MAG
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Hit the battlefield with up to 256 other players in MAG!
We have gathered together the best information currently available for MAG including , an article detailing all of it's main features, reviews written by readers just like you, screenshots to show you exactly what MAG looks like, cheats for MAG and gameplay tips too.
MAG is a Sony PlayStation 3 Action Shooter game, written by Zipper Interactive.
Guide to MAG on the PlayStation 3
MAG feels and looks like one of the most ambitious attempt yet for the PS3, which is a 256-player epic battle developed by Zipper Interactive. With such a massive lineup of players going at it through combat at one time, there is no other word more fitting than 'epic' to describe it. MAG is a PlayStation 3-exclusive shooter that follows up on the act of the SOCOM franchise with an unprecedented degree of excitement and massive playing option for those looking for some real-time action. Critics are torn about the game for various reasons but it is undeniable how big of a potential the game has to offer for hardcore shooting fans.
MAG is set 20 years in the future wherein you become part of the squad fighting at a Shadow War. There are 3 private military factions engaged in this war: the high-tech Raven, guerrilla-like SVER or Seryu Volk Executive Response and the gung-ho Valor. When you start your career in MAG, one of the first choices you will make in the game is in picking out which of the 3 factions to join in and you can fight with them in honor. You can then customize your chosen character to play with voice signatures, fatigue colors, among others and equip them with essential war kits before being tossed into the map. In addition, each character are initially provided with 3,400 credits, which will serve as your in-game currency in MAG that you can use to purchase weapons, equipments, and other items that you can save onto your loadout slots to ensure you have items accessible whenever you need them. Once you have made a decision, you will join an 8-man squad making up a 32-man platoon in a 128-person army. With two armies fighting side by side, it brings the total of soldiers controlled by real human players to a whopping 256 soldiers!
Despite the massive playing experience in MAG, the developers opted not to tinker much with the control system. It still works out like most standard shooters, instead of tossing you into a game with a difficult learning curve when it comes to mastering how the controls work. You can scroll through your gears and weapons by pressing on L2, while the R2 button is used for toggling between your primary and secondary weapons. It might be odd and unrealistic when you transform that into real-time playing situations in MAG, since you have to perform approximately 5 clicks before you can find the weapon you want to use. And with constant line of fire aimed at you, it is a task that could prove fatal.
Generally, with as much players navigating the maps at once, it is completely understandable how MAG's gameplay could tend to be frantic and fast paced for the most part. In order to cope with such a huge number of players, it was important for developers to come up with a big and large-scaled environments and maps. The fact that MAG is mostly an infantry game, it has to be huge enough to prevent overcrowding but still facilitate in the quick pace of action. But still, one cannot deny the fact that these maps need to be larger than most games, measuring up by kilometers instead of meters. Examining the detail of the environments in MAG though, one cannot help but watch in awe with the depth of detail such as smoke rising from afar, flashes of gunfire, mangled infrastructures, and other signs of destruction that other players might have left behind. In addition to adding up to the realistic element for the game, you can also utilize these environmental features as natural cover and it never feels artificial at all. A lot of the powerhouse that MAG delivers is due to the game engine used since the development team have utilized a new one and come up with a network infrastructure.
The combat in MAG is characterized by close-quarters troop-based action, hence it would not add much to the experience if vehicles were added or that vehicle missions were incorporated. There is still the typical run-and-gun type of play evident in the game but it is generally easy to pick up. Overall, you can use five loadout slots that consist any of the following: primary weapon, backup weapon, gear, heavy gear, and your armor. Each slot will have room for only one item. When it comes to the choice of armor to equip your character with in MAG, you can go for light, medium or heavy armor. But your choice will consequently impact your mobility or the amount of protection that you can get from enemy shots. Weapon choices are quite hefty too, wherein gamers can gain access to such weapons as M4A1, Mk 14 Mod 0EBR assault rifles, and the MK46 Mod 0 machine gun, among others. Aside from your weapons, you can equip your character with valuable gears that include fragmentation and smoke grenades, vehicle repair kits, and first aid kits that you can place on your gear slot.
You can also expect various match types available in MAG to keep things fresh and varied. Some of the notable match types that also featured in the open beta are Domination (wherein you'd have to fight for control over eight points), Sabotage (wherein you must defend three pieces of intel) and Training (is when you must hone your combat skills). You can play an Acquisition Mode in MAG though, which tosses you to a map known as Elk Bay Logistics. Your objective for this mode is to locate prototype vehicles contained in sea containers at the Valor base. The more exciting part would have to be stealing the vehicle since you might need to hack a security pad just to gain access to it.
With all the hype surrounding MAG, there are several issues that confront gamers though upon grabbing hold of that controller. Each mission that you encounter have specific goals to meet but instead of forcing you into this linear path, MAG welcomes the free-to-play form wherein players can jump in or out at anytime they will. It therefore causes another vital concept of the game to face quite a few issues, especially concerning leadership among squads and respective factions. A leader does more than bark orders though, but in a game wherein 128 different players in a squad are controlled by human gamers, would it be possible for each of them to pay attention to a leader? The massive scale of the game map is too much to resist exploring your own activities and human variable is truly difficult to contain. But hopefully, the concept of gathering Experience Points in MAG will keep players' in sight with their goals. At the end of each round, you can view all the experience points you have accumulated. Once you have enough, you can use those points to level up your character, earn new skills, or gain access to new weapons or gears. Therefore, it is very important to follow your leader's orders.
The development team for MAG at Zipper Interactive are aware of the challenge facing them in terms of getting over 200 players to cooperate can appear daunting. Most importantly, while the open environments invite strategy, there is also a lot of room to throw away strategy out of the picture. But technically speaking, MAG is undoubtedly a remarkable game for the PS3. Hopefully, enough education is provided to gamers in order to get the players in the proper mindset needed to tackle the challenges that await them in MAG. If that's the case, this could easily slip through as truly one of the most explosive action games to come out, not only of this year, but of all time.
MAG Game Features
* Massive Action – For the first time ever, fight 256 real players online.
* Command Structure – Think leadership is in your blood? Use your advanced skills to become a squad, platoon or even army commander.
* Persistent world – Missions and campaigns appear around the world as the missions ebb and flow.
* Choose an army – Three distinct PMCs to choose from, each with their own history, personality and style.
* Customization – Customize your character and pursue a wide variety of combat specialties from elite fighter to a general of an army.
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