| Site Navigation |
| Home Previews Movie Reviews 2001 Game Awards FAQs Staff Guestbook Links Contact Reviews Playstation 2 Gamecube PC Xbox Playstation Cheats Playstation 2 PC Gamecube Release Dates Playstation 2 Gamecube PC Xbox |
Sounds: 7
Gameplay: 10
Replay Value: 10
Reviewer's Tilt: 10
Overall: 9.6
Players: Many
Genre: Massively multiplayer first-person shooter
Release: May 2003
Overview
Everquest players have always had something special. For years, they’ve been able to log on to a server of their choice and play an addictive, massive RPG experience with thousands of players from around the world. And although it was an addictive title from Sony Online Entertainment, Everquest simply didn’t satisfy all tastes. First person shooter (FPS) fans and other genre specialists needed something to fit their tastes too. A couple of years pass. Suddenly gamers were starting to hear about the development of a massively multiplayer online FPS game from the creators of Everquest. After a fairly long development, and what must have been pure hell for the game’s developers, Planetside was finally released for beta testing in 2003.
I wasn’t a beta tester, but I had talked to dozens of gamers who were testers and they had gotten me all giddy with excitement about the game. I think we owe it to these awesome testers. They have helped Sony Online Entertainment accomplish the ultimate goal of delivering Planetside with minimal bugs and other issues at its launch. Beta testers played in the servers and reported any sort of bugs or flaws to Sony. Naturally, Sony responded with immediate action and worked out all of the issues before fabulous May 19, the release date of Planetside. Now, after two months of playing this title and not growing tired of it in the least, I can say that Sony has created one of the best online titles around. Everything about this game feels polished, and again, I think the beta testers definitely helped Planetside meet its deadline the way it was intended to be: Stable.
Planetside is cheaper than crack, and probably more addictive. Priced at only $40 at most stores, Planetside is a great bargain for serious gamers who love first person shooters and war. In addition, you must pay the monthly $13 fee to play the game, just like any other MMO (massively multiplayer online) game. Some people may think that Sony Online is ripping them off, but if you are seriously into these types of games, or if you find yourself horribly addicted to the game like I am, you will know where this monthly fee is going. Wondering if Planetside is for you? Well if you are curious, the first month of this game is absolutely free. That’s correct, you get thirty days to sample Planetside and get a taste of its gameplay and see if it is the type of game for you. After that, you can cancel your subscription and move on.
Gameplay
So how does this game work? The New Conglomerate, Vanu Sovereignty and the Terran Republic are all fighting each other, but why? They are fighting for power! The objective of the game is simple: capture and hold bases across the ten continents of the planet Auraxis. This isn’t an easy task, especially if you are playing solo or with a small squad of soldiers. To successfully capture a facility, you need more than one squad, depending on the resistance in the area. The more resistance, obviously, the more squads the team needs for a counter attack. If a facility is owned by an enemy, someone has to hack into the control console and stay in the base for fifteen minutes. After the time is up, the base becomes yours. It sounds simple, huh? Remember that at any given time, the enemy can respawn at the facility being hacked by your team. Furthermore, all facilities have towers nearby for enemies to spawn in, so it is ideal to hack and capture those buildings as well.
Planetside is a difficult game, because it is player versus player (PVP). There is no computer-controlled AI in this game (except for the HART shuttle, which drops you off anywhere on the map). Because of this, fighting by yourself isn’t always a great idea unless you are with plenty of other soldiers from your team. Still, it is best to either start a squad or join an existing one. Squads are temporary groups of up to 10 people who travel together and take over facilities. If you are a leader of a squad, each base capture will give you Command Experience Points (CEP). In time, these points will improve your commanding abilities. A player with numerous CEP will receive Command Rankings and will be able to do a lot more, such as lay out waypoints for the squad to follow, or launch an Orbital Strike. I prefer not to lead a squad, but others enjoy it a lot more and really take pride in their leadership. There numerous squad leaders out there who can make quick decisions that lead their team to victory, and if you can find a great leader, your experience with squads will be more rewarding.