Innovation is what keeps our industry alive. Video game's "New World" has been the massive multiplayer world. While games have been able to go online for a while the world of mass multiplayer gaming is quite new so far only touched by role playing games. I have been reluctant to play any MMO games in the past as I see a lack of replay ability. Unfortunately Planetside suffers from the same problems as most MMO games, but shares some of the fun that goes along with teamwork as well. I introduce you to the first ever MMOFPS.

Know your role jabroni

You will open the game either dropped into a hot spot (an ongoing battle) or the sanctuary (your teams main protected base). From here you will find hundreds of people who are looking to make a squad of about 10 players. Each person in the squad shares XP and of course can plan attacks and talk to each other. There is one commander and the rest are playing their specific roles. There will always be need for GAL pilots to transport troops over great distances as well as hackers, medics, and of course grunts. The amount of fun you have is only as good as the squad you pick up. Problem is most gamers you meet would like to be commander and you may get stuck with many people who don't know how to listen to orders. This leads of course to bickering and is quite upsetting. When you do hook up with a good squad the game can become very fun. Nothing beats walking over a hill to see bombs blasting in the distance as you and your squad try to join an ongoing fray.

Massive chaos

The battles can become epic for a base. The rare occasions that all three empires merge into one area can lead to a battle lasting more then 3 hours. I literally found myself taking a defensive position over the ledge of our base as I unloaded clip after clip into a sea of tanks, mechs, planes, and grunts. This moment was what got me to really enjoy this game. The frustrating part is that stray rockets and fire will blast your small vehicle-less soldier into oblivion only for you to have to run back into a fight. Staying alive in the midst of a huge battle can be a pain in the ass. Good thing though that you can search the gear of fallen troops to find health packs and ammo.

I need a medic!

The roles that you play for you army are limited. In the whole MMO world many times the classes/jobs you earn are what makes for customization of your character. I wish Planetside was more in depth in its class/job structure. You have certification points you can spend on certain things, such as the ability to drive or fly vehicles, use heavy weaponry, or be stealth. Problem is that you really are not different from the 100 other stealth infiltrators out there. I guess for a gamer that is into role-playing that is a bit disappointing. The game does have many things your character can level at including commanding. You get separate points of XP for leading a squad successfully. If you manage to help your army contain a base, or defend a base you all will rec ei ve points. You can rise in battle rank or commander rank; this of course earns you battle rank and cert points.

When I die it pisses me off

If anything pisses me off more then dieing on the lag, I haven't noticed it. The game at time suffers (for me at least) from a lag problem. This is abundantly clear when two full teams converge on each other at a base. At times I have not been able to move at all only to find myself dead at the end. This problem keeps me from playing the game for a long time as it upsets me to no end. Either I get more RAM, or I find a way to optimize my playing. Either way I'm not quite sure what the problem is. I can't imagine the developers make a game that they know will be flooded with players, that does not lag to an extreme. I expected some amount of stoppage, however when the game stops for about a minute, I tend to get beat red in the face with frustration.

Join the army sucker

I am quite happy with my purchase, however this game seems as though fighting the same war over and over again can get pretty boring in the future. It is defiantly worth the 49.99 to purchase off the bat, however paying each month for the game is not on my lists of good news. There is a lack of replay ability as basically all you will end up doing is taking over bases and leveling up. If you and some pals can hook up online and start your own squad you will find that this game has a lot to offer in the way of fun. I recommend picking it up when you can, alone or with some pals the game is fresh, go pick it up and meet me online.

I was supposed to post a pic of Underscore, our English homie, but I couldnt get one so he gets a shout out in the review. Thanks for reading.

May 28, 2003 | 2 comments
Mike Carabajal