If you have been keeping up in the massive first person shooting side of gaming, you will by now have at the very least heard whispered words of awe at the concept of Planetside Two.
Let’s take a step back into history. Where did this giant behemoth of FPS come from? The answer: Planetside, a massively multi-player first person shooter by Sony Online Entertainment.
PS was easily one of the very first massive FPS games. It was also the first of its kind, a subscription based multi-player shooter that boasted combat levels of 100 players a side. This was a dream come true to players who enjoyed the idea of a massive, never ending war, and its appeal came from intense fire-fights across continents instead of single instanced maps. To date, PS remains one of the few massively multi-player first person shooter games out there, as the genre has maintained a niche market until now with the approach of Planetside Two.
So, what can a nearly 10 year old game bring to the table? Plenty.
Sunday the 1st of July was Planetside day. Players from around the world united to fight for their chosen empires and equipped with 30 days of free game time, all out war erupted across every continent creating population locks and queues for the first time in years. There were multiple events, including a parade, but on Sunday the prime attraction was war. A live stream was set up at Planetside TV which streamed footage from volunteers from each empire on the continent of Amerish, and so the three empires began setting up.
Independence through force
On the New Conglomerate side, the stream was managed by an outfit called The Blue Lions. The NC formed into a mass of vehicles and aircraft as they prepared to assault the target objective. True to the foundations of the NC, the organization had a very rough edged feel to it, full of passion and determination. The initial push was formed from many heavy tanks supported with air cavalry.
Loyalty and Union
Over with the Terran Republic , the stream was handled by the outfit Better Red Than Dead. The TR unity and loyalty clearly showed in the firm, strict organization of battle ranks and lines of combat in preparation for attack, with a heavy focus on air cavalry and gunships.
Strength through Technology
Finally the Vanu Sovereignty stream was headed by the outfit Ghosts of the Revolution. On the VS side their strength and faith in technology showed, the initial lines focusing almost exclusively on the huge battle frame robotics warfare. These hulking, walking frames of metal could easily unload masses of firepower onto enemy soldiers in rapid succession.
War is messy
Initially it seemed that the NC would take the day, as the two hour long battle began on the planet, NC held all of the bases and was forming up for a simple defensive strategy on the assigned capital of Qumu. However, to make the battle more interesting, SOE made the entire continent neutral and the capital was reassigned to Verica. This meant that each faction had to find a specific vehicle, the Ant, and successfully get it to the nearest base to power it up so that they could hack and take it for their respective empire.
The end result of a long, vicious fight? NC took the top half of Amerish, VS controlled the bottom bases but the TR took and held Verica, and were named victors of the event.
You can watch the entire event stream from Planetside TV here
It’s a great time to be a PS member. The servers are full, players are fighting and everybody is looking towards the looming sequel with a mixture of anticipation and fear. I myself am a proud NC soldier and look forwards to fighting for freedom in Planetside 2.
If you are interested in giving PS One a try, you can check out the game over at Planetsides official website
What do you think? Are you looking forward to the final farewell to Planetside 1 and a fond greeting to its successor, Planetside 2? Comment below or head over to the forum and let us hear your opinion!
