Essentially just another military-themed shooter with a brown and grey colour palette, MAG goes a step further in introducing such immense scale and a unique level of activity to its online multiplayer. Yet, where genre stablemates such as Battlefield: Bad Company and Modern Warfare 2 offer single-player campaigns and other gameplay options alongside their respective multiplayer modes, MAG is quite happy to give you its uniquely proportioned multiplayer and send you off to war. But given the variety of game types available in MAG, this never really proves to be a concern. There's more than enough longevity in MAG's online battles. It just might have been a nice bonus to have been given an offline mode of some description though, even if it had been a series of individual missions to play alone or in splitscreen co-op.

MAG's four central match types are strong enough to keep you playing for some time with 64-player Sabotage, 64-player Suppression, 128-player Acquisition and 256-player Domination each providing differing challenges and objectives, whether it's capturing command posts or apprehending the opposing team's vehicles, there's always always something new to provide a decent challenge.

There are also three factions to choose from, each with varying attributes that add a further layer of variety to MAG. S.V.E.R are a rag-tag band of moderately experienced soldiers that are notorious for fighting with unmatched fervour while Valor is an army of seasoned veterans, adept in communication and tactics. Finally, Raven will no doubt be the popular choice, simply because they look the coolest in their black technologically advanced apparel. Raven make up for their lack of experience by packing all the best stuff.

The obligatory story of the game's three PMCs (Private Military Companies) is a largely irrelevant one. All you really need to know is that MAG takes place in 2025 where PMCs fight for contracts in a conflict known as the Shadow War. Your individual character - who can be customised and is able to switch between five bespoke weapon loadouts before each match and during respawns – levels up persistently from round to round, earning increasingly higher ranks that better your chances in being selected as the leader of a platoon, or indeed an entire company if you put yourself forward for consideration.

Levelling up also grants skill points that can be exchanged for new skills (obviously) and upgrades or attachments for your weapons. None of these bonuses take the form of ridiculous, ability enhancing perks (a la MW2). Instead, weapon upgrades and squad buffs or bonuses for faction leaders reward skill over persistence or the number of hours you pump into playing the game. Every action you perform on the battlefield grants XP, which acts as your currency in purchasing extra stuff for your character.

At face value, MAG is really just another military FPS with little more than an impressive gimmick. But there's actually more to MAG than first meets the eye. It's a compulsive and hugely playable online title that's worth investing time in. The control system might be a bit of a misfire but when the core FPS action is as accomplished as MAG's, you'll be willing to forgive the game's few discretions. And if you're lucky enough to assemble a crack team of mates to play with online, you'll really get the most out of what MAG has to offer. Rounding up 255 mates with a PS3 and a copy of the game though? That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?

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