Game Review

by Keayn Dunyan

Planetside

Online gaming is nothing new. The only thing different these days are which company is putting out a different version of the same tired routine. You start a game, make a new character and run around fighting rats until you high enough in levels to actually do something worthwhile. Sony Online Entertainment has added a bold new world to online gaming community. Witness the wonders of Planetside. Planetside is a team-based war on a level never seen before in the online community.

The planet of Auraxis in covered with conflict. Once settled by the alien race the Vanu, it has now been inhabited by the Terran Republic. The Vanu left a wealth on knowledge on Auraxis, most importantly the science of perfect cloning. So long a genetic imprint is made a body can be regrown in a matter of hours. When the wormhole next to Auraxis collapsed political tore the colony into differing factions. The New Conglomerate, who hold personal freedom sacred, and the Vanu Sovereignty, dedicated to integrating the Vanu and human technologies. These opposing views spilled into a planetary war, one that never ends since man has conquered death.

Planetside follows the persistent online experience, battles rage on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Entirely multiplayer, the basis of Planetside is simple, capture and hold valuable faculties and ground. Auraxis is covered with a network of labs, warp gates, stations, towers, and technology plants. Holding these and the guard towers that surround them is the job of the day, everyday.

Once pledging loyalty to one of the faction you select and avatar. With a selection of face models both male and female and five voices to choose from a modest level of customization is available. After that, all you have to do is choose whether you want to drop into one of many ongoing battles or begin in the safety of your factions' sanctuary for training.

Training consists of familiarizing yourself with the armor and equipment you are certified in. That's right, Planetside uses certification points to denote what a player can and cannot use. Cert points are accumulated at the rate of one per battle rank. Battle Ranks come with experience learning in the field. New players start with enough Cert points to allow for one specialty. This system allows for a rough equality among player. At higher levels a player can do a lot more but isn't necessarily overpowered compared to a newbie. Planetside is about skill, and you can't get bragging rights by being a twink. In the training centers you can try all armor, weapons and vehicles regardless of certification. That way you get a feel for each one and can make an educated decision on which one to certify for. So you try a vehicle and you certify for it and decide it isn't your style, your stuck with it right? Wrong. Players have the ability to "forget" certifications. This allows you to free up those points and use them elsewhere. The only limitation is that this can only be done once is a 24 hour period. Also available in the game are nanite implants. These start at level three and can be gained every three levels thereafter. Implants can also be exchanged for other implants.

Planetside is an ever shifting series of frontlines. Held territory is denoted by facilities controlled. To control facility, its control center must be hacked. This is where the true grit of Planetside shines. The game is geared to that every player has a part to play regardless of certification. From the guy that drives the troop transport to the grunt holding guard duty at the control center, you participate in a battle and you receive the points for it. Experience is awarded by how the tide of battle goes not by the number of kills. Be in enough battles and become a veteran. Get killed and each successive time your respawn rate lengthens. Cooperation is at the very heart of the game. The better you play with other the better you and by extension your squad, battalion, and company will be. To that end there is always friendly fire. Sony has cooked up a system of "grief points" to handle that. For every unit of damage you inflict upon a friendly unit you receive a grief point. Accumulate enough and it could lead to locker restriction up to account banning.

Planetside has a depth that is more than just a causal gaming experience. For a first person shooter it is remarkably intense. Hot spots hold more action than any deathmatch. Planetside can be a daunting game for a newbie but once you dive right in it delivers in spades. The only problem is some rather stiff system recommendations. The better your system the better it will run. Also it is not a game for dial-up. Don't even try. And with a monthly subscription fee there may be a few who don't believe in continually paying for a game. Yet Planetside is above specs in every aspects of graphics, playability and interface. Don't take my word for it; enroll for a seven day free tour of duty on Auraxis. My advice: don't get between the sights of my Reaver. A 20mm recoilless cannon will leave a mark.