Play MAG, Roll Deep

After sitting with MAG late night upon late night, I’ve finally got something constructive to say about this epic multiplayer first person shooter. Briefly speaking, MAG is a Playstation 3 exclusive that is online-only; developed by Zipper Media. While the gameplay mechanics are similar, the biggest perk MAG has on Modern Warfare 2 is the amount of people you can have in one match – 256! The player must be a member of one of three factions. Each faction has their own aesthetic and strategic appeal, so you better do your homework before you pick yours. As you progress and win matches, you earn levels and skill points. Skill points will allow you to unlock more weapons and give you advantages with certain weapon types. Oh, and of course, MAG is “Massive Action Game” for short. I guess coming up with a better meaning for the acronym wasn’t in their budget.

Before it came out, the general consensus was that this game would have too many people in one match. A battle that can get 256 people large would have that first impression, but thankfully the developers knew what they were doing in this regard. The maps are great sizes, and the multiplayer matches rely on most of the team being constructive together. It’s not like two crazies running around with their knives out are going to win the match for their whole team. The focus is on your strategic moves. If you try securing a capture point in a 2 v 10 situation, it’s not going to work. You need to work with your team to get somewhere.

In summary, don’t be intimidated by the multiplayer experience you’ll have with MAG. The game doesn’t throw you directly into the mess, either – you have to go through smaller training matches with other members of your faction before you head off to the big fights. The level system will give you the drive that any level system does, and should keep you interested for a while. Plus, it’s ridiculous fun to tear up a team of 128 people with your own team of 128 people!