First impressions of Planetside 2

OK I managed to get a beta key today for both Ben and myself (thanks Queeks and Jar for the help with that), and got it downloaded this afternoon.

Now the game is huge and already strikes me has having a learning curve typical of most MMO’s, but even still we managed to get to grips with roughly what was going on and launched ourselves into the thick of some action. In terms of game mechanics it’s very similar to BF3, but because of the futuristic setting, there are elements of the game that won’t suit those of us who prefer a realistic feel in a game. I tend to judge a game more on it’s tactical depth though and in that PS2 is certainly on the same level as BF3. It’s also fair to say there are a lot similarities with TF2, particularly when it comes to the available classes in game, and the way each plays.

From what I’ve gathered so far the classes are Recon, Light Assault, Engy, Heavy Assault, Medic, and they even have a class called “MAX” 🙂 Right away I’m comparing these to the same classes in TF2 in how they play, with the likes of light assault representing scouts, heavy assault playing the all round soldier, and the MAX being similar to the Heavy. It’s not exactly the same obviously, with one difference being that each class has particular abilities such as a temporary cloak for the Recon (pretty much how it works for the spy in TF2), and a forcefield for the Heavy assault (which is what I’ve mostly been playing so far).

The guns are similar to BF3, with the same sort of recoil system, reload times, hip fire and ADS accuracy, and rocket launchers are comparable with SMAWs and RPGs in BF3, rather than how they play in TF2 or quake. Vehicles are also similar to BF3, but you see a lot more of them, both on the ground and in the air. I haven’t seen enough of vehicle combat yet to comment on it, other than it strikes me currently as being well balanced, and operating just like BF3.

The squad system is a bit different, in that you don’t spawn on squad mates (though we’re still getting to grips with how the spawn system works), so I’m unsure what the actual benefit is other than features such as inbuilt squad VOIP, squad waypoints you can set, and the ability to identify squad mates easily on the map and overview. With 12 man squads possible, it should be a lot easier to get together in this game than it is currently in BF3.

There are still a number of bugs in the game, and graphical glitches, but nothing that you wouldn’t expect from a beta, and nothing that takes away from the overall experience.

Overall I’m feeling quite positive about how this plays, and I’m looking forward to getting involved in some epic defences or attacks, which we only got a small glimpse of during an outpost attack this afternoon. There must’ve been 100 people involved in that particular incident, though it wasn’t too epic due to a weak defence, but even still it was some sight running across the plains into the fight. The base had a huge tower in the centre, surrounded by some smaller buildings around it’s edge, and our infantry were rushing it from all sides. Huge galaxy transports were orbiting the tower, guns blazing in support of the infantry, who were also being supported by a column of armour. With the enemy using all the turrets on the tower, there was tracer fire, and lasers darting across the whole scene, which reminded me of some of the land battles in star wars. Our infantry on the ground cleared the outlying buildings while the galaxy craft landed squads on the main tower’s roof, which proceed to clear it out floor by floor. An overwhelming victory on that sector of the map, but there’s always somewhere else where the fight’s swinging the other way. Good fun so far though 🙂

Anyone else interested in joining us btw?