Some time ago I heard that Zipper Interactive was working on a First Person Shooter called MAG, “Massive Action Game”. After I heartily laughed and began reading up on it for more laughs, I discovered it was going to have real-time 256 player battles with 128 combatants per side. So with a fresh pair of pants and a floor smelling of Pinesol, I began counting the days until release.
MAG ditches any campaign mode and is purely online multiplayer, which may turn off a few potential players. I welcome this change, however, as the multiplayer maps are very well polished and having those level designers focus on expansive campaign areas could have damaged the overall quality. The ‘story’ in MAG revolves around the three playable corporations; Raven, SVER, and Valor. These factions are essentially gigantic private armies out to give each other bloody noses in any way possible. You can only create one character at a time and you can’t switch factions at will, but all 3 factions are practically identical aside from physical appearance.
There are 4 game types in MAG, Suppression is a simple death match in which 64 members of your corporation compete in a ‘non-lethal exercise’. Sabotage has two corporations vying for control of communications points, with one side defending and the other attacking. Acquisition ups the ante to 128 players, with the defending corporation trying to hold on to two transport prototypes. The crown jewel of MAG is Domination, with 256 soldiers from two warring corporations going all out for territory control. While this may sound hectic, the maps for this mode are expansive and the command structure for each team makes it manageable.
Teams are split up in to 32 player groups, with those broken up in to 8 player squads. There is an officer in charge at each level that can give orders to their team (or group of teams). If you follow orders you’ll gain extra XP, and your team might even win.
Character progression is the difference between using the default rifle with a regular grenade and having a weapon that would make Rambo weep. As you level up you gain points that can be used to unlock better weapons, weapon add-ons, more player health, faster reloads, etc. While you’re climbing that ladder, you will unlock game types and the ability to take leadership positions, both of which are locked when you first create a character.
MAG’s combat reminds me more of Counter Strike than Halo. Weapons are powerful, teamwork is extremely important, and strategy means the difference between the enemy crumbling at your feet and your team getting steamrolled. Most importantly, it is fun. There are those FPS moments where you don’t know what’s going on or where that sniper is, but it all goes by the wayside when you look around and see there are TWO HUNDRED other people on the field. Everything executes so flawlessly that you will almost never be overwhelmed by the experience, and even if you are absolutely horrid you can’t single-handedly cause your team to lose. MAG is a fantastic game and probably the most important FPS since Half Life 2.