Video games - Massive Action
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Usually there's a post-Christmas lull in the gaming world, but we're lucky this year to be getting some big games early. The latest is a treat exclusively for PlayStation 3 owners, M.A.G., or Massive Action Game.
The different thing about M.A.G. is that there is no "main" game or story mode to enjoy, it's all multi-player online.
I know a lot of people love playing online, but all the games that I have really played extensively online, Modern Warfare (1 and 2), Resistance Fall of Man, Gears of War, Killzone, I've always finished the story mode before I've started playing online.
Online really adds longevity to your playing experience though as I blazed through the story mode of MW2 in a couple of weeks but am still playing the online months later.
That hurt M.A.G. for me a little bit from the start because I like a bit more of a story, character development and familiarity with the worlds before I jump into multi-player.
There is a decent introduction though that takes you through some training and lets you get the hang of things. There's not so much a story as a framework: there are three factions at war and you have to choose one. They all have different bases and armies, slightly different weapons, but the game mechanics are the same.
The weapons are pretty cool, but they're nothing you haven't seen before: pistols, rifles both assault and sniper, rocket launchers, grenades, etc. They all seem a little more varied in how you use them though. After being used to Modern Warfare 2, everything seemed just a fraction slower.
The maps are good, well laid out with multiple attack paths and not a lot of places to hide. You can try and find a nice place to snipe but you better be mobile because someone is going to get you from behind.
There are four kinds of ways to play but again, it's nothing you haven't seen before with standard death-matches and object-possession-type games.
What you haven't seen before are battles of this scope and size. Up to 256 players in a battle at once; it really can be a war of attrition.
This is where the game gets to be a lot more fun, as you have ways to use some real strategic brainpower to win battles instead of just blasting away. Leading a command is a different talent and ordering airstrikes to pin the enemy down while you send troops down the flanks is a different way to play a shooter than just pulling out an RPG .
The game looks great, the graphics are sharp and the backgrounds detailed. I have read of some lag with lots of players playing at once but haven't experienced that myself. I admit I'm a traditionalist and still would have liked to have had a story mode to get into the M.A.G. world. But there's no doubt the appeal of this game is the massive battle that's going on. Playing a shooter with only seven others and finding a few campers can end up being a pretty dire experience. Not so here as there's always loads of people looking to mix things up.
Not sure that it will appeal to those who don't play a lot of online shooters but those who do play, even a little, and enjoy it, will love M.A.G.
Rating: T for Teen, animated violence.
What's right: Huge battles, big maps, great weapons.
What's wrong: Some load times in finding a game at times.
Numb Thumb: Graphics A; Gameplay B; Control B; Value B. Overall a B on the Numb Thumb.
The different thing about M.A.G. is that there is no "main" game or story mode to enjoy, it's all multi-player online.
I know a lot of people love playing online, but all the games that I have really played extensively online, Modern Warfare (1 and 2), Resistance Fall of Man, Gears of War, Killzone, I've always finished the story mode before I've started playing online.
Online really adds longevity to your playing experience though as I blazed through the story mode of MW2 in a couple of weeks but am still playing the online months later.
That hurt M.A.G. for me a little bit from the start because I like a bit more of a story, character development and familiarity with the worlds before I jump into multi-player.
There is a decent introduction though that takes you through some training and lets you get the hang of things. There's not so much a story as a framework: there are three factions at war and you have to choose one. They all have different bases and armies, slightly different weapons, but the game mechanics are the same.
The weapons are pretty cool, but they're nothing you haven't seen before: pistols, rifles both assault and sniper, rocket launchers, grenades, etc. They all seem a little more varied in how you use them though. After being used to Modern Warfare 2, everything seemed just a fraction slower.
The maps are good, well laid out with multiple attack paths and not a lot of places to hide. You can try and find a nice place to snipe but you better be mobile because someone is going to get you from behind.
There are four kinds of ways to play but again, it's nothing you haven't seen before with standard death-matches and object-possession-type games.
What you haven't seen before are battles of this scope and size. Up to 256 players in a battle at once; it really can be a war of attrition.
This is where the game gets to be a lot more fun, as you have ways to use some real strategic brainpower to win battles instead of just blasting away. Leading a command is a different talent and ordering airstrikes to pin the enemy down while you send troops down the flanks is a different way to play a shooter than just pulling out an RPG .
The game looks great, the graphics are sharp and the backgrounds detailed. I have read of some lag with lots of players playing at once but haven't experienced that myself. I admit I'm a traditionalist and still would have liked to have had a story mode to get into the M.A.G. world. But there's no doubt the appeal of this game is the massive battle that's going on. Playing a shooter with only seven others and finding a few campers can end up being a pretty dire experience. Not so here as there's always loads of people looking to mix things up.
Not sure that it will appeal to those who don't play a lot of online shooters but those who do play, even a little, and enjoy it, will love M.A.G.
Rating: T for Teen, animated violence.
What's right: Huge battles, big maps, great weapons.
What's wrong: Some load times in finding a game at times.
Numb Thumb: Graphics A; Gameplay B; Control B; Value B. Overall a B on the Numb Thumb.
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