he first premium downloadable content for Zipper's massively-multiplayer shooter, MAG, was released a couple days ago. The content pack, Interdiction, brings with it a new game type with the same name, and three new maps to house it. We've spent some time playing Interdiction, and are ready to throw our thoughts at you like so many grenades -- with reckless disregard for our teammates.
Interdiction pits two factions (or PMCs) against each other in a map with three strategic capture-points; holding one or more points will slowly drain one of two bars at the top of your screen, while any that your opponent controls will drain the other. The more points you control, the faster your opponent's bar will drain, so the idea is to hold at least two points longer than your opponent can.
When MAG first launched, in all PMC-versus-PMC maps, one team was attacking and the other was defending, and which of those you were going to be doing depended on your PMC. Each game type was designed such that, in order to be effective, you and your squad would be going to very specific locations and would probably follow a pretty tight path, leaving much of each map unmanned. It also meant that you usually wouldn't run into other squads, which greatly detracted from the experience of being a part of a massive game.
Interdiction is different. With no attackers or defenders, each PMC tries to coordinate enough to capture and hold each of the three points, while sabotaging the opposing mortar battery that would otherwise lay constant siege to any point you hold. This is a 128-player game mode, meaning each team has 64 players, and for the first time since the game's launch, it actually feels like there are that many soldiers running amok.
Each team spawns -- in its entirety -- in a squad of vehicles all at the same location. Because of this, right from the start of each match, you're going to be interacting with your entire team. The push-and-pull nature of Interdiction also means that you're going to be roaming from point to point, helping wherever your team needs help, or wherever a point is under contest.
The three new maps all accommodate the new gameplay dynamic fairly well. Winding roads lead to all the major capture points, and working your way through the scrub or through gutted buildings on foot can lead to interesting encounters that you rarely see in the other game types. Having some of the capture points far from the usual spawn location makes keeping your APCs repaired more important than ever, which can be both great strategically and incredibly frustrating.
However, there are still huge portions of the map -- around the outer rim, for example -- where nary a soldier will tread, and there are moments when you'll have to jump over a two-inch ledge because you can't simply walk over it.
That said, these niggling problems don't detract too much from an otherwise very positive addition to MAG.
Liegt vielleicht auch daran, dass es einen "Vulcan Raven" in Metal Gear Solid gab 
