It seems like it was only yesterday that Battlefield 1942 was breaking revolutionary ground in online gaming, staking claim to the server capacity throne with new technology that allowed a whopping 64 people to play together in one server at any given time. Massive battles would take place across breathtaking landscapes (albeit more for the size than textures on most occasions), enabling you and dozens of your closest friends to storm the beaches in the South Pacific, raid multi-story enemy strongholds at Stalingrad, and pummel the plains of France with more armor and artillery than we could shake a white flag at.

PlanetSide, a MMOFPS series from Sony Online Entertainment, is a game which attempts to take that premise and crank everything up to 11. Much like the BF franchise upon its original release, PS1 made waves in the community by upping the amount of people that could exist on a server at any given time, and maximizing the mayhem through a progressive levelling system which was still unheard of in shooters of the time. PlanetSide 2 borrows many familiar mechanics from its predecessor, including a wide range of guns and special abilities to choose from, along with the standard “capture/defend” point-to-point assault mechanic that encourages squads to coordinate when heading out to infiltrate enemy territory or digging in defending their own.

There aren’t any PvE components to liven up the beautiful landscape that PlanetSide 2 offers players each time they log in. But the sheer amount of people on each server means that there is always a point that needs assaulting or a stronghold in dire need of defense. No other title on the market today has accomplished what Sony has with this game. Especially when you consider that the whole thing is running on the back of the free-to-play model.

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