Sony's 2008 E3 Conference was nothing short of amazing, and it had to be. Among the new games announced stood MAG. It seemed that Zipper Interactive wanted to push the idea of 256 players in one online multiplayer match in the face of viewers. Questions rapidly emerged. Will 256 players lead to lag? Will the servers sustain that amount of players? How will Zipper make it so that the online matches are organized instead of chaotic? The concept on paper seems nice, but we all know that turning it into a PS3 exclusive is easier said than done.
Now in 2009, MAG's launch is just a few months away. The beta recently came to a halt on December 5th. The reception was mixed, just to say the least. The concerns from critics range from awkward controls and unbalanced gameplay, to horrible sound and graphics. Are they right? No, they just need a break from all that Modern Warfare. As a beta tester, I can say the game is great, not amazing, not Call of Duty on steroids, just great in it's own unique way. Now you must be asking yourself, "then what's the deal with the title"? Well, I believe MAG might just be the next PS3 flop and not because the game might be poorly executed,(it's not) but actually due to the unprofessional and disgusting gaming media. So without further delay, here are a few parts of MAG that will be nitpicked in reviews.
-Graphics: How many times do you need to explain to someone the concept of 256-player online matches and the burden it places on graphics? Apparently, a lot of times. As a beta tester I can confirm that the graphics of this game are decent and at par with several FPS games which is stunning. For some reason, I think the media will quickly ignore this and resume to bashing the game for its graphics.
-Sound: An issue some have had with the MAG beta is the sound, stating that the guns sound more like popcorn. Is this true? I guess you could say that. The sound may need work, but it's completely negligible and nothing to bring the game down for. On the bright side, the game's music is really good and varies depending on what faction you choose.
-Controls: Seeing how Killzone 2 was quickly criticized for it's sluggish controls, I can only imagine MAG. Unless this game allows you to change the controls, some may find it a bit awkward or strange at first when playing. However, does it matter that I change weapons with R2 and shoot with R1? That I have to press L2 in order to access my grenade? Of course not.
So how can MAG escape the jaws of critics like Edge or that random blog that comes out of nowhere with a low score? Simple answer is, it can't. On the other hand, there are those of us that realize that Zipper has a great game on their hands with loads of potential. The game will be simply spectacular, assuming that the launch goes smoothly next year.
Phil Spencer and Microsoft have come under fire following the closure of multiple Bethesda-owned studios including Tango Gameworks.
wow haha.
i dont think he will resign. or will be kicked off.
if hes still here after everything in the past, this wont affect him unfortunately.
He and his cronies have a sweet deal. Even if they are fired, stock options and parachutes will mean they never need to work again. Cronyism at its worst.
Where are the Xbots that cheer for MS to buy everything? They destroy everything they touch... MS only cares about AI now, the MS CEO could care less if all the studios get closed.
Replies(1)Nothing Micro about this Chut. Russel Crowe is so gonna play him in his stream flick.
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UK indie outfit Roll7 is reportedly facing closure, along with Bethesda’s Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin – but if making award-running, profitable games doesn’t guarantee safety, what will?
Idk. Great games have still been releasing. Mcsft is still no different than after the 360 era. PS, you just have to wait many years for. Nintendo is readying next gen and will definitely have many games. 3rd party and indies have been the highlight so far this year.
Yeah but the games coming out have been in development for many years so they're not affected by this issue.
This is more about the future.
I would say that indies will continue to put out interesting games at least. They need to avoid buyouts though or they're in danger of ending up like Roll7.
Part of the issue is that CEOs created projections based on the Covid years. Now that the line/Growth™ isn't going up, they're overcorrecting for stakeholders despite good profits. There's a certain mindlessness to it.
Hopefully with inflation down and more realistic projections, things will level out.
The bad thing is these ceos should now those numbers are bad faith and should know better then to use those numbers.
"Today, developer Owlcat Games is excited to reveal the sixth and final DLC expansion for its critically acclaimed cRPG, "Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous".
"A Dance of Masks" will take players back to where it all began in a final love letter to the Knight Commander and their loyal companions. Get ready for one last ride when A Dance of Masks releases for PC and consoles on June 13, 2024." - Jonas Ek, TGG.
Actually, concerning its graphics, the problem is not that MAG is ugly. There are much uglier games that have been praised by the critics for their online experience, such as Modern Warfare 2 or Left 4 Dead.
The real problem is that the game looks generic. I said it in the beta forums, I wished MAG would be original in its level-design or chara-design, something similar to Team Fortress, for example. But when you play the beta, you only play in gray places or orange places, some generic ruins of a town, nothing really catchy.
To be honest, since i'm beta-tester, MAG is the only game I didn't enjoy testing. I played it because I had to in order to report bugs and glitches, but I only felt like playing Socom on a big map with more players. And I believe this will be a crucial point in reviews.
Lol these days great games go past the industrys eyes and those who are lucky enough to have them open will enjoy it.
Killzone 2 is a fantastic game despite all its hate. I dont expect MAG to be any different.
MAG is pretty good. So much that after my final domination map with 200+ players, I feel the urge of playing this beast again, I'm really missing MAG.
I dont care about EDGe ridiculous pieces they use to label as "reviews". If something is clear is that those guys only care about innovation when games are not in the realm of MS interests. I dont know if it is fanboyism or MS paychecks but the result is the same.
BTW, if you look at VGchartz preorder chartz(just as a reference) MAG is sitting well above of Battelfield:BC2 (on any platform) and second to GoW3. I expect the game to sell pretty good and gather a huge and dedicated socom-like fanbase.
I hate the beta of MAG with the same passion that I hate Killzone 2. Generic, dull and boring games.