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MAG dev diary takes a look into the Shadow War

by Majed Athab { Jun 17th 2009 at 6:00PM }

By now, you must have heard about MAG -- an ambitious 256-player online shooter. We've seen it in action and have even tried it out for ourselves, but what's it all about, and what's this Shadow War we keep hearing of? Luckily, this developer video diary (posted after the break) gives us a look into the storyline of MAG and its fictional Shadow War backdrop and answers all those questions.

We get a closer look at the maps, weapons and characters seen in the game, while Zipper details the various PMC groups vying for power in the Shadow War. The clip also shows off some all-new gameplay footage, so make sure you don't miss it.

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Joystiq interview: Zipper Interactive's Russ Phillips on MAG

by Colin Torretta { Apr 30th 2009 at 6:00PM }

(click to massive size)

Last week we had the honor of being some of the first people outside Sony to try out MAG, Zipper Interactive's first game on the PS3. While you can find out a lot of information from our hands-on report, we wanted a bit more insight into one of the most ambitious shooters to come along in recent memory. Russ Phillips, art director for MAG, was kind enough to answer some of the questions that came up during our extended demo of the game. Hit the jump for the full interview.

With competitive shooters these days, one of the things that really drives the community is online integration. The ability to log on, see your character and his stats, see how your clan is doing, etc. Is that something that you guys are looking at integrating into MAG?

Definitely! We want you to be able to follow your character, build a career with him, and be able to get on any time of the day -- especially to follow your Faction's progress and what is actually going on in the 'Shadow War' so we'll have websites dedicated to providing this information. I think any player that has played a game like this will want to know where they sit and and where their faction sits. So yeah, we've given a lot of thought to that.

Gallery: MAG

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Joystiq hands-on: MAG

by Colin Torretta { Apr 29th 2009 at 12:01PM }

Little has been heard about MAG, Sony's ambitious 256-person online shooter that was announced during last year's E3. In fact, other than the CG trailer shown at the conference, there has been an almost total lockdown on any information related to the game. Last week, however, all that changed during Sony's Seattle Gamers Day event.

The event was held at developer Zipper Interactive's Redmond, Washington headquarters, where studio heads Jim Bosler and Brian Soderberg took the stage to explain MAG, the technology behind it, and how the game actually works with 256 people.

With a long history of making online shooters (the developer was the first to bring an online game to the PS2 with the first SOCOM), Zipper has been working hard to make sure that players will experience a smooth and pleasant experience, even when playing against a couple hundred other people. In fact, it's been running weekly 256-player tests since late last year with SCEA folks in California in order to test the network technology -- Zipper says it's already achieved smooth gameplay.

Concept-wise, the idea behind MAG was to be able to re-create battles on the scale of Blackhawk Down, with hundreds of well trained soldiers engaging in highly coordinated battles across large areas. In order to do this, the developer has created one of the most robust command systems we've ever seen in a videogame.

Gallery: MAG

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Official MAG site launches, hides secrets

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 7th 2009 at 7:30PM }

Looks like Sony is slowly starting to promote its upcoming Zipper-developed follow-up to the SOCOM franchise. MAG, or Massive Action Game, promises online multiplayer action for up to 256 players. The official website for MAG has just launched, and it's definitely hiding some secrets. Look around the map for a few hotspots. Pinpoint a certain location and you might get a very small glimpse into the upcoming game. If you find any cool tricks with the site, definitely let us know in the comments section.

[Via PS3center.net]

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Rumor: MAG screenshots leaked onto Flickr

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 4th 2009 at 5:30PM }

The pickin's have been mighty slim regarding details and sneak peeks for Sony and Zipper Interactive's upcoming 256-man shooter, MAG: Massive Action Game (the only official screenshot we've seen thus far is posted above), so we thought we'd bring your attention to some screenshots that would normally fall below our threshold of dubiousness. Flickr user 1337guyzorz recently posted 28 supposed images involving the title, including a number of in-game screencaps and a few character models.

The images are fairly attractive, though they may leave the viewer with a number of unanswered questions. Namely, where did they come from? Are they leaked from a Sony FTP server? An exclusive from some gaming journalism outlet? Summoned by some sort of ominous pact with a screenshot demon? More importantly, are they even real? They certainly seem massive, and the pictures contain elements of action, and, well, it looks like a game. The shoe seems to fit -- but where did the shoe come from? We may never know.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Rumor: Survey gauges MAG subscription possibilities

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 29th 2008 at 12:57PM }

Sony has refused to comment on the "rumor and speculation" surrounding a possible monthly or yearly fee for PS3's Massive Action Game, reports VideoGamer. The rumor originates from website Bitbag, which cites a PlayStation Undergroud survey asking "15 questions related to payment plans" for MAG.

MAG is the 256-player online game by SOCOM developer Zipper Interactive. Considering surveys are designed to elicit feedback, Sony is probably getting an earful about this issue already.

Source - Sony to charge monthly/yearly fee for MMO MAG
Source - Sony refuses to comment on pay to play MAG reports

First real, tiny screen of Sony's 'Massive Action Game'

by Randy Nelson { Jul 22nd 2008 at 10:58PM }

Here, in all its compressed glory, is the first actual screenshot of Sony and Zipper Interactive's 256-player MAG: Massive Action Game. We say "actual" because it was clear to anyone with eyes that Sony had pulled another Killzone 2 with the MAG video debuted during its pre-E3 press conference. In other words, it was all pre-rendered.

MAG senior producer Rade Stojsavljevic posted the shot to the official PlayStation blog, calling it "a sneak peak from one of [Zipper's] internal play sessions." Stojsavljevic also said that the dev has used its experience working in online games with the SOCOM franchise to create an entirely new server architecture for MAG capable of supporting its, well, massive amount of players.

One real (low-res) pic of MAG

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 22nd 2008 at 4:15PM }

Well, here it is. The very first real-time screenshot of Zipper's upcoming massively multiplayer PS3 game, MAG. The creators of SOCOM up the ante for their first PS3 game, creating a battlefield that supports 256 players. For now, that's all the info we have. Undoubtedly, we'll find out more before its 2009 debut.

So this is MAG: Massive Action Game

by Majed Athab { Jul 16th 2008 at 7:00AM }

MAG was Sony's final item at the company presser yesterday. You know, it's that game that supports over 256 players. While its features are quite astounding, its name however leaves little to desire over. MAG equals Massive Action Game; it's rather straightforward don't you think? It sounds more like it's its own genre. Anyway, check out footage captured at the conference.

MAG: Massive Action Game, massive action trailer

by Randy Nelson { Jul 16th 2008 at 3:00AM }

You'll need to decide for yourself if you're massively excited about Sony's 256-player online shooter, MAG. Thankfully, you now have the above video – along with our liveblog info – to reference during your decision making process.

It should be noted that developer Zipper Interactive has seemingly taken a cue from Guerilla (with its infamous E3 2005 trailer for Killzone 2) and decided to saunter down the entirely pre-rendered CGI route with this trailer. We're fairly confident that the visual style will carry over to the final product, but everything else? The label reads: "Take with one very large grain of salt."

Oh, and 256-player online? We don't doubt it will work ... we just doubt our brains' ability to process 255 racial slurs and/or homophobic remarks simulatenously.

Zipper announce MAG, supports up to 256 players

by Majed Athab { Jul 15th 2008 at 4:15PM }

Zipper, the developers of the PS2 SOCOM games, has a new IP in the works. It's titled MAG and is a massive online squad-based shooter that will support up to 256 players. Skirmishes will occur with teams divided up into squads of eight.

Sony unveils 256-player MAG: Massive Action Game

by Kyle Orland { Jul 15th 2008 at 4:09PM }

At their E3 press conference today, Andy Beaudoin from Zipper Interactive (known for the SOCOM series) revealed a new project called MAG, short for Massive Action Game. The game will break up to 256 human players into eight-man squads fighting each other simultaneously in a total free-for-all. Characters will be able to advance their statistics as they play. More as we get it.

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A second SOCOM to come from original developers

by Andrew Yoon { May 19th 2007 at 5:00PM }

Reaction to the newly unveiled SOCOM Confrontation was mixed at best. The multiplayer-only title is being developed by Slant Six Games (also responsible for the new PSP title SOCOM: Tactical Strike). While the prospects of playing on a 32-player online battlefield is exciting enough, many commented on the barren, uninspired look of the game.

Worry not -- there's yet another SOCOM game in the works from the series' original creators. Zipper is starting work on its own SOCOM title, but as 1UP points out, it's going to be a long way off -- most likely late next year. Unlike Confrontation, which will launch this November, Zipper's own title will feature a single-player campaign in addition to the requisite multiplayer modes. While we hope Confrontation turns out to be a worthy addition to the SOCOM franchise, we're somewhat relieved to know that a true sequel is still in the works.

[Via Joystiq]

Zipper developing another PS3 SOCOM title

by Ross Miller { May 18th 2007 at 3:58PM }

Although there are already two SOCOM titles coming out -- Confrontation for PlayStation 3 and Tactical Strike for PSP -- Zipper Interactive, the original developer of the series, is working on yet another SOCOM title for the PS3, 1UP confirmed.

Unlike Confrontation, which is multiplayer-only, Zipper's title will include both single and multiplayer aspects, much like the series has done so far. The two previously-announced titles are being developed by Slant Six but is reportedly working closely with Zipper on them.