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Sony accepting applications for European MAG Beta

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 15th 2009 at 2:45PM }

PlayStation.Blog recently dropped an announcement that will send European fans of acronyms and large-scale combat through the roof. Zipper Interactive is going to be handing out 16,000 beta codes for MAG to those living in Europe over the course of the next few weeks. To apply, go to the blog's "Competition" page and fill out the appropriate info. It's first come, first serve, so ... come! Be served!

If you're not fortunate enough to live on the West-Eurasian Peninsula, take solace in the fact that Zipper's going to eventually need to enlist everyone on the planet to test out the game's enormous server load. Also, remember that we've got freedom and liberty and stuff.

Sony details MAG pre-order bonuses: where to get what

by Randy Nelson { Sep 9th 2009 at 2:00AM }

Following a weekend of 256-player mayhem at PAX '09, Sony has unloaded more details on the pre-order campaign for its "massive action game," MAG, which releases on January 26, 2010. First up are three exclusive in-game characters, each corresponding to one of the game's three PMC armies -- with custom gear -- and available via a different retailer. GameStop has the S.V.E.R. ~~soldier~~ contractor for offer while Game Crazy is offering the Raven recruit -- we're not sure why, but Sony's keeping the wraps on where you can pre-order to receive a Valor grunt.

Reserving the game via Amazon will grant you access to your very own S.V.E.R. "personal space" (read: apartment) in PlayStation Home. If you want the most alluring incentive, however, it's back to GameStop for access to the public beta of MAG beginning October 10. (Qore subscribers will be let in on September 17.) Initially, the beta servers will only be online during specific play windows, but Sony has confirmed that they'll be up-and-running 24/7 after November 9.

If you want all of the goodies, you're going to need to mount your own MPC ("massive pre-order campaign").

Hands-on: MAG's 256-man multiplayer

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 5th 2009 at 6:30PM }

I, like most people, have never participated in a 256-player virtual battle (or, due to its uncannily enormous amount of participants -- is it a war?). Though Zipper Interactive's MAG is built on incredibly strong first-person shooter foundations, incorporating fast-paced combat and a plethora of unlockable character modifications, the takeaway impression from my recent time with the game during a Sony preview event at PAX is, as you might guess, it is enormous.

The game does an excellent job of partitioning players off into smaller, 8-man squads. Though most of your contact is with your immediate teammates, there's a constant sense that you're part of something bigger. There's nothing intangible about the cause for that feeling -- you are a cog in a much larger military machine, rewarded for spinning in accordance with your higher-ups' orders.

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MAG Public Beta enrollment begins

by Andrew Yoon { Aug 12th 2009 at 1:30PM }

A lucky few individuals will discover this invite for the MAG beta in their inboxes. The e-mail includes a unique code used to access a closed application form. According to the beta enrollment page, Sony "will be adding people in waves." If you don't see an invite in your inbox right now, don't worry: you may be invited later. "If you do not receive an invite for the first wave you may still be invited in a following MAG Public Beta wave."

Sony has already conducted a closed beta for MAG for over a month. The expansion of the beta to the public gives us hope that maybe -- just maybe -- we'll be able to see MAG's 256-player online battles hitting the PS3 sooner rather than later.

Sony conducting MAG beta, you'll never get in

by Griffin McElroy { Jul 30th 2009 at 4:00PM }

With the grand scope of the battles featured in Zipper Interactive's MAG, you'd think it'd require a hefty, server-straining beta test. For now, though, it seems Sony's keeping it small -- a few people have seen their PSN friends participating in a MAG beta (as evidenced by the image above). All of these friends have something in common -- they're all on Sony's payroll.

Sony confirmed to CVG that an internal MAG beta is being conducted. Sure, this news has no bearing on you (unless Kaz Hirai signs your paychecks) -- still, it looks like we're that much closer to getting to play the game ourselves.

Retailers say not to expect MAG until early 2010

by Jem Alexander { Jul 15th 2009 at 8:30PM }

Various US retailers have changed their estimated release date for upcoming PS3-exclusive shooter MAG. The general rule of thumb is that if a single retailer has a funky listing, it's usually an error -- but when two or more retailers have MAG listed as releasing in January, something begins to smell fishy. Of note is the fact that both GameFly and GameStop are listing different January dates.

While Sony hasn't "made any announcements in regard to a date for MAG" and is "assuming that the retailers are speculating in an effort to start preorders," we were told by a Sony rep at E3 that MAG would be part of the company's Christmas lineup. Without it, we're looking at Ratchet and Uncharted having the entire Christmas stage to themselves.

Another interesting thing to note is that European retailers Play and Game have the game listed for a November release. In short, we have no idea when this game is coming out, but at least we're not the only ones.

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.