[Massive Action Game (MAG) - Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEA)/Zipper Interactive - PS3]
Source: Youtube Channel PlayStation
This game is CRAZY! Massive Action Game (No one calls it that), known by its acronym MAG, boasts its capability of supporting 256 players in one match in a full out war zone between three opposing private military companies (factions). The game doesn't bring you into a full blown story with a beginning and end. Players who start the game jumps right into the middle of the conflict between the three factions and participates in the experience between the struggles of the factions. When the player first starts, they choose a nickname and a faction to sign under. Between the three factions are:
-Raven Industries, a faction with high-tech weapons and armor, comprising of West European Countries such as Germany, Italy, France, and The Netherlands, prizing technological advancement as key to winning.
-Seryi Volk Executive Response (SVER), a guerilla-style military force with personnel drawn from Poland, China, India, Russia, and other countries in Asia, east Europe and Africa; infamous for their passion of battle.
-Valor Company, whose soldiers are equipped with more standard-styled weaponry. They comprise of seasoned veterans from the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom; believing that knowledge in battle is strength.
Source: Wikipedia search "MAG (video game)"
Afterwards, the player is presented with a menu with the selection of upgrading skills, changing the loadouts in the armory, buying equipment (new feature), interacting with the community (set up clans), and to deploy into the battle field to start playing. Not all the modes are filled with 256 players. There are modes where you suppress the enemy (team death match), Acquire vehicles (a very difficult version of capture the flag), or capture/destroy/defend pivotal points on the battlefield. The customization does not have great depth as Modern Warfare 2 and Blacklight: Tango Down does, but it has a very intricate and organized skill tree for the type of play style each player may have (the way items are acquired and how skills level up has changed from the last big update). The game is exclusively for online play only and is also exclusively for Playstation 3. The dynamics of the game can change drastically for this game as well since there are so many combinations of weapon loadouts and skills sets the player can integrate into their play style. The skills can be acquired by leveling up with experience points gained in the battlefield. Fulfilling an objective, killing an opposing faction's soldier, or healing a team mate will earn players experience points a la Modern Warfare 2.
I personally enjoy the game very much as it gives me a sense of community and pride within my own faction as well as the pride I take within my role in the team. I play as a medic (everything is within medic skills at the moment) and field support. I spend most of the match healing, resuscitating fallen comrades, giving cover fire, and keeping the team up the front. MAG is possibly the hardest FPS to adjust to as different button layouts, large scale maps, and skill level difference all hit the player immediately as soon as they start. I started at level 1 with players level 50-70 in my team and my enemies' team. The game also implemented a "happy hour" game mechanic which rewards players for playing the game once every 24 hours they've been gone from the game. This allows me to play for one hour with 200% experience points gain. Once the hour is up, I am usually satisfied and feel good from playing while being able to put down the controller. For the past three games I posted about, I always had a lingering feeling that I need to play more despite doing well or bad in a previous match.
Pros:
-Large scale warfare between 32-256 players in one map
-Assortment of weapons, skill trees, and level up perks
-Tons of loadout and skill set combinations that caters to the player's play style (support, sniper, assault, medic, engineer, fusion of any class, etc.)
-A good sense of community with player's faction
-Unique gameplay mechanics that mix RPG leveling, FPS intensity and action game fluidity
-Dedicated development team who constantly adds more to the game
-A great deal of detail is put into the environment, audio, and level design
Cons:
-Difficulty in communication (not everyone has a headset. Those who do speak gibberish nonsense)
-Game relies heavily on team work
-It can take a while for auto match up to get all 256 players up and ready
-You will inevitably die a lot due to the sheer amount of players
-No skill level limitation, all players join the same game
-Certain content is available to those who buy the extra Downloadable Contents (DLC) from the PSN store
-For the sake of latency, the graphics are toned down as prevention of lag from graphic rendering
MAG is still under good maintenance and continues to grow. I'm still not sure about getting the $10 DLC, but I do recommend getting the game since it's cheaper now.
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