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Far Cry 3 And The Stranger In A Strange Land PlayStation 3 blockbusters like God of War III and MAG may not make a 2009 release after all, according to a software release update from Sony. The publisher further clarified its PS3 release plans today.
It’s not hard to imagine that Sony knew Microsoft would choose E3 to make its curtain-call announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for the 360. It’s likewise reasonable to believe they searched their catalogueof works under development for the best candidate to generate any buzz. What we got was a mixed bag — the trailer of an incredibly expansive shooter, but it didn’t even have a title. It was just MAG: Massive Action Game. It sounded tempting, but very incomplete.
In fact it was shown to a focus group less than a month before E3. One among that group, after seeing the MAG E3 debut, reached out to me, under a promise of anonymity, to describe what was shown and asked of the group. Put simply, MAG — whatever title it comes out under — will be a mercenary combat MMO. It will more than likely carry SOCOM branding, as Zipper Interactive is behind it. And if so, it could be called SOCOM: Shadow War or SOCOM: Zero.
For purposes of identity protection, my source, who has experience in other video game focus groups, will be called Orange. Being identified could cost Orange, and others, future work.
Sony saved the final announcement of its E3 keynote for a concept using the placehold title of “MAG: Massive Action Game”, Unveiled by Andy Beaudoin from Zipper Interactive, MAG — whose trailer looked like “SOCOM set 15 years into the future”, according to our eyes on the scene, will immerse players in large online battles of up to 256 players. The trailer featured multiple terrain types, complex tactics, and sounds very much like a SOCOM MMO at this stage.
Character growth will be accomplished through an advancement tree, which allows players to fine tune their players throughout massive campaigns. “MAG will deliver an intense and long lasting shooter experience”, said Beaudoin, who also described the game as “a workout even for the PS3 architecture”.
More on this title as it develops. No release date was specified. Gallery below.
