MAG pre-order beta has begun, game to launch on January 26th, 2010

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It's sole focus on combat, almost no social aspects and the low level of persistence beyond allocating talent points and cash makes it hard for me to call it a mmo. But it is a damn good game. And if it had continuous content updates and developer support I'd certainly consider DLC or a subscription for it (though not as much as $14.99 a month).

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Just for everyone's peace of mind, we've chosen to start covering MAG for the following reasons:

1. It does offer a "massive" amount of players in a single game. 128 players per side is far more than most standard multiplayer games attempt to put on a side, and it even exceeds what you see on the screen in most massively multiplayer games. Now, take into consideration the enemy's 128 players and you have a game that has a truly massive amount of action on screen at once.

2. MAG does offer a level of persistence beyond your character -- the state of corporation contracts and corporation footholds. As sides win battles, the maps do shift and the corporation as a whole can rise and fall in power. This is very close to PlanetSide's gameplay, except there is no concept of a "world map."

3. MAG's gameplay puts it on the same level as Guild Wars, Champions Online, and other games that utilize instancing for various reasons.

4. The only aspect of "MMOness" that MAG is lacking is a persistent overworld. It's true, there's no "one unified world" for players to run around in. However, the maps are extremely large and complex, and the result of battles has a direct impact on the corporation's standings and positioning on the geographic world map.

Therefore, we've chosen to begin coverage of MAG. First person shooter players, enjoy. :)

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