MAG

The selling  point for MAG, or Massive Action Game, is obviously the claim that  it can house 256 players online in a single match together. Impressively, even full matches are able to back up that statement almost flawlessly,  with no lag or connection issues whatsoever. In my experiences,  I had about one disconnect for every five hours of playing time.  It's not perfect, but considering the vast amount of users the server  has to support, it's easily forgivable when you get disconnected from  a few games out of the hundreds you play. With the main concern out  of the way, you still have to wonder if MAG will revolutionize war games  with it's expansive battlefield, or if MAG is simply another run-of-the-mill  shooter with too much action for its own good.

As a multiplayer  only game, it's a nice addition to see how much effort went into  making a believable back-story to the world of MAG without the  help of any single player campaign. The official website is full  of videos, news reports, and information on each of the factions,  making you feel like you're actually involved in this Shadow War.  The events take place in 2025, a time where countries no longer  fight wars but instead hire a Private Military Corporation to do  the dirty work for them. The three major PMCs (Valor, Raven, and  SVER) have begun a Shadow War, a secret battle between the three  as they try to win out more contracts then the opponent PMCs. It's  cool at first, but after a while you realize the story hardly plays  a role other than an excuse to go after another faction.

Once you start the game, you are given the choice to decide which  PMC you want to fight for. Valor is built from North American war  verterans equipped with more modern weapons and equipment. Raven  is a high-tech military operation with more futuristic attire and  weapons (although they don't shoot lasers). SVER is a ragtag army  based in Asia, with aggressive members who often use guerilla warfare  tactics. The PMC you choose doesn't make that much of a difference,  as they are all pretty evenly matched. It basically boils down  to which PMC appeals to you most, or what faction your friends  are a member of (because there is no way to play with a friend from  a seperate PMC).

There are four different game modes available  in MAG, and while it may not seem like an extensive number of options,  it turns out to be plentiful. First up is Suppression, which is  simply a training method that takes place within the faction. It's played  with 64 players in a Team Deathmatch. First team to have their reinforcement  bar depleted is the loser. As you reach higher levels, more modes  unlock. Sabotage also consists of 64 players (32 per faction) with  one team attacking and the other defending. The object is to infiltrate  rival communication facilities and hold the control points A and  B simultaneously to unlock C, which will then have to be captured  to win. The defenders can claim victory by holding off the rival  faction for 20 minutes. Then you have Acquisition (128 players) where  the object for the attackers is to take two enemy vehicles and escort  them back to the extraction point. The defenders must, once again,  hold off the opponent for 20 minutes in order to come away victorious.

The mode where you will find all 256 players is Domination.  Once again there is an attacking team and a defending team. Communication  is as important as ever in this game mode, because each defending  squad (comprised of 8 members) is responsible for holding one of  the specific objectives. The goal for the attacking team is to takeover  as many objectives as possible to inflict damage to the defenders  base. The defenders must keep the damage beneath the limit for  30 minutes. That can make for one long session, but you have to  be dedicated to serve your team. The thing that makes Domination  stand out is that there are so many different things going on within  the battle, because to gain ground, the attackers will also be  doing things like taking down radar sensors, destroying defense  emplacements (bunkers, gates,and road blocks), or eliminating anti-aircraft  batteries to enable the attacking team to launch UAVs.

The four game modes give a good variety, and you will surely find  a favorite amongst them. I can see an argument for and against  all the modes. Suppression is good for just plain old-fashioned  who can get the most kills, but also is very simple which doesn't  showcase MAG's true potential. Sabotage is still simple enough  for anyone to jump in and you can develop many strategies, but  sometimes it can be frustrating when it seems like the defending  team's defense is impossible to break and the whole match ends  up as failed attempts at even getting near the objective. Acquisition  doesn't feel too overwhelming and there is a lot of variety to  how you can win, but there are many complaints about Valor's defense  map. Domination offers the full scale with tons of opportunities  to contribute to the fight, but at times it can just feel too crowded  and the game never does a great job of explaining how it works.

The gunplay itself in MAG isn't exactly spectacular. There  isn't a lot of polish, so simple things like jumping often seem just  a little awkward, and firing the guns doesn't punch the same impact  you would expect when you pull the trigger to end a rival's life.  This would be more of an issue, if not for the conglomeration of ways  to play. Along with the usual assortment of guns to choose from (assault  rifles, heavy machine guns, snipers, close quarters, or rocket launchers)  you can equip a medical kit, giving you the ability to heal enemies  in combat (because for once there is a game that doesn't use the  health-regeneration feature) or revive them before they bleed-out so  they don't have to sit through a possible 20 second squad respawn and  travel back to the battle. You can also choose to carry a repair kit  to fix things up whether it be vehicles, turrets, infrastructure, or  whatever your team is in need of patching up.

How effectively  you do these things boils down to the main menu barracks, where  you spend the skill points you earn from leveling up. You spend these  to upgrade your weapon arsenal or improve your ability to perform a  task. You have to be careful here though, because a specialist in  one or two categories will have a better chance than someone who  tries to be an all-around soldier. For example, if you decide you  want to be a sniper, you should invest in a higher gun, and some  equipment for it, maybe upgrade to “Steady Aim”, and maybe  invest some points in personal defense or close quarters. Someone  looking to be a more heavy duty soldier could look into getting  a higher powered machine gun, rocket launcher upgrades, and some  direct action equipment such as anti-tank mines. It's a good idea  for anyone to become a good medic early on, as health is key to  success in any game mode. Don't worry, if you don't like the route  you're taking, you're allowed to RESPEC (re-assign your points)  a limited number of times.

Sure, this does mean gamers who  have logged more hours will have a slight advantage, but it's just a  part of MAG, no different than say a MMORPG. It gives a lot of flexibility  in playing to your own strengths and not being limited to a certain  style of play. If you aren't exactly a dead-eye, you can still provide  ample support for your team by replenishing their health and making  sure they stay in the heat of battle. This is just one way that MAG  strays from that typical formula too many shooters rely on. The  big difference however, comes down to team communication. It's  not about one soldier padding their stats, but rather an army working  together to win the war. When you get together with a team of players  who are dedicated to working together to achieve the goals, MAG  is a blast, and the closest I have ever felt to actually being  on the battlefield.

However, when you get with players who don't  care about winning as a team, MAG can just feel like a mess. Adding  to that problem, is that a vocal communication is a big part of  the experience, but unfortunately the majority of the players aren't  using headsets. It would have been a great move on Sony's part  to bundle the official headset along with the game. It's a shame  too, because MAG's voice chat has a lot of potential. Proxy chat  allows not only near-by soldiers on your side who aren't part of  your 8 man squad to hear what you say, but also any enemies who  are within a short distance to your position. If you plan on buying  MAG, make sure you have access to a headset of some sort in order  to get the most out of communicating with your teammates.

Overall,  the biggest gripe I have with MAG is the lack of polish overall.  Understandably, the graphics take a hit when you take the scale  of the game into account, but there's no excuse for so much within  the game to seem poorly designed. The maps, although very big in size,  lack any real creativity and feel pretty bland overall. The entire  art design of factions seems lacking, and not to mention the music  in the game. It's always nice to have an epic score accompanying a  war game like MAG to intensify the action. Instead, Zipper has just thrown  together a few tacky-sounding themes for each faction that sound like  something out of a low budget action movie. Over time you'll warm up  to these short comings, but it kills the mood a little bit to not have  the game be as refined as it could have been.

With 60 levels  to rank through, the ability to “vet” over to another faction when  you max out your level, all the unlockable equipment, and the various  medals and ribbons to earn, MAG will provide plenty of hours for  those who want to see and do everything. The game does require a bit  of dedication, so it's not exactly the most accessible game for someone  just looking for a quick fix of action. It also may not be the prettiest  first-person shooter out there, but it is unique enough to make  up for the lack of outstanding design. The strategic gameplay relying  heavily on teamwork, combined with the varying angles you can approach  the battlefield from make MAG a solid effort worthy of the attention  from anyone who is looking for another shooter with a slightly  different twist on the normal formula.

Logan Smithson, Noobfeed