MAG revalution to online gaming? or doomed to failure

you guys heard about MAG? 256 players playing at once..just wow

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Console action game fans are used to shooting it out with 16 or 18 other players, but upcoming Sony release MAG is about to kick it up a notch.

And by "a notch" we mean "about 240 notches." Set in the year 2025, where private military forces are warring over lucrative contracts, MAG's online matches will support up to 256 individual players -- a first for console shooters.
MAG

A truly Massive Action Game.

A recipe for chaos? Maybe, but at least MAG has a chain of command. Players are organized into eight-man squads, each with its own commanding officer. Four squads make a platoon, four platoons forms a company, and players head up each level of organization.

If you've ever played an online game, you may be wondering exactly how that's going to reduce confusion. So you'll be relieved to hear the developers don't just let any random fool take the reins of an entire faction. Instead, players with ambitions to command will have to prove themselves as a grunt, while those in higher levels of command will already have succeeded at squad-leader levels. More experience also grants access to higher levels of gear, much like in last year's hit Modern Warfare 2 -- and good leaders gain perks that give bonuses to all the soldiers under their command.

Sounds good, but will players actually be prepared to follow orders? Smartly, MAG builds in a reward system that doles out incentives for fulfilling objectives that your commander considers important. That extends way beyond just shooting opposing players: for example, destroying obstacles or taking out anti-aircraft guns. We're betting there will still be headstrong types who prefer to go it alone -- or those who don't take direction well -- but they're not going to advance at the same rate as team players.

MAG's scale plays into its map design, too. Expect to find MAG games playing out over landscapes more akin to Grand Theft Auto IV than what you'd expect from the smaller, more compact maps from the Halo or Call of Duty games. Fortunately, the game also packs drivable vehicles like APCs and tanks to help players navigate the terrain, and despite the mammoth scale, the visuals are every bit as good as any other top-tier shooter you care to name.

MAG comes to us from the team behind Sony's long-running military action series SOCOM, so they're no stranger to gunplay, and reports from the game's just-concluded beta test are encouraging. During the test, over a million players downloaded the game, and an impressive number played the game enough to max out their characters. You'll get your chance to enlist on Jan 26.

Ya I heard about that.

The magazine I work for (Vantage) is getting a press copy of the game soon to review.
Should be interesting to see how the servers handle it.

Yeah, I am more concerned about how people will play as teams in such a large scale game...but yeah it seems epic

I think it will be filled with 8 times more "noobs", little kids, cheaters, etc. than CoD or BF2 or any other game.

Mhm but if thier noobs they get no rank..so we will see

Mass Effect 2 = WIN. Problem is my parents are going crazy about my midterm exams and won't let me play it.....

Didn't Resistance 2 already feature something similar in regards to massive online play?

Anyway if the ranking system works the way they claim this seems like it'll have potential. This also might have steered me towards picking up a PS3 over getting another 360 during the summer. Getting back into playing video games and my OG Xbox and N64 just can't cut it for what i want to do.

Resistance 2 allowed 60 players in it's online gaming, no were near the 250 of MAG, and it was all each on thier own...iono this seems pretty cool.

And I think servers will be a issue...loook at all the MMORPG's thier servers can handle it so why shouldnt they be able to be for this game.

Gotta say, this would make my day. I may need to grab a 360

Looks like it's only a PS3 game.

It is? My bad. Looks like I may need to pick up a PS3

Hey PS3s are much more reliable then 360s and plus PSN is free unlike XBL.

Yeah, but then I don't have Halo. And I am so very, very awesome at Halo.

I think it will be multi platform....thier going to have a hard time paying for servers if it's free online play..unless they go with somthing like Guild Wars uses

Right on the box it says "Only on PlayStation". So at least for now it's staying for PS3 only.

WTF....SOB.....BAWLS! why did i join the 360 craze????...WHY!?

Because it was way cheaper. And better

The 256 little/no lag will work because of two things.

1: All dedicated servers.
2: The game only loads 64 players at a time, so you won't see the other 255 people, only the 63 in your vicinity.