It is now 2026: The Post WW3 political climate forces the world's superpowers to turn to Private Military Corporations. The three largest PMCs are locked in a ‘Shadow War’ to control the global, paramilitary contract market. It is time to enlist and enter the world of MAG.

Sony have been working hard to wrest the ‘shooter’ crown from the Xbox360 whose Halo and Gears of War games (along with the multiplatform Call of Duty / Modern Warfare series) have set the pace for online multiplayer killing. In 2009 however the battle was well and truly entered with the awesome Killzone 2 following the decent Resistance 2, Socom and the excellently playable Warhawk as PS3 exclusive shooters of merit.

Now 2010 sees the stakes raised higher with MAG – Massive Action Game which does something that impressive – allows 256 players to fight in one seamless large scale battle, online, at the same time… It’s enough to make Xbox owners cry into their now pitifully small skirmishes by comparison…

Zipper Interactive have been clever, not just in creating a technical marvel in that MAG does exactly as it claims – delivers the largest online theatre of war ever seen by console owners but they have ‘borrowed’ elements from the best of the first person shooters (FPS) out there – especially the Modern Warfare games.

Unlike many FPS games, but much like real soldiering, MAG is all about working as a team – it is not a game for ‘lone wolves’ and trying to rush gung-ho into the fray alone will see you dead very quickly. Find a squad of people to work with however and you’ll find that MAG is potentially the most satisfying online battle experience available anywhere to date.

There are a choice of 3 private military companies from which to choose your allegiance: Raven are the tech heavy and well funded option who like nothing better than to set up some high tech killzones, Valor however use effective modern day weaponry and who look like Navy Seals or finally you can pick S.V.E.R., a coalition of skull mask wearing hard guys from the Middle East and Russia. These factions are in a constant struggle against the others which continues when you’re not there – this is an addictive hook that once you get bitten by wanting to ‘win’ will see you logging on often in order to do your part.

There is a good ranking up system which rewards skillful play with progression up the ranks. The nice twist here though is that as well as being given better hardware to equip and perks which will aid you in the field, you can also be granted leadership opportunities. So step this way if you’ve a veteran looking to lead a few good men to glory... It’s a great feeling but you’ll have to earn the loyalty of your squad as they are likely to dessert you sharpish if you continually send them into ‘no win’ situations where you all get taken out like noobs.

Graphically MAG is good but doesn’t really bring much new to the bullet ravaged FPS landscape, it’s not as pretty as Killzone 2 or Modern Warfare 2 and it lacks the fantastic destructible fun of Battlefield Bad Company but it does hold up well considering the tons of players on screen at once. I can imagine it won’t be long before we see new DLC campaigns coming down the line (how about an alien invasion force to mix it up?) but there are certainly plenty of initial areas to fight over straight off the disc.

Game play is slick and unforgiving, with a real sense of threat brought about due to there being no auto health regeneration. You’ll need med-kit or a fellow teammate with medical skills to get you back into the fight so careful use of cover soon becomes second nature.

There are several different flavours of game style to play - in ‘Suppression’ it’s your side versus the others in a team deathmatch style shootout, this is the first mode you’ll get to play and it breaks you in gently with just 64 players going for it.

Next up is ‘Sabotage’ which as the name suggests, sees you tracking objectives on the map with a view to destroying or defending the targets. Unlocking ‘Acquisition’ feels good as it doubles the player count to 128 and is lots of fun as you are tasked with getting into enemy territory and making off with their vehicles. Finally there is ‘Domination’, this is the daddy, the one where MAG rocks out in full 256 player glory.

Verdict:

MAG is an ambitious game that brings an impressive sized battlefield to your HD TV along with the capacity to form a team with your mates and strive to fight the good fight shoulder to shoulder. It is too early to say if sufficient numbers will join the online community which will probably mature over the coming weeks – when those not up to the standard will fall away leaving battle ready teams to finish the fight. But because it is surprisingly easy to pick up and play but will require commitment if you plan to become a high ranking commander, there is every reason for this one to run and run!

I’ll see you on the frontline!!

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