As a battlefield commander, the player can witness the effects of the well-implemented sense of balance as they watch territory being won and lost as the battle for ground moves in an unpredictable and unnervingly realistic fashion across the enormous world. This is why you need vehicles. Not only do the game’s numerous vehicles provide attacking and defensive options beyond the vulgarity of man on man combat, but they can also be crucial to winning ground – as the AMS proves. The Advanced Station can be positioned on a frontline and from there acts as a base, allowing related players to re-supply and respawn.

It is the greater level of detail and immersive realism presented by the complexity of PlanetSide that is the games biggest plus point, in my view, as the ambitious nature of this huge and constantly evolving battlefield is apparent even to the somewhat bewildered first-timer. Of course the game still has it’s flaws, and there are number of creases to be ironed out, mainly in the form of a few nasty bugs which can cause major interruptions to the game play – however once these are eradicated we’re promised a fresh supply of content from Online and this should keep the game engrossing to even the more advanced players who’ll find new vehicles and weapons to toy with as the developers introduce them.

Another criticism I’ve heard levelled against PlanetSide is that the graphics are a little behind the times, which to me seems a little unfair given the vast scale of what is brought to life on screen. Perhaps everything isn’t as detailed or the effects as dazzling as the likes of Unreal Tournament 2003, but the sense of scale – of a massive war being waged around the player (the world of ‘Auraxis’ is comprised of ten huge continents) – is imparted excellently on the whole, and everything from the swooping aircraft to the terrain and weather effects are more than adequate.

All in all its very hard not praise the ambitious and overwhelming nature of what PlanetSide achieves in bringing an immersive and realistic persistent conflict to life so completely, and in offering the player so much within it. As I mentioned, it’s a slow paced and more tactically-minded game to succeed within – so hyperactive eleven year olds more used to Counter-Strike may find themselves struggling in this unfamiliar and daunting world. That said, once the melange of bugs are fixed and the game begins to develop this is certainly one title I’ll be watching with a great deal of interest as one of the most exciting and original new first-person shooters in a long time.

84%

By Luke Guttridge

Comments

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  1. LukeG Unregistered 6 years ago

    An extra spot of info that might be of interest related to this review is that PlanetSide subscription costs $12.99 a month currently - though longer term subscriptions do work out a little cheaper.

  2. -Vancouver Times Unregistered 6 years ago

    PLANETSIDE IS THE BEST GAME IN THE WORLD, A MUST BUY!!

  3. Sam Unregistered 6 years ago

    But is it really that different to warrant spending money every month just to have a blast? I have an inbuilt aversion to paying for anything but even so I would be mighty tempted if there was a free demo world to try out.

    Or if SOE gave all Ferragonists a free account. Then I could fly my Pigopter thru the clouds all day long, pulling its tail straight to unload on the enemy below.

    Or maybe I should stay out of the midday sun.

  4. AOD Socrates Unregistered 6 years ago

    this is the sweetest game in the world i'm waiting for my copy in the mail right now =)

  5. Ben Unregistered 6 years ago

    As Luke says, once the bugs are ironed out, Planetside will be simply incredible....

  6. Paul D Unregistered 6 years ago

    Can you buy the game cards in the uk?

  7. lover25 Unregistered 6 years ago

    hey

  8. stephen burke Unregistered 6 years ago

    the is looks great, is great, and is the game that gamers must buy for there colection!

  9. digital gangster Unregistered 6 years ago

    very nice game but is this the way all on line games are going to go , having to pay twice once to buy the dam game then having pay monthly fee .. not good i think .....

  10. Ben Unregistered 6 years ago

    Hey Sam, just borrow my account, it's paid up for six months due to the incredibly 'simple' payment methods (scratchcards with the wrong code).

    YAY! Shoot things!

  11. Anonomous Unregistered 5 years ago

    This is by far, the most action-packed game on the market. It has proved a valubale assett to the gaming industry. With 3 different races to choose from, this game will keep you on the edge of you seat. I give this game a 11 out of 10! :-)

  12. iain bissell Unregistered 5 years ago

    Amazing game only prob is that it can be hassle when you have to update your subscription. This should be added to your login page possible with days remaining on current term.

  13. GAGE Unregistered 5 years ago

    CAN'T THEY MAKE A DEMO FOR PLANET SIDE DUME

  14. Big T Unregistered 5 years ago

    Like Paul D says where can game cards be purchased in UK

  15. razer Unregistered 5 years ago

    yer i wud like to no were u can get game cards in the uk aswell im relly peed off because of the hassal of credit cards

  16. less than me Unregistered 4 years ago

    hi... where can i buy 90 day game cards in the UK, and how much are they (in £ ). thnxk :-)

  17. DarkUranium Unregistered 4 years ago

    For all you people, that are complaining about DEMO:
    There is a trial, and it aint hard to find...

    On sony online site
    FilePlanet
    GameSpot...

    Anyway... http://www.planetsidetrial.tk/

    It's 1.6GB. A bit more, it has to patch itself...
    7-day trial.

    -DarkUranium
    -www.darkuranium.ath.cx