battlefield 2 was released for consoles, with all the features intact and not simplified for the average console gamer. Overall, this game brings something different to the table, a game where it's not about how fast your twitch reflexes are, but how you and your squad can work together, plan out, and execute, as well as feeling part of the gigantic battle going on around you. Which is something severely lacking in shooter games today.