Oh man do you remember the excitement that was going around when MAG was coming up for release? This was going to be the game that justified you having two jobs to own a PS3 and it was going to move console gaming into an entirely new era of incredible, online worlds.
254 simultaneous online battles, team orders, multi squad death matches. It was going to be incredible and then it got released… and it just wasn’t.
To be fair to the guys at Zipper Interactive what they were trying to achieve was huge and the game wasn’t bad but it simply couldn’t live up to the technical hype that surrounded the game. The PS3 wasn’t powerful enough and the PSN wasn’t even close to being able to handle this type of game. In fact we are once again hearing these types of promises with Titan Fall and Destiny.
MAG finally released in January 2010 to decent scores but Sony has now revealed that in January next year the MAG servers, along with the SOCOM servers, will be shut down and as MAG has no single player to speak of that shiny Blu-Ray will become nothing more than a coaster.
“Advisory: Online multiplayer services for MAG, SOCOM Confrontation, and SOCOM 4 will be ending on 01/28/14 tweet”
And Microsoft was confused when we rioted over the forced online mode of an entire console.
Last Updated: July 17, 2013
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 17, 2013 at 10:32
Keep calm?
OVG
July 17, 2013 at 11:56
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WA WA WWA WA WA W A WA W A WA
Trevor Davies
July 17, 2013 at 10:38
Game only available for 4 years? Welcome to the future.
TiMsTeR1033
July 17, 2013 at 10:39
prob was a shit game
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 10:40
Shit games were shit.
SOCOM had tried to push the Move into shooting games but no man wants to be seen using a pink glowing dildo as a gun.
TiMsTeR1033
July 17, 2013 at 10:41
it took away our desire to play, plus socom was never that great to begin with.
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 14:42
Why did they have to make the default colour pink? Seriously.
Troll Slayer
July 17, 2013 at 10:38
THE END.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 17, 2013 at 10:39
And this is why I hate Always online, unrelated to this game though. So hey, what if EA decides to shut down SimCity servers ……. I love how people can still defend this
TiMsTeR1033
July 17, 2013 at 10:43
money making ideas at its finest. thats how it works now adays. when sim city becomes un popular they can easily just pull the plug and make space for something new.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 17, 2013 at 10:41
Right there is why always online is bad.
Diablo3, Simcity, [insert always online game that isn’t actually an MMO here], all of these will one day give the same kind of notice and then what?
Trevor Davies
July 17, 2013 at 10:43
You can buy the next copy-paste version. Yay!
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 10:45
The same applies to the free games on PSN+ .
Concerned
July 17, 2013 at 10:47
Here, take another 100 up votes for that! Brilliant!
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 14:47
I really wouldn’t support his opinion, your bias is showing.
The comparison is inaccurate, at best. Trolling at worst.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 17, 2013 at 10:48
1) I own a PC so don’t use PSN+
2) PSN+ games you download and don’t need to be online to play them so even if PSN+ gets shut down you still have the games you already downloaded
3) I don’t understand what you are trying to point out?
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 10:50
1) Irrelevant.
2) Wrong. Free monthly games on PSN+ require a PSN+ sub for it to work,
3) Read point 1.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 17, 2013 at 11:24
1) Not irrelevant You brought up PSN+ as if I was some sony fanboy so I was pointing out that I am on PC to indicate that you going at me about PSN+ is irrelevant to start with.
2) After double checking my facts: Correct you are about the free games but the fact is these are free games and not games you have paid full price for at some point.
3) Read point 2. Clarification: Free games were a bonus for being on PSN+. If they switch off PSN+ yeah you lose the free games but at least not the ones you paid for
4) Still don’t understand what your point is as the above article is talking about games people have paid for being discontinued. Not free games
Admiral Chief Groot Wors
July 17, 2013 at 11:58
Dafuq happened here?
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 14:58
He’s actually incorrect. It’s a game rental service that’s active as long as you’re subscribed, regardless of whether or not PSN is up or down. He’s grasping at straws.
Trevor Davies
July 17, 2013 at 10:52
No difference between not being able to play a game you bought at full price and not being able to play a free game that forms part of a cheap subscription service? Interesting point of view.
Concerned
July 17, 2013 at 10:59
Doesn’t having to always have an online PSN+ subscription sound like a form of DRM though?
Trevor Davies
July 17, 2013 at 11:01
Yes, what’s your point?
Vampyre Squirrel
July 17, 2013 at 11:13
Xbox gold is a form of DRM too
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 11:15
How so?
Vampyre Squirrel
July 17, 2013 at 11:45
A) You have to be a Gold member to play online
B) You have to be a Gold member to download the free games
C) It’s now basically a replica (or trying to be one) of PSN+, and you state PSN+ is a form of DRM, thus logically XBLG is a form of DRM too.
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 11:16
The keyword being “same”. What’s your point?
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 14:46
You really shot yourself in the foot with this comparison. It’s not at all like PS+ and you can be sure that SONY would offer a purchase all option if they eliminated PS+
That and it’s a multiplayer subscription and games/entertainment rental service. Mmk? Understood?
Troll Slayer
July 17, 2013 at 11:18
That’s what he was saying.
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 15:00
You can still purchase games on PSN, and have access to them indefinitely, like any other game on your shelf – as long as they don’t have online server requirements like MAG and TitanFall. The points are poorly thought out, and it shows. The argument is incoherent.
Spathi
July 17, 2013 at 11:32
Catherine
Demon’s Souls
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection
LittleBigPlanet Karting
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (Vita)
Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita)
Unit 13 (Vita)
Battlefield 3
Payday: The Heist
Saints Row the Third
Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception (Single Player) (note: multiplayer is free)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Gravity Rush (Vita)
Darksiders
inFamous 2
Motorstorm Apocalypse
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD
LittleBigPlanet 2
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Chime Super Deluxe
Hamsterball
Outland
Ricochet HD
Sky Fighter
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
Wakeboarding HD
Magic Orbz
Mahjong Tales: Ancient Wisdom
Mushroom Wars
Renegade Ops
Smash Cars
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light
Saints Row 2
Starhawk (Single Player Campaign Only)
Just Cause 2
Borderlands
Dead Space 2
Retro/Grade
Rock of Ages
Super Stardust Portable (Vita)
Red Dead Redemption
Double Dragon Neon
Machinarium
Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
Bulletstorm
Hell yeah! Wrath of Dead Rabbit
Crysis 2
Ratchet and Clank All 4 One
Uncharted: Golden Abyss (Vita)
Gravity Rush (Vita)
Cubixx HD
Chronovolt (Vita)
Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack (Vita)
Vanquish
Mortal Kombat (Vita) (LEGO Batman: The Videogame (PSP) for Australia/Germany)
Batman: Arkham City
Limbo
Big Sky Infinity (PS3 & Vita)
Knytt Underground (PS3 & Vita)
Mortal Kombat (Gotham City Imposters for Australia/Germany)
Bioshock 2
Guardians of Middle Earth
Jet Set Radio HD (Vita)
Pinball Arcade (Vita)
F1 Race Stars
Sleeping Dogs (Binary Domain for Germany)
WipEout 2048 (Vita)
Lumines: Electronic Symphony (Vita)
Quantum Conundrum
Dead or Alive 5
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Vita) (links to guides: MGS2 / MGS3)
Mass Effect 3
Joe Danger 2
Puddle (Vita)
Lord of the Rings: War in the North
Okami HD
The Cave
Thomas Was Alone (PS3 & Vita)
Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (Vita)
Catherine
Hitman Absolution
Velocity Ultra HD (Vita)
Malicious
Sine Mora (Vita)
Demon’s Souls
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection
LittleBigPlanet Karting
Rayman Origins (Vita)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Uncharted 3 Drake’s Deception (Single Player) (note: multiplayer is free)
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Coconut Dodge Revitalised (Vita)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus (Vita)
Unit 13 (Vita)
Battlefield 3
Payday: The Heist
Saints Row the Third
Sorry, I couldn’t hear your pathetic attempt at trolling over the awesome list of free games!
Troll Slayer
July 17, 2013 at 11:37
So all those games you listed will work without a PSN+ sub or if PSN goes down? Pathetic trolling s pathetic.
Spathi
July 17, 2013 at 11:39
I never said that did I? You pay for a service, not the games. If the service doesn’t exist, obviously you can’t pay for it and you lose all the benefits of the service.
Umar Kiiroi Senk?
July 17, 2013 at 11:45
PSN+ is integral to Sony Playstation as a whole. Fair enough if those servers go down you can’t play the game, but they were free. We paid for SimCIty (as an example) and if the servers go down there is nothing we can do about the game. I got Darksiders off PSN+ for free, if the servers go down, I can’t play it anymore. but, there are physical copies, I can still play it offline. The whole PSN + argument is irrelevant to Always online games, as it applies to the free games.
Fnuik
July 17, 2013 at 13:03
Yes actually they will work. As long as you do not uninstall the game you have already downloaded.
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 15:08
Firstly, it’s a cross-platform game rental service, in addition to a cross-platform services subscription. Secondly, regardless of whether your PSN is up or down, the games work offline as long as your sub is active. They are rentals though, but either way, the service is not going to die – it’s too profitable to Sony. Perhaps if Sony went under, but even then, I could picture their services being sold off to another buyer. Having a large library of subscribers is a valuable asset.
Either way, it’s a game rental service – I said it again. In future, it will be an online subscription for PS4 as well as a game rental service, and possible Sony pictures also. You already get a $10 discount if you sub for Sony Music Unlimited with PS+.
Why on Earth would you complain over a game rental service if you weren’t envious that you were missing out because you don’t own the platform?
Fnuik
July 17, 2013 at 13:01
Ps+ games do not need to be online to play, once you have downloaded them you can play them whenever you want. Even if you stop your subscription you can still play the games you already downloaded. It is only when you uninstall a game you will lose it. Stop posting out of your arse!
Kromas
July 17, 2013 at 10:59
But currently for every game that needs an online component in the PC market we get to pirate the server (unless they give it to us) and keep running it. Hell you can still find star wars galaxies servers out there if you look hard enough. Diablo 3’s online component has already been dealt with so we can play “offline” etc etc.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 17, 2013 at 11:19
But then you are labeled as a pirate by the devs. You can’t win
Kromas
July 17, 2013 at 11:52
I don’t care. If they shut down the Mass Effect servers I will have to pirate it.I payed good money for a great game and no one will stop me from playing it when I want to.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
July 17, 2013 at 12:50
That’s the point I am trying to make though. Forcing a game online is a bad bad bad idea but devs just don’t seem to be able to grasp that
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 15:18
Here’s something relevant. Demon’s Souls servers were scheduled to go down a year after the game’s release. That makes it… late 2010. The servers are still up today because some kind soul has donated in some capacity to keep the servers functional.
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 10:42
LOL… Maybe with the PS4 Sony may finally make a good shooter. That controller is borked for shooting and racing games.
THE END.
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 15:12
You’re really on a troll today – I mean roll.
Jakster
July 17, 2013 at 10:46
“The PS3 wasn’t powerful enough and the PSN wasn’t even close to being able to handle this type of game.”… I hope you have your flamesuite on.
Gavin Mannion
July 17, 2013 at 11:34
Unfortunately it’s the truth so no flaming for me
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 15:09
Gosh, could any platform have supported such an ambitious project though? I mean, props to Sony for trying, but yeah. Way ahead of its time.
Ultimo_Cleric N7
July 17, 2013 at 11:08
“And Microsoft was confused when we rioted over the forced online mode of an entire console.”
MS were clearly not thinking. Well at least its fixed now.
OVG
July 17, 2013 at 11:49
So they say. JUST LOOK AT FORZA, what a mess.
The internet fcked up my hobby.
OVG
July 17, 2013 at 11:48
Looking forward to SIMSHITTY shutting down in the future. Lots of R599 tea coasters out there.
Gustav Willem Diedericks
July 17, 2013 at 12:43
That is some seriously expensive coasters. How can an industry even THINK of justifying this!!???!??!??!?
OVG
July 17, 2013 at 12:48
Because gaming is like crack cocaine. They can slap a Diablo 3 logo on a brick and it will still sell like hot cakes.
Gustav Willem Diedericks
July 17, 2013 at 13:06
Or a COD fish
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
July 17, 2013 at 13:48
Simple solution? Don’t buy titles that are always online! Those servers won’t be up for all eternity, in fact, most of them barely last a year (if you take EA as an example).
Therefore, I’ll still boycott always-online titles (like SimCity, Diablo 3 etc.)
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 15:12
I’m already well into that plan. Not a single online-required game in my inventory – other than MMOs. Let me do a quick mental revision………. Ja, no online-only games. I was interested in SimCity, but the online put me off. Likewise, I’m getting Diablo 3 for PS3/PS4 depending on when I end up purchasing the latter.
Argentil
July 17, 2013 at 14:42
Good closing point, Gavin. This was a big reason why it was such a bad idea.