HANDS ON: MAG

Most people were shocked when it was announced that Zipper were developing a console based MMOG which supported up to 256 players. Until this announcement the concept of having so many players online at one time was completely alien to console gamers more used to 12 aside skirmishes.

Zipper are known for their highly successful and entertaining SOCOM titles which was one of the forerunners of online gaming. Their latest MAG plans to do for online console gaming what

sound did for early cinema. Most console gamers are familiar with the typical 12 on 12 battles available in titles such as Battlefield and most gamers have wished for more. MAG sets out to deliver more than any other online console game ever has.

The game supports up to 256 players at one time. Rather than a massive free for all the player are broken up into three factions, S.V.E.R., Raven and Valor. Each faction has been tailored to appeal to a certain type of gamers with the developers intention to try and appeal all gamer types including those who wouldn’t normally play FPS’s.

The 256 players are broken up as follows. Squads are made up of 8 players with 4 squads making a platoon and 4 platoons make a company. Each squad will be led by a player who has advanced through the game’s ranking system. Each faction will have one leader who directs all the platoon and squad leaders below him. This promise to make for a more organised and long term gaming experience.

From what we saw MAG is by far the best hope for MMOFPS console gaming. It’s one of the fastest and most frantic shooters around and given the number of players taking part you’re constantly on the look out. One of the games most impressive features is just how expansive the maps are. With so many players at one time you expect the map to be cramped and overcrowded but this is not the case. The scale of things is truly impressive with the effects of distant skirmishes visible on the horizon, smoke billowing toward the heavens across the map.

As expected from the number of players, completing set objectives is very much team orientated. How you play with others will determine just how much enjoyment you get from the game. Being the lone wolf will most certainly end in repeated failure.

MAG is pencilled in for an early 2010 release and after our hands on Gamestoaster are counting down the days. MAG is for all intents and purposes the game which will make or break MMOFPS on consoles and from what we’ve seen the forecast is good.

Keep an eye out for Gamestoaster’s exclusive interview with Ed Byrne the Creative Director of Zipper Interactive.

Left 4 Dead 2 Hands On

Left 4 Dead 2 was one of the most exciting and anticipated titles at last months E3 but the almost instantaneous backlash from gamers has received more coverage than the game. When released last year Valve were promising to support the title with additional download content such as weapons, new infected and campaigns much like they do with their Half Life and Team Fortress games. This additional material never materialised and the announcement of a sequel to be released less than a year after sent gamers into a rage.

Yesterday Gamestoaster took a trip to London to see just how Left 4 Dead 2 holds up and to see if the outrage was justified. Upon arriving in London we set about playing through the New Orleans level on both Xbox and PC.

First up it’s important to note that in terms of gameplay Left 4 Dead 2 is pretty much exactly the same as the first game. There are some subtle change that the gamers hardened fans will notice but overall it seems that the game remains pretty much the same as it ever was. Being honest this isn’t necessarily as a bad thing, why fix something that isn’t broken.

In the game you play in a team of 4 survivors battling their way through a world in which the undead far outnumber the living. The level available to play was called The Parish. Beginning with a film poster inspired load screen with the obligatory tag line “This time it all goes South”. An obvious refrence to the games setting. The first thing we noticed regarding the game was just how much the character Nick resembled John Cusack though perhaps that was all in our mind.

The most noticeable addition to the game is the inclusion of melee weapons. The level we played offered up axes and frying pans. As you would expect these weapons re meant for up close and personal use and God damn are they fun to use. Watch as your axe makes contact with an infected ones face and it disappears in a torrent of blood.

The game now also features some additions to your arsenal. Weapon upgrades are available at certain points in the game and make a nice change of pace. The incendiary upgrade which sets fire to any infected you shoot. Each upgrade is limited so it best to save them for cutting down large groups of the infected. The new monster featured was refered to as a Charger. He runs at you before picking you up and slamming slamming you to the ground till your teammates rescue you.

When playing the game you are once more offered the ability to play the game one of two ways. The most effective way is to play as part of the team, watching each others back. This makes taking care of the infected a far easier prospect. The other option is to run off on your own all guns blazing which will usually end in your untimely death.

The difficulty has certainly been amped up. Playing through the New Orleans level we found the initial part to be quite a breeze. The second part of the level however was a completely different animal. In it you encounter what Valve refer to as the gauntlet run which features a never ending horde attack you as you valiantly try to cross the bridge to the extraction point.

While this sudden jump in difficultly is unexpected and certainly frustrating it does offer a far more rewarding experience. When we asked Valve about the difficulty out demonstration games were set to they refused to give an answer and said that we “would find out in November”.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the game was that at times there only appeared to be a dozen of so infected on screen at once. When questioned on this Valve informed us that the game will feature “dozens of the infected onscreen at once”.

As it stands Left 4 Dead 2 is really looking like one of this years most entertaining titles. Playing through the level repeatedly yesterday on both Xbox and PC against other journalists in a LAN was a real joy. While those calling for gamers to boycott the game have a point we believe that the finished game will offer a far more satisfying experience than the original and the addition of the melee weapons will certainly add an addition layer of fun.

The game is set for release in November on both PC and Xbox 360 and we should hopefully be bringing you more on the game before then.

New Terminator Aerial Assault Trailer

For may of us The Terminator franchise has held a special place in our hearts, from sneaking down in the middle of the night to watch the video while everyone else slept. The continuation of the franchise surprises no one, while T3 was a disappointment in comparison to the first two films in the series it did make a lot of money.

A 4th film was inevitable and McG brings us Terminator: Salvation. Early trailers seem to give a Transformers in the future vibe which in this writers opinion is a pretty neat concept. No matter the quality of the film one thing is certain the game is shaping up quite nicely and looks absolutely amazing. The near photorealistic environments in the video have to be seen to be believed.

After the rather lack-struck titles based on T3, Salvation the game is shaping up to be a real treat. The game will be a third person shooter featuring a campaign which can be played by your lonesome or cooperatively with one other players via split screen.

Fingers crossed that it manages to last a little longer than the thoroughly entertaining but rather short-lived Wanted: Weapons of Fate.

Common, Moon Bloodgood and Rose McGowan have all signed on to provide voices With gaming regular Gideon Emery providing the delicate tones of John Connor.

The game is out on the 29th of this month from Warner Bros.

In Ireland only children play video games

Above is how Toyota created an SUV television advertisement using the World of Warcraft game. That was in the US. In Ireland, only children play computer games.

Or at least that is what you’d think looking some things such as the Irish Film Censor’s ban on Manhunt 2.

With the massive amounts of advertising spend by games firms in Ireland recently ad space sellers here should by now notice the scale of the computer games market.

Of course, it has been growing in the past years, but on going high-profile ad campaigns such as those for PS3, Halo 3, and Fifa 08 should cement the view how widespread computer games now are.

But if we have really moved on might remain a unanswered question for some time. It’s only a year or two ago that one of us at Games Toaster had a phone conversation with a regional newspaper to be told that there is no money in computer games.

Alan Wake – will the hype kill?

Normally we like to focus on gameplay first and shiny graphics second. But we were reminded recently that the graphics on the upcoming Alan Wake (above) are so much of a focus for the studio we’ll be disappointed if the shiny bits don’t live up to the hype.

Microsoft were smart enough to retain an exclusive with Remedy, developer of Max Payne, so the action adventure thriller game staring fictional novelist Wake will be appearing on Xbox 360 and PC, but not PS3. Let’s just hope the graphics on 360 will do, as our PC (or at least my PC) would burn into flames just trying to install the game.

A few impress videos are here, while there are screenshots here and more on a fan site at alanwake.co.uk. Now, all we need is a firm release date: maybe even a release year?