MAG

 A lot of shooting games pride them selfs on having the best online multiplayer possible. MAG (short for Massive Action Game) is trying to pride its self on not only being the beat everyone for being the best but also the biggest. 256 player team battles of 168 vs. 168 is the staple that MAG says will be the big hit. MAG is certainly the biggest shooting game by far, not even PC's have gotten more then 150 people on a good day, however that doesn't make it good. MAG is falling short of greatness because of the size of the game and what shortcuts you have to take to get to 256 players on one screen.
 
Story:
MAG doesn't really have a story element. They do however explain that the world has tons of Private Military Corporations (PMC) that are fighting to represent different countries as their military arm. Past that the most in terms of story that you get is why you are attacking/defending a certain position. The story is really weak but it doesn't need a story because the game is centered around intense multiplayer.
 
Presentation:
The graphics for MAG are good but they feel like they are designed for the last generations of consoles. They really can't be blamed because there trying to render 255 more people on the screen along with the scenery. Textures do some occasional popping, people are rendered nicely but is lacking variety, the foliage is kind of flat and blocky, and the smoke effects are really grainy and unappealing. Now none of this is actually bad because of the scale of the fights require a lot of power which the Playstation 3 does provide and it works great under the stress. I understand why they have to tone back the graphics but at times it feels like its to much of a pull back even with all the power that the PS3 has under the hood.
 
Game Play:
For MAG it all comes down to game play. Which is good because the way it plays is just like every other console based FPS. With its run and gun play style, fighting against 168 other people is exhilarating. Most of the variants that you can play have to do with capturing something. Either its a base, vehicle, a flag, or blowing a point us their isn't much variety in the ways that you can achieve victory. MAG does have a level system where you can spend points on new gear and better weapons. Its a great system but some of the items you unlock later are far more powerful then the starting one which makes it 1 sided against the new comers and could possibly frustrate them. On top of that you can spawn, walk for 3 minutes trying to find someone just to be shot by 7 snipers that you never saw, only to have to wait for 20 seconds to respawn(which is fine, it makes it so people can't farm kills). Now if you look past those faults, MAG is a powerhouse that takes what other games do great, and amps it to the next level. 
 
Conclusion:
MAG is one of the better shooters that I have played on the PS3. With its tight controls, massive scale, and large player base, MAG will most likely become a popular shooter. If you are looking for story and graphics there are far better choices, but the solid game play and constant leveling system will keep any avid shooting gamer occupied for a long time.

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