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MAG on PS3

MAG Screen Shots

MAG is a Shooting game available on the PS3. It can be played in Firstperson Singleplayer Competitive Cooperative modes.

MAG is a Shooting game. Shooting games present a world in which the character must shoot their way out of dangerous situations. They provide the player with an array of weapons tailored to specific tasks. This unavoidably involves a combination of fisticuffs and gun based fighting that dictates the violent nature of these experiences. Beneath this harsh exterior though is often an intricate tactile game - and this is usually what drives the player.

MAG can be played in a Firstperson mode. First Person games view the world from the eyes of the in-game character. You don't see the character themselves apart from their hands, gun or possibly feet as in Mirror's Edge. Because of the imediacy of the experience and sheer volume of visual information the player is offered First Person games lend themselves to the shooting genre. The FPS view enables players to immerse themselves in the experience and react quicker to events in the game. Other games have used a first person view to deliver an unusual perspective on an old genre - Mirror's Edge for example delivers a Platforming genre through a First Person view.

MAG can be played in a Singleplayer mode. Single Player Campaign games focus on one player's experience. Rather than collaborate with other players either locally or online, players progress alone. The campaign style of gameplay offers a connected series of challenges to play through. These chapters work together to tell a story through which players progress. Single player games are able to focus on one experience of a scenario, so that it is usually a richer, more visceral game.

MAG can be played in a Competitive mode. Competitive Multiplayer games provide experiences where players compete against each other and the computer. Obviously lending itself to sports and team games, these competitive engagements have also dominated the shooting and fighting genres because of the direct combat and expertise involved in each. Although these games were originally played in a split screen style, more recently they are played online via services such as PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and the Nintendo Wireless Connection.

MAG can be played in a Cooperative mode. Cooperative Multiplayer games provide an experience that is played symaltaneously by multiple players. Unlike the simple arena competitive multiplayer style games where players try to kill the most enemies, true co-operative games are designed to take a group of players through a campaign experience together. This will involve sections where players have to work together to proceed - either from the sheer difficulty as in Halo 3 on 360 or by the design of levels such as LittleBigPlanet on PS3.

News

We have our reporters and community keeping an eye on MAG for you, and we'll keep you up to date with the latest developments as they happen.

Reviews

Family Gamer review Fri, 12 Feb 2010

MAG could shine if only a grownup audience started playing. As it stands, the juvenile players mar MAG's technically impressive experience, even for a PS3. Nevertheless it's still an intriguing proposition for any older family member with a strategic bent.

MAG is an online-only multiplayer shooter that features massive 256-player battles across some impressively large maps. Coming back to online gaming after a long absence I was initially overwhelmed by the concept of MAG. Yet despite all the claims on the box I rarely felt as if I was participating in anything more than a standard team-based shooter. When the pieces of the game did come together I had a blood-pumping awesome time being part of a virtual squad - but it only worked when everyone from the faction leader to the squad commanders was co-operating together. Too often the usual dregs of society made the experience less than pleasant.
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Frugal Gamer review Wed, 23 Dec 2009

You haven't experienced a real online shooter until you've played MAG for PlayStation 3. Forget matches of 8 vs. 8, in MAG you'll be playing in a battlefield filled with 256 other players, all in their own 8-man squads. From directing air-strikes, taking part in parachute jumps and taking out enemy emplacements you'll be working towards eliminating the other team. Work towards taking command of your 8-man squad and then lead them across the battlefield to glory and promotion. MAG is the biggest and most ambitious virtual war game that has ever been attempted on a home console - lock and load soldier!

Since the summer of 2009, Sony's online-only Massive Action Game (MAG) has been in beta as the developers smooth out the ruffles and kinks that come from creating such an ambitious title. Impressions so far have been largely positive, aside from the issues you expect when taking part in a beta - like server downtime and loading issues. You start the game by choosing one of three PMC (Private Military Corporations) factions, Raven Industries, Valor Company or S.V.E.R. These all have unique load-outs and visual look with a mere smidgen of back-story to entertain you if you're remotely interested in that kind of thing.
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