Overview

Up and running

Perhaps the first thing worth noting about PlanetSide, Sony's bold new massively multiplayer online game, is that it works. And by 'works', I don't mean the sort of faint praise you extend to MMOs that don't crash. Considering some of the genre's disastrous launches and unimaginative retreads, our expectations can be pretty low. If servers stay up longer than George W. Bush Jr. on a Segway, we point and say, 'Hey, look, it works!'

A Max strikes a pose

Road warriors

Wanted: air traffic controller

But PlanetSide is different. When I say it works, I don't just mean the servers are stable, the code isn't buggy, and the feature set feels complete (all true, by the way). I mean it manages to achieve its own ambitious goals. Namely, it creates huge battles with hundreds of people fighting in a persistent world, using a varied system of combined arms. It doesn't do it in the fits and starts and half-measures of something like World War II Online. It does it all, right from the get-go, without compromise. This is Tribes taken to the next level and busted wide open for a thousand people at a time.

The Vanu that you do

The netcode is one of PlanetSide's most impressive achievements. It manages to tie together generally smooth performance with people on foot, in tanks, manning turrets, and flying around in aircraft, all in graphically rich environments that range from cluttered indoor areas to the wide-open outdoors. The visuals are simple enough that they're not wasting bandwidth with pointless geometry, but they're detailed enough to create evocative settings like swamps, blasted volcanic craters, snowy mountains, and desert canyons. The base architecture is bland, but it's repetitive enough that you don't have to learn new layouts every time you play. The design of the vehicles and weapons, as well as the unique outfits and hardware for each of the three factions, gives PlanetSide a healthy dollop of personality. The Terrans may have the coolest heavy armor, but no one can beat the Vanu for their stylish pulsing purple Tron outfits.

Gun tower

Shuttle departing

Transporting through a warp gate

Where PlanetSide differs most from other MMOs is that it's an action game based on skill rather than an RPG based on how much time you've played. In EverQuest, the guy who's played for 40 hours is going to be ten times more powerful than the guy who's played for four hours. Not so in PlanetSide, where the guy who's played for 40 hours simply has a wider range of choices for his weapons and vehicles. The guy who's played for four hours might still be able to trump him based on their respective situations. For instance, no matter what he does, Mr. 40 Hours is still vulnerable to anti-infantry weapons when he's not wearing heavy armor or driving a tank. He doesn't mysteriously get extra hit points or a higher armor class. So if Mr. Four Hours gets a bead on him with a powerful gun, he'll get the kill. PlanetSide's balanced system of combined arms is more important than what level you've reached. This makes it uniquely satisfying for people who can't take on an MMO that requires you treat it like a part-time job with a 20-hour work week.