MAG madness - 256 players online

Ground-breaking first person shooter MAG, on PlayStation3, pits 256 players against each other online.

PS3 gets serious about online shooters this month with the release of a giant multi-player called MAG, from those responsible for the popular Sony franchise Socom.

This time, the shooter is played over the PlayStation Network with up to 256 online players.

In the early days, there wasn't anything like that number playing Counter Strike when I began (on PC) but it was still good fun.

It's the overwhelming possibility of playing with 256 that overshadows everything. Let's face it, in real battles, things must be as wildly chaotic as these with unpredictable fire coming from any direction.

It works like this: You are on either of two sides- attack or defend. There are four platoons of 32 and each one divides into four squads of eight players.

You must earn your rank to be able to play as squad leader, trial by fire as it were. You don't always have people in your squad who realise this is not just a shoot and kill FPS.

Starting out is a tough stretch - with a 5 minute tutorial on controls you are thrust into the firefight to slug it out and learn as you go. The control system may take a bit of getting used to but once mastered, works well and the graphics are smooth and sharp.

Never have the words 'communicate' and 'be a team player' felt so crucial to a game's success.

You start out playing the Shadow War in Suppression matches of 64 players where one Private Military Corporation (PMC) is pitted against another PMC until you rank up enough to play the other game types.

Sabotage involves 64 players where the aim is to take over the opposing teams information centre.

Acquisition is a heated battle for logistics and supply stations with 128 players.

Domination is an all out offensive capture the map mode with an awesome 256 player count.

Playing with numbers like this is sure to push the server capabilities to the limit with so many connections. An enjoyable battle every time for experienced gamers.

Platoons have a set objective from the squad leader so part of how you feel about an online session may depend on how capable and communicative that leader is.

A highlight is the medic who can revive or heal you to get back into the fight. Sadly, as anyone who has played online games know, other gamers aren't always in the same space as you and that heal may never arrive.

This is a very ambitious undertaking. A massive online battle game, but one that depends on players taking leadership and accepting the responsibilities involved, especially in wanting everyone to have a good experience and be informed about what's going on in a fast paced battlefield.

Good on Sony for trying something so different to propel its console along. I hope it succeeds.

MadGamer rating: 8.5 / 10