MAG (Sony Playstation 3, 2010)

When you first hear that MAG supports 256-player online matches, you may be inclined to picture hordes of soldiers swarming on top of one another and filling the air with thousands of bullets. The reality is that skirmishes play out on a much smaller scale, yet MAG still boasts some of the busiest battlefields in the genre. On the objective-rich maps, defeating the enemy squads arrayed against you demands individual skill and team coordination. Powerful rewards and intriguing command abilities await determined soldiers, making the tight combat all the more satisfying. There are some rough edges to contend with, however, including technical problems and a creeping sense of repetition. Yet though MAG is sometimes frustrating, it is more often engaging and occasionally thrilling. The sharp combat and exciting command roles make MAG a great destination for soldiers of fortune.

Stopping the enemy's vehicular advances is a great way to help hold the line.

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Jumping into MAG requires you to choose a faction. Three private military companies--S.V.E.R., Raven, and Valor--are engaged in a so-called Shadow War for military contracts, attacking each other's facilities in order to gain an edge. If a faction has enough success in a given match type, it earns a contract that gives its players a slight bonus every time they play that match type. These bonuses are fairly minimal (+5% experience points, for example) and don't tip the scales too much, serving more as an indicator of faction status than a tangible goal to strive for. Each faction has a different appearance, different guns, and a different attitude, and you make your choice based on a brief recruiting video. This isn't much to go on, but they all have similar arsenals and the same skill progression trees, so they are essentially interchangeable.

That doesn't mean you can change factions, however. After enlisting, you are stuck with the faction you chose unless you delete your character or reach level 60, at which point you can start a new career. This persistence builds faction loyalty and increases the likelihood that you'll see familiar teammates. You also get very familiar with the maps because they are faction-specific; you always defend your own turf and attack your enemies' territories. This consistency has obvious benefits, and though there are only ten maps, most of them have multiple fronts. The biggest maps have four such fronts, each of which has a different layout and presents its own challenges. Even with this variety, you can reach a point where you start feel like you've seen it all before. Fortunately, the maps are very well designed, and there is so much going on in each battle that this feeling doesn't become a problem.

There are four match types in MAG, though only two are available to you early on. Suppression is team deathmatch within your own faction. Sabotage introduces the concept of taking and holding objectives, challenging attackers to capture two points in order to unlock (and subsequently destroy) the third point. These 64-player matches are very straightforward and provide a good point of entry into the game. You can certainly find some hotly contested matches as players hone their weapon skills, but these modes ultimately lack the dynamic intensity of MAG's larger-scale battles.

When you need to clear the way for bunker demolition, your shotgun is a powerful ally.

If and when MAG finds a dedicated audience and the casual, blood-crazed floating audience drifts away, it should blossom into something tactical and smart, those 128-player teams creating a militarised war that nothing else on console can come close to. That's the game it wants to be, and the game it deserves to be. Alas, it may have shot itself in the foot with the epic headcount: even in the early, 64-player modes it's going to be daunting and punishing for newcomers. A fiddly HUD that makes getting a bead on squad- (as opposed to faction-) mates and objectives far less obvious than it should be doesn't help there – without a good, talkative commander, relative newcomers are going to flail around desperately. Despite those buttoned-down starting modes, without any single-player content to practice on there's a serious barrier to entry for casual shooter players. Like Warhawk and Quake Wars: Enemy Territory before it, it may well flounder as a result, regardless of its beefy merits. But it works. It really does.

6.0 Presentation
No-frills, straight-to-the action has its merits when your trigger finger’s all itchy, but more character would go a long way. Big battles are a great sight, but everything else is so perfunctory.
8.0 Graphics
It’s, y’know, fine. Unexceptional, but never embarrassing. Individual characters look a few years old, but that’s a necessary and forgivable side-effect of how many chaps it has to pack in.
7.0 Sound
Again, it’s not big on character. Expect standard-issue military grunts and menu music, but little else. Some guns don’t feel as meaty as you’d hope either.
7.5 Gameplay
The core mechanics – taken wholesale from other big-map team shooters – are strong, but the dated HUD and over-prevalance of lone-wolves risks it becoming far more drearily ordinary than it is.
7.5 Lasting Appeal
Depends on whether you truly identify with one of the factions. Otherwise, the bland anonymity of it all means that brain-itch to continually climb the level ladder will wear off fast.
7.6 Good

Full Review by IGN
http://xbox360.ign.com

Reported by eBay Platinum Powerseller
eBay ID:mariio128
eBay Store:Mariio128 Gamemate

This game is available for sale in my ebay store:
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For starters, i have played this game since the beta, I bought this as a second copy because i use multiple ps3's (one at home and one at school and i always forget to bring the disc =( ) This game is a MUST HAVE. i have all types of first person shooters like socom, call of duty exct but this one is alittle different. It is online only but the gameplay is amazing. it is non stop action with game modes having up to 256 players in a single game!!(due to newly designed servers there is little to no lag even with this many people in a single battle). Game modes are being developed and added as DLC (download content) also. In the game you have squad, platoon and officers in control (other players which have earned that rank), they can call in air strikes and other support. also give orders to squads to attack specific area's you want. if they fallow your orders they receive bonus xp. The maps are very good and graphics are too, not exactly life like but thats because it gives you a better feel for the battleground. my suggestion is look up on youtube or gametrailers.com about the PMC's (private military companies) it will explain the details of the game. id highly suggest it. i play cod mw2 but still come back to mag every night to play. there is much more strategy and a higher amount of control you have as a player. you can tell over 128 people what to do during battle. Between Socom, Battlefield bad company 2 and COD modern warefare 2 id say this is the best because it is most consistent action and you dont get shot in the back as easliy. and much less camping or spawn killing.

MAG may seem like a generic FPS, but the company who created is no stranger to the shooter genre. Although Zipper is known for the SOCOM series and 3rd person view I believe they did a pretty good job on their first FPS title. No other company has ever made a 256 player FPS for the console. And Zipper has experience with ground breaking features. The first SOCOM game had voice recognition. Coming from I person who has played video games since the Atari 2600 I would give this game a 7/10. It's not perfect but with updates and patches, along with player feedback it can improve. If you're like me and enjoy playing with a clan who knows how to play together than this game should be right up your alley. For those looking for something a little less like MW2, at least try to rent MAG.

Roommate from the east coast told us about the huge battles this game has so I found it on Ebay for a good deal. This first person shooter has 3 different teams you can be on: VALOR-army crazy cats heard they have the best weapons, RAVEN- top-notch European special opps, guess we have the most variety and then SVER- raggedy Revolutionists, but always put up a fight with the most damaging duct-tapped weapons.

MAG like any game def takes some getting used to, lots of upgrades and once you get into the 40-50 skill level there are some really good upgrades and you'll get to know your way around. Love the options of play, earning extra points as a medic when healing your teammates.. But beware of the east coast kids up all night who don't go to bed till 10am  ENJOY!!