Being the first Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter, Planetside has a lot of expectations to meet. Taking the fast and furious action of a FPS game and mixing it with the constraints of an online game is a difficult task and we know that the idea has definitely been thrown around before, but few have dared to even try it. Planetside is the first official attempt at this hybrid and for all intents and purposes, it succeeds at being a fast and furious online game, but it does have some hitches that prevent it from being perfect (as with all games). The severity of these problems differ from person to person, because it all comes down to how much you and your PC can take. Some will give up after only a few weeks, while others will stick with the game in hopes for needed patches and fixes. So in the end, Planetside suffers from the common problems that attack MMORPGs, and that is stability. Over the last few months, Planetside has become more and more stable and playable, but some problems do remain. So make sure you check your tolerance levels before attempting this game, because Planetside affects different people in various ways. Is it any good? Is it worth the monthly fee? Will it keep my interest for an extended period of time? All of these things depend on you, but I will try and help you out with that.

 

           Some people absolutely love Planetside, while others can’t stand it. The gameplay is wonderfully planned out and executed but the game’s biggest problem is keeping things fresh over time. Like in most MMORPGs, you choose your alignment, team and appearance. You are then tossed into a giant world full of other people, who already know their purpose. Your job is to find your own purpose. The most satisfying aspect of the game would be the character customization. You can take your character and turn them into whatever type of solider that you desire. If you like vehicles you can build them up to specialize in ATVs and transport trucks or if you like the action aspect of the game, then you can master the arts of the infantry. All of these factors are determined by how many certification points you have and where you place them. Certification points are determined by gaining levels (which of course are achieved by gaining experience points from your actions in battle). If you make a mistake, you can un-certify yourself, but it will take awhile (24 hours). One of the most annoying parts of an online game is the purchasing of items. It would normally take you days to save up for that awesome weapon you saw. Not in this game. All the weapons and vehicles that you are certified for are yours whenever you need them. Through terminals you can spawn numerous types of ammo and vehicles so that you can jump right into battle.

 

So after you have gained your certification and weapons what do you do and where do you go? Well into battle of course, actually wait no, first you should find or form a team. In the world of Planetside, you are small in comparison into the big picture. You can simply do everything, you must find your niche and work with it. Some people play simply to transport others to places. So finding a squad would be the best initial option. So after you join a squad (which can be requested through the various chat modes), you either drive or warp to the area where you need to reach. Deciding where to go would be a hassle if not for the hot spots listed on the in-game map. Hot-spots are where large battles are currently taking place. Most squads choose to join in and help in the effort. Once you reach your destination you simply do your job. If you are infantry, get shooting, and do what you’re meant to do. The whole point of the game is to gain control of land and bases scattered along the land, so the game is never truly complete. Once you die, you can spawn right near the base, inside it, or in a nearby areas depending on the current enemy occupation. To control land you must hack into the base’s computer, so the whole point of infiltration is to take over and guard it until the hacking is complete. The game’s mechanics become increasingly more complicated as time goes by, so after you learn the ropes, you will continue to learn new things. The gameplay options are nearly endless mainly because of the options given to you. The gameplay experience of an aircraft transporter can be completely different from that of a frontline officer and that’s what keeps people coming for more. Unfortunately, it isn’t always enough for some. Many people have complained that the game becomes too boring, too fast and that there aren’t enough content updates to warrant the monthly fee. But then again, that is some people. We all know that there is only so much that you can do with an FPS game, so it all depends on personal taste. Planetside is a finely crafted action experience in terms of its gameplay. Some wish that the other portions of the game were this polished.

 

The visual and audio aspects of Planetside are an overall mixed bag. The graphics are very detailed and the music is very enjoyable, but each side has problems that often times ruin both experiences. The graphics for instance are simply gorgeous on high end computers. Detailed textures and terrain mixed with equally impressive character models all shine on computers that can “handle” it. The game’s minimum system requirements (and even its recommended) are very misleading. Planetside can be a completely obnoxious RAM and CPU hog at times, so much so that the game slows to an absolute crawl. Even people with higher end computers have been known to have serious gameplay problems. Luckily, patches have helped to improve the stability and performance of the game, but it’s still entirely too misleading in terms of what hardware you should have. The audio presentation is equally magnificent on those powerful computers, but the CD audio has been known to hamper gameplay and loading times. So in some cases, people are forced to turn them off. The sound effects on the other hand are far too generic for a game of this scale. You will get sick of hearing the same explosions and gunshot sounds after a few hours and it can become quite irritating, but it’s something most people get used to. Overall these two pieces of the game could have been polished a lot better than they ended up being.

 

So is the game worth buying? It’s actually your call. If you like nonstop action and mayhem, then this game is for you. Do keep in mind though, that you aren’t thrown directly into battle. You need to work your character up the experience ladder so that you can actually stand a chance on the battlefield, but for the most part, action is the eye of this game. If you don’t have a system powerful enough to play it, don’t even bother, because you will really hate yourself once you find out you can’t play it. For an online action game, this is a commendable effort on SOE’s part and they are already hard at work on improving the game’s stability, so time will tell if Planetside can stand the test of scrutiny and player’s patience, but all I have to say is that I enjoyed this game very much. Planetside is a perfect example of the thriving innovation that developers continue to present, and is this game is any indication, online games are going to become better and better. Planetside is a great action game that anyone with a bit of patience can enjoy. I expect even greater things of its upcoming expansion. Pick it up and see for yourself.