In most games of this genre you'll win or lose a battle and that'll be it, MAG does things slightly differently in this regard. Winning a match earns your faction a contract that gives players within it a bonus every time they play that particular match type you were awarded the contract for, these contracts aren't anything major but the bonuses certainly do help, such as a contract for +5% experience points. The contracts vary depending on the map and the game mode encouraging you not to stick to the same mode all the time, but since Domination is the only 256 player game mode, it's pretty difficult not to go straight for that once you reach it. When you do start the game as a recruit you can't head straight into some of the larger game modes however, they have to be unlocked via rank progression, they aren't difficult to get to, and you'll probably have them unlocked within the first hour or two of playing.
Playing MAG isn't about going it solo like Chuck Norris would, it's about teamwork, something which you'll rarely find in any games with random players in unfortunately, but still, the game tries to entice you into squads and following orders. Starting at rank 15 players open up the option to become a squad leader, squad leaders lead the assault and give orders to their squad, it's rare for anyone to actually follow these orders and their squad leader in a random game but there are incentives for doing so. Staying with your squad leader will give you a few boosts such as faster reloading and increased experience, so following your squad leaders commands will not only benefit the battle as a whole but also you as an individual player. Being a squad leader also provides you with some command abilities which you can use to call in some much needed outside help, these can include air strikes, to sensor sweeps, and even quicker respawn times, giving the individual player more of an incentive to take command and use that command properly. There are times however where squad leaders will not play as a leader at all and will just think about themselves (Surely not!), thankfully, squad members can vote to remove the leader if need be, something which is most welcome. It doesn't end at being a squad leader either, next up the chain of command is the platoon leader and then onto the battlefield commander, each leader position has its own abilities which you can use to turn the tides of battle but not everyone can become one, at the start of each game you have to tick a box saying you would like to participate in a leadership role and when the game begins players will be randomly selected, as you can imagine, in the 256 player domination game especially it could be a while before you get a shot in the commanders seat.
As you rank up on your way to the cap of rank 60 you'll have points bestowed upon you to which you can use in the Armoury to purchase upgrades, these upgrades can take the form of new weapons, weapon attachments, abilities like faster reloading or a more sturdy aim, scopes, bipods, new grenades, there's a lot of choice so you can choose what type of path you want to go down such as a ranged sniper, assault, or a support class like a medic. Customising your character also opens up more choices later on in the levels with new armour patterns, and colours, helmets, caps, head gear, and an assortment of other items to make your character unique to you, the options for customising your character only go so far though and you'll no doubt come across yourself a few times during a game. You also have to take into account what you are carrying equipment wise, your character can only carry so much and as such you'll sometimes need to sacrifice that heavy armour to carry your rocket launcher and every other gadget you think you'll need to take into battle.
From a multiplayer perspective on the PlayStation 3, MAG could be hailed as a technical masterpiece with its 256 players online all battling it out at the same time, it isn't however without its own set of problems. Lag will be your major concern but the game handles it exceptionally well, you may not even have to worry about it at all, finding games can sometimes take a while and no doubt as players move to other games or during the quite early hours of a weekday morning it may be difficult trying to form a game with 256 players in, they are however up to 256 so you can still play with less. These little niggles aren't really anything that will take away any enjoyment you'll get, they're just worth mentioning as you will no doubt come across them sooner or later. On the other hand, the loading times are particularly swift, the loading screen which takes you into the game is very brief, especially considering the huge battle it sometimes has to load. The controls are also very responsive, the sensitivity can be adjusted to suit your aiming speed and there are various control layouts to choose from if you don't find the default one comfortable enough.
MAG's 256 online multiplayer will be what makes the game standout from now and into the future, what it does it does well, but other than its 256 player limit it doesn't really do anything that hasn't been done already. Many may compare it to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and while they are in the same genre, Modern Warfare 2 doesn't work as well as a squad based shooter like MAG does, being able to lead troops, issue commands, and use abilities to help sway the battle towards your factions favour offer up a lot of fun for the newer player and for the seasoned veteran. Playing MAG makes you feel like you're actually participating in something bigger than yourself, a collective of soldiers all fighting for the same goals, and while it can be a little difficult and sometimes frustrating playing amongst a group of random players online, it's still fun. If you can however get a group of friends to all go on and play together you'll find MAG to be a much more worthwhile experience and one you'll enjoy for quite some time.
