The MMOFPS That Captures the Scope of War

There are games few and far between which capture the actual scope of war. The Battlefield series has always strived to recreate modern day warfare on the scale that it is truly fought in. However it, along with many other games, seems timid in comparison to PlanetSide 2. 

PlanetSide 2 aspires to give players a taste of what real conflict is. It involves hundreds of players vying for control of the world. The world is made up of 4 continents, excluding the tutorial continent for new players. These continents are vast swaths of land, littered with capture points and bases. The bases provide the hub from which players are able to access several types of vehicles and warpgates which they can use to travel to other continents. There are several servers to reduce the load exerted by massive amounts of players

Needless to say, such a huge map does mean that conflict does not take place everywhere. Most of the battles are fought near the borders of each faction. The border is dictated by the outermost base that is under the control of the aforementioned faction. Mobile spawn points are available so that players can quickly get into the action but if you are unlucky enough not to have one in a good position, you'll have to get a vehicle and traverse quite a distance before you find yourself in open conflict. 

Speaking of vehicles there are several to choose from. There are offroad buggies, light and heavy tanks, fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, APCs and more. These vehicles give a lot of variety to the game however the land vehicle controls do feel quite clumsy and take some time to get used to.

PlanetSide 2's battles are some of the most engaging and intense I have ever fought in a first-person shooter game. Bullets whizz past you every second, smoke streams of rockets and artillery shells accompany the aircraft that populate the skies above. Move one inch without planning your move, and you might just be taken out by a sniper perched on a base tower in the distance. That being said, it isn't that mundane to be an infantryman in PlanetSide 2. When the conflict is pushed towards the bases, infantry becomes paramount in capturing them since close quarters combat becomes the norm of the game. 

The shooting in PlanetSide 2 is more akin to Battlefield's shooting with heavy recoil of machine guns and assault rifles along with pseudo realistic bullet drop of sniper rifles. Hitbox detection could be better but headshots are properly registered. 

The game is quite frustrating for new players as it literally just drops you into the action with no sort of tutorial or actual helpful pointers which guide you in the right direction. However once you get the gist of it after spending 10 or more hours with it, you'll be a meaningful part of every battle you fight in. 

PlanetSide 2 is a welcome change of pace from the linearity of traditional war shooters. The massive scale and player tactics involved make for a very enjoyable experience. However it must be stated that this game will not be for everyone as not all will be able to fathom the scale and high learning curve.

Shahrukh Ikhtear is a gamer who doesn't rage. A writer who doesn't read. A musician without a teacher. Full time procrastinator. You can reach him on 
Twitter @sr_ikhtear and email: shahrukh.Ikhtear@yahoo.com