Not since the days of SOE's Planetside have players ever seen an MMORPG-FPS hybrid that was truly "massive." Until MAG!

It's been about a week now since gamers saw the release of Zipper Interactive's Massive Action Game (MAG), a first-person shooter that derives its name from its one marquee feature: the ability to field up to 256 players on a single map, which makes for some… well… massive action gaming, to say the least. What the title lacks in originality, it certainly makes up for in accuracy.

Either way, now that the dust has settled and players have had the opportunity to try out this ambitious game on their own, it seems that, while the game is considered to be decent in the eyes of many FPS enthusiasts, where MAG really shines is with the MMORPG fans. Why? Well, perhaps it's because, oddly enough, MAG is the first time in recent history that anyone has successfully managed to integrate that "massive" feel into an MMO-FPS hybrid, and Zipper Interactive has done just that with great success.

Ever since SOE's Planetside, released in 2003, many development companies have attempted to tackle the problems that come with fusing MMORPG elements with the FPS genre. Some, like Hi-Rez Studios' Global Agenda, chose to lean more to the MMORPG side, focusing specifically on character progression, HP-based damage and customizable equipment. Unfortunately, GA's combat can feel quite slow in comparison to modern day shooters, like Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2, and, because Hi-Rez Studios wanted their players to feel more "involved" in the combat, characters can take significantly more damage than in a modern day shooters, to place more emphasis on teamwork. As well, the maximum number able to play on one map is limited to 20, so combatants don't feel lost in the fray.

MAG, on the other hand, has chosen to focus almost entirely upon delivering fast-paced action to as many players as possible. In "domination mode," there are 256 players split into two teams, with one team attacking and the other team defending. The teams are then split further into 32-player "platoons," which consist of four squads of eight players each. In this way, MAG does a great job of keeping players feeling like they're still part of a small unit, but they're also part of something bigger - the squad, the platoon and the team. During domination matches, each platoon gets a set of objectives to push, and the squad leaders direct their 8-person units as best as they can, to push their specific objectives. As a platoon completes its objective, it unlocks another objective further in, ultimately converging on a final point where all of the platoons should meet, provided they managed to accomplish all of their objectives.

It is here that MAG begins to make sense in the grand scheme of things. Many gamers argue that MAG's 256 player map is not really necessary because, well, since the maps are so big and the players are divided up so neatly, much of the combat feels like a simple 8v8. What they don't understand, however, is just how tactically deep MAG can get if it's being played by capable hands. You see, while platoons do have their assigned zones and objectives to take out, it's the squad leaders who set the "objective points," and if players fight within those points, they'll gain double experience. In this way, if a squad leader feels that his platoon is doing quite well, but he notices that the western offensive is getting shut down, he can simply divert his squad to the other side to lend a helping hand.

In other words, MAG doesn't shove its "massive" gaming aspect down a players' throat, demanding that they wade through 128 other units to get to a gate. Instead, MAG constantly lets its players feel they're a part of a greater scheme of things, and that connection is felt throughout each game, even if it's not so readily apparent on the screen. It's one thing to know that your comrades are fighting "somewhere else" for your cause, and it's an entirely different thing to know that you can travel across the map to assist them if they need it.

Unfortunately, while MAG may be incredibly innovative in its implementation of 256 player maps, it becomes quite obvious just how much the team has had to cut back in order to keep the game smooth and latency down. The game's artwork and detail are fairly "brown" for a current-gen game and some of the animations, like the explosion of a rocket, can get downright sparse. All of this, however, is offset by the fact that there are 256 people playing on one map, and there is no lag. This, in itself, is astonishing, and it's really only a matter of time before the graphics catch up.

Interestingly enough, MAG's second big problem actually comes from its players rather than the game itself. You see, while Zipper Interactive has made every effort to reward teamwork, communication and objective-based gameplay, it's inevitable that there will be players who just don't care. Lots of them. In reality, these gamers may very well be MAG's biggest downfall, as they will be the ones demanding easy objectives so that they can net more frags, or they will be the ones who refuse to rush a base because they want to protect their precious kill:death ratio. Even for MMO gamers, where teamwork is supposed to be second nature, we've all experienced "that guy" who decided that healing was boring, and therefore he wouldn't heal for the rest of the fight. Ultimately, Zipper Interactive designed a game with amazing potential, if played correctly, but their faith in humankind's ability to cooperate may very well be their downfall.

In the end, for MMO gamers around the world, MAG has been received as a monumental step in the right direction for the MMOFPS genre. While the game may not be "up to par" graphically, and it may need some more customization content down the line, what MAG ultimately represents is a solid foundation for any MMO developer who wants to make the next Planetside. It's definitely possible, now just improve on it!