Is bigger better? The MAG Complex
Would you like to be the leader of a 128 member clan?
With games like MAG coming out this year we see the PS3 pushing the concept of “large scale battles”. It’s seems like these games are just getting bigger and bigger and there might be no stopping them! While I am sure the idea of 256 players might sound incredible on paper, it does not always mean it will translate well to the actual game. We have seen games like Warhawk work with 32-player battles,(and work) Resistance 2 and the 64-player situation (and the separation of players into squads didn’t work all too well), and even Multi-platform games like Frontline: Fuels of War, Quake Wars, and Battlefield: Bad Company working the “large scale battle” system and failing.
So what will a game like MAG do better then those games did, while having quadruple the amount of players on the field? For one, mayhem will definitely play a factor and perhaps the folks at Zipper (the developers of MAG and SOCOM fame) are counting on that! Yet if you look back at past games that went with more players on the field one can’t help but think about how Insomniac tried to create control with Resistance 2 and the 64-players on the field all at once, and having played my fair share of R2 I can honestly say that the Skirmish games were not always so entertaining as gamers/Insomniac would have hoped.
Anyone who follows the gaming scene heavily should easily remember Cliffy B’s favorite slogan for Gears of War 2 which was “Bigger, Better, and more Bad-ass!” While Gears 2 was Bigger it certainly was not better and bad-ass is questionable to say the least. So games like MAG, whose title even implies how MASSIVE this ACTION GAME could be (see what I did there!) have a steep hill to climb, it must prove that bigger may in fact be better or it will fade into obscurity like so many other games before it.
A game of this scale, especially in this case, is a gamble for both Sony and Zipper. Will it succeed? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
April 13, 2009 at 10:51 pm
As of now we have only heard the concept and until we see the game in action we should give them the benefit of doubt.
April 13, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Very true my friend! Trust me when I say that I do want MAG to succeed because this has potential. What concerns me is the chaos on the battlefield. Then again, I guess that is what we look forward to anyway correct?
April 14, 2009 at 3:09 am
i think it will work and be an awesome game, IF they make huge maps full of variety.
April 14, 2009 at 6:02 am
is this game really comeing out it will be well good mite convert xbox owers to ps3 256 players online be a propper mash up
April 14, 2009 at 9:36 am
R2′s online play was critically acclaimed
April 14, 2009 at 9:42 am
bf 1942 , bf 2, and 2142 were all large scale and they were fun. bf bc didnt suck either. r2 only fails be cause the ai has you runnig between objectives more than fighting. if the rumors from neogaf ar true MAG uses real commanders like bf series. Im willing to give it a shot.
April 14, 2009 at 11:28 am
I’m just glad that Sony has the balls to try something this big. Big for MS this gen is 32 players. I’m tired of games trying the same safe method. I’m glad Sony put faith behind totally new concepts like LittleBigPlanet. With the safe thinking that some people seem to have, the industry wouldn’t even grow. It would play it safe with sequels, generic shooters, and so on.
We should thank Sony for taking risks like this. People say “Yeah, well it’s going to be a lot harder to keep the game balanced.” Exactly. It’s just that:
1) They’ve been playing it too safe to attempt something like this
2) The tech hasn’t been there up until maybe now to do it.
Let MS play it safe this gen with 10 player Gears of War 2 and 32 player Halo 3-4. Sure MAG might fail, but I sure am gald Sony is at least attempting to push the genre in a very aggressive direction.
April 14, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I was reading in my gi(game informer) that they’ve been doing at least 100 player stress test every week, and have no lag, also they’ve made it hard to cheat or glitch with a system they have, i can’t wait =)
April 14, 2009 at 3:26 pm
How can 256 players be bad? =P
April 14, 2009 at 8:17 pm
[...] Is bigger better? The MAG Complex With games like MAG coming out this year we see the PS3 pushing the concept of “large scale battles”. [...] [...]