MAG, being the acronym for “Massive Action Game” is a PS3 exclusive massively multiplayer first person shooter, something which has been strived for by games like the Battlefield series for a long time. Now with the PS3’s beefed up power it’s finally possible to drop players into a virtual battlefield with a whopping 256 players at a time.

 

 

MAG’s story starts off in the year 2025 where a treaty known as the Millennium Accord aimed at world peace prohibits nation’s militaries from going outside their own borders. PMC’s (Private Military Companies) dominate the world’s security needs, usually doing deeds for the highest bidder. Three companies stand out - S.V.E.N, Raven Industries and Valor Company, each with different weapons, look, story and attitude.  

 

 

While these factions may appear drastically different, their skill trees remain largely the same and weapon upgrades are balanced so as not to give any single one a significant advantage. Choose wisely though because you can’t leave your faction once enlisted without having to start from scratch. 

 

 

After choosing a faction and completing some basic training the game throws you into the midst of a huge international conflict known as the Shadow War. In this conflict the three factions fight for contracts and ultimately, global superiority. 

 

There are four different match types in MAG, although at the start of the game only two are available to the player. Suppression is a team deathmatch within your own faction and doubles as a training ground, while Sabotage introduces the concepts of taking and defending objectives. 

 

Sabotage is a straight up battle between two teams where attackers need to capture and destroy various points on the map while defenders need to stop them. Both these matches are limited to 64 players, and serve as great introductions to team combat and larger battles later on. 

 

 

After gaining a few levels and getting to know your weapons you can move up to Acquisition, which is a 128 player mode. Here, the attacking team needs to destroy various objectives before stealing a prototype vehicle and returning it to their base. 

 

The ultimate mode in the game is called Domination and supports a full 256 players. In this mode there is once again several objectives that needs to be captured by the attacking faction while the defenders needs to protect their home turf from the enemy team. 

 

It’s here where another interesting aspect of MAG shines through - the maps are faction specific. This means that when you’re defending your faction’s territory you’ll always play on the same maps. This allows players to get used to the maps and makes it easier for them to defend their turf.

 

 

Don’t think MAG is simply lots of players shooting at each other on a giant map. The game goes beyond that by implementing some interesting leadership functions so teams can be coordinated on the battlefield.

 

 In MAG, players are divided into eight player squads, with four squads forming a platoon, and four platoons forming a company. Each squad is led by a squad leader, while there are also two platoon leaders and one OIC (officer in charge) controlling the team at large. 

 

Obtaining one of these command positions requires you to rank up to a certain level, and reaching it does take some time. But when you do become eligible for a leadership position you unlock a whole new level of tactical gameplay. Squad leaders have access to a list of command abilities which enable them to call in outside help. From precision missile strikes to cluster bombs to sensor sweeps, the squad leader can call in tactical destruction, or support, in the blink of an eye. 

 

Each rank will enable you to use different abilities and the platoon leaders and OIC can voice chat to all the players under their command, coordinating the battlefield in real time. All players receive extra combat bonuses (+5% experience for example) when they follow the orders of their squad leaders. This adds an extra incentive for players and makes for one of the most enjoyable online experiences around today. 

 

Working together to storm an enemy position with your squad is where the heart and soul of MAG shines through. Sure, you can go the Rambo route and run-and-gun it but chances are you won’t last long. Besides, sticking with your team is much more rewarding and enjoyable at the end of the day. 

 

 

Like most online shooters MAG suffers from unreliable servers from time to time, which is sure to be addressed by some updates in the near future. The most serious issue for us bandwidth-starved South Africans will be the sizeable (and frequent) updates coupled with a high ping thanks to our relatively low connection speeds. It’s not a devastating aspect though, since more affordable bandwidth bundles with better connection speeds are on the increase. We played MAG without noticeable lag on a 4 Mbps ADSL line.

 

 

MAG is a great addition to any online shooter fan’s arsenal. Zipper Interactive has done the industry a favour by drastically increasing the amount of players able to play a first-person shooter online, and we’re looking forward to other developers doing the same. If you’re craving for some massive online destruction coupled with a highly addictive team dynamic, MAG should be a very decent fix.