Pros & Cons

I've been playing the PS3 beta of MAG recently, well up untill now because the servers just closed down. The game is officially out at the end of the month and I cannot wait! I loved the game, and here's why:

Pros

• 256 players in a game! That makes up for some very intense firefights which mean alot less dull moments wandering around looking for an enemy.
• Upgrade/Level Up system. As you go up ranks, you get unlock points to unlock new abilities such as the ability to throw grenades further, sprint further and other phsyical abilities. You can also unlock new attachments for your weapons such as scopes and sights, grips and launchers. It adds an extra bit of depth which gives the game much more longevity.
• Finally a good exclusive FPS on PS3?! I've had my PS3 for many months now but barely used it. I'm a big shooter fan and the PS3 has proved to not be too strong in this genre untill now. Before there was Killzone 2 and Resistance, but I wasn't fond of them, they were far too simple and predictable. They did everything I would expect an FPS to do, but not to an impressive or intuitive level. MAG however seems to be the PS3's savior for me. It has the same levels of addiction through leveling and teamwork as games like Battlefield 2 did on the PC. Just having a game this good finally arrive for my PS3 which keeps me coming back gives me a big grin.

Cons

• Average visuals. I'm not all about graphics, I don't go into games expecting volumetric lighting or bloom or HD super graphics. What matters to me is gameplay, however visuals do matter to me to a certain extent as they can affect your enjoyment of the game if they're overly poor. The visuals in MAG aren't awful but they can detract from a 100 player firefight. Some of the animations are quite stiff and lack much energy, such as the weapon animations. They feel rigid and look like some stock animation thrown together to be "good enough".
• Framerate drops. While I don't mind too much about the poor visuals, the framerate drops do really detract from gameplay. It can feel quite sluggish while alot is going on screen, however it never drops to an unplayable level. However because of the relatively low level graphics I wouldn't expect such drops when the PS3 boasts so much power.
• Lack of teamwork. There is an element of teamwork at times, especially when you get into a team with a clan or a lucky matching of multiple people with microphones, however a majority of the time it's just a majority of the players running around freelance without really contributing to a team, which is what this game is all about. For this game to truly be enjoyed there needs to be some level of teamwork, with someone healing, someone attacking, someone defending and so on. I'm not really into hardcore teamwork like some clans but I do think if everything is just running wild they it can become quite frustrating, which isn't fun.

I may add more as I think of them.