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Is MAG the Super Bowl of First-Person Shooters?

From the team behind the original SOCOM, Zipper Interative, comes MAG, a FPS on a massive scale: 256 players, 1 map.

February 2, 2010
You won't like this if...

you're agoraphobic, demophobic or hoplophobic.

Credit: Zipper Interactive

I have to admit that I was skeptical going into MAG, the latest shooter from the folks who did the SOCOM series for PlayStation 2. First of all, the SOCOM series for the PlayStation 2? That's like the RuneScape of shooters. But then there was MAG's most prominent bullet point: 256 players on one map! Even if you drop 256 players onto one map, how many of them are actually going to fight each other? Or even see each other? When it comes to the business of shooting your gun at people, is MAG going to be any different than a game with, say, 64 players?

The answer is basically "no." When it comes down to shooting, MAG is like a slightly clunky Modern Warfare 2. The clunkiness come from the dramatic draw distances where you can see a lot of players at once (the phrase "target-rich environment" comes to mind as I open fire into a cluster of 20 parachuting reinforcements drifting down onto the battlefield). In exchange, you can't expect the character and atmosphere of the latest round of shooters. Instead, you get a whiff of the generic and slightly dated as you play.

But when it comes to the business beyond shooting your gun at people, MAG is one of the best shooters you can play on any platform. What MAG accomplishes is a sense that you're a part of something big. Bigger than yourself. Bigger than deathmatches and frags and even snipers. Really big. There are horizons in MAG, and beyond those horizons aren't mere skyboxes. Over there are more people fighting different fronts in the same battle. Whether you win or lose is largely in their hands. Open the map, zoom out, and marvel at the shuffling confetti of blue and red dots jostling each other. That's what it looks like when there are 256 players on one map.

On one hand, MAG is an object lesson that you don't matter. To matter, you're better off jumping into some deathmatch-friendly shooter. On the other hand, MAG is an object lesson that battles are big complicated messy affairs that can go all pear-shaped and oh-god-what's-happening-and-who's-in-charge-here-anyway? But when a plan comes together, there's nothing quite so gratifying. If I may attempt a sports metaphor, winning a typical shooter is like winning at bowling, or maybe a basketball game. But winning MAG is like winning a football game. Actually, scratch that. Winning MAG is like winning the Super Bowl.

MAG, the latest shooter from the folks who did the SOCOM series for PlayStation 2. First of all, the SOCOM series for the PlayStation 2? That's like the RuneScape of shooters. But then there was MAG's most prominent bullet point: 256 players on one map! Even if you drop 256 players onto one map, how many of them are actually going to fight each other? Or even see each other? When it comes to the business of shooting your gun at people, is MAG going to be any different than a game with, say, 64 players?

The answer is basically "no." When it comes down to shooting, MAG is like a slightly clunky Modern Warfare 2. The clunkiness come from the dramatic draw distances where you can see a lot of players at once (the phrase "target-rich environment" comes to mind as I open fire into a cluster of 20 parachuting reinforcements drifting down onto the battlefield). In exchange, you can't expect the character and atmosphere of the latest round of shooters. Instead, you get a whiff of the generic and slightly dated as you play.

But when it comes to the business beyond shooting your gun at people, MAG is one of the best shooters you can play on any platform. What MAG accomplishes is a sense that you're a part of something big. Bigger than yourself. Bigger than deathmatches and frags and even snipers. Really big. There are horizons in MAG, and beyond those horizons aren't mere skyboxes. Over there are more people fighting different fronts in the same battle. Whether you win or lose is largely in their hands. Open the map, zoom out, and marvel at the shuffling confetti of blue and red dots jostling each other. That's what it looks like when there are 256 players on one map.

On one hand, MAG is an object lesson that you don't matter. To matter, you're better off jumping into some deathmatch-friendly shooter. On the other hand, MAG is an object lesson that battles are big complicated messy affairs that can go all pear-shaped and oh-god-what's-happening-and-who's-in-charge-here-anyway? But when a plan comes together, there's nothing quite so gratifying. If I may attempt a sports metaphor, winning a typical shooter is like winning at bowling, or maybe a basketball game. But winning MAG is like winning a football game. Actually, scratch that. Winning MAG is like winning the Super Bowl.

1UP.

See More: MAG | FPS