M.A.G Is The First Step Toward More Original PS3 MMOs

Whether gamers want to admit to it or not, Zipper Interactive’s upcoming first-person shooter M.A.G (Massive Action Game) will be the first foray of a unique kind of MMOFPS for the PlayStation 3. It features up to 256 simultaneous players, progressive ranking and several different mercenary factions for players to choose from.

For anyone who isn't familiar with Zipper Interactive these are the same folks who developed many first party, military shooters for PlayStation platforms. Specifically, the SOCOM series has been the benchmark of excellence coming out of the Zipper Interactive studios. While the games were never groundbreaking they were always well-received with critical acclaim and good sales figures.

During the emerging of the PS3 – and considering that they had a good track record behind them – the Zipper Interactive team was bought by Worldwide Studios who are in association with Sony Computer Entertainment. In other words, Zipper used to contractually make games for the PS platforms as an independent developer, but now they will now only be making games for the PlayStation platforms as a second-party subsidiary for Sony. Whether under new ownership or not, Zipper has continually moved forward to develop games within the FPS military-shooter spectrum, with their latest project being M.A.G.

What makes M.A.G an interesting venture for Zipper Interactive is that the company is taking what they do best and moving that knowledge into a genre they have yet to explore; the MMO genre. Gamers who are familiar with the SOCOM games will easily identify the developer’s military savvy for interactive shooting games with M.A.G’s highly detailed weapons, firing mechanics and squad-based tactics and combat scenarios.

Nevertheless, the real question on everyone’s minds is how well this game will fare as an MMOFPS for the PlayStation 3? Also, what’s intriguing about this project is how this game will work as a stepping stone for more original MMO games to grace the likes of the PS3

The game’s primal focus is on 256 players all going at it on various, large, interactive battlefields. Unlike most shooter games, though, this one will see groups of players designated to carrying out specific tasks with three different playable factions: Raven, Valor and Sever. The developer’s approach to team combat is a lot like Insomniac’s tactic for controlling the massive 40 player battles in Resistance 2: Each of the 128 players will be broken down into teams of eight and commanding players will be put in charge of each team.