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PlanetSide

EMAIL PRINT pc

7.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 31 critic reviews
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Based on 31 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment

Developer: Verant Interactive

Genre(s): Massively Multiplayer Online Game, First-Person Shooter, Action

Players: Thousands

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: May 19, 2003

Summary

PlanetSide is a Massively Multiplayer Online First-Person Shooter involving thousands of players fulfilling all the roles needed to wage war across the face of ten gigantic continents. The war involves infantry, ground vehicles, and air battles in a science-fiction setting. Gamers play as any of the three global empires, each group struggling against one another to dominate each base, continent, and ultimately, the planet, for their Empire. [Sony Online Entertainment]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: PlanetSide: Core Combat

Also On The Web: ActionTrip Preview Adrenaline Vault Preview Games Domain Preview GameSpy Preview Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Maxim Online

Forget hiking up to the woods for a rain-drenched, cattle-scattering game of paintball. Just hook yourself into PlanetSide for a measly $12.95 per month fee and you can feast on round-the-clock galactic virtual warfare with hundreds of faceless gamers worldwide.

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100

Entertainment Weekly

Seamless play and staggering detail make this quite possibly the most ambitious online action game to date. [13 June 2003, p.105]

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

There's little doubt that I've failed to sufficiently convey the sheer enormity of this game. [PC Gamer UK]

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Game Informer

The intensity of the battles draws the players in, but the ability to improve your avatar...keeps you coming back for more. [July 2003, p.118]

PC Format

Now here’s the clever thing – there are three sides fighting for the planet Auraxis but the battle is worldwide. It’s not the simple small arenas of Counter-Strike and Team Fortress, nor is it the enormous maps but frustratingly futile team versus team of Tribes 2.

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Gamezilla!

Even when the game gets stymied by some bad gameplay, I enjoy myself. The strength of the game lies in the squadding, and the still heavily social environment, even though you're dedicated to killing people left and right.

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GamePro

Online FPS fans who like the heat of tactical team action will really dig the constant squad-level action of PlanetSide.

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Game Chronicles

The highest complement I can pay PlanetSide is by saying that I’m addicted... At its best, PlanetSide takes a staple genre and breaths new life into it while delivering an adrenaline rush rarely found in the virtual world.

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Computer Games Magazine

Value is largely subjective, but PlanetSide does offer numerous perks that you won't find in other games: fast servers, no cheating, larger battles (much larger) with more strategy, more socialization, and a system that makes it extremely easy to meet and play with friends. [Aug 2003, p.82]

Adrenaline Vault

To those willing to pay, however, the reward is one of the deepest and most exciting combat games ever. The hacking, the engineering, the raw firefights, the chaos of vehicular combat - all of these elements are but minor ingredients in the eats-like-a-meal stew that’s PlanetSide.

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GameShark

While PlanetSide isn't a perfect experience, and will be in development for the life cycle of the product (as most decent online games tend to be), it is nonetheless and addictive, frantic and rewarding experience for gamers that enjoy action peppered with some "RPG lite" elements.

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Yahoo! Games

PlanetSide's exciting mix of action and strategy is a breath of fresh FPS air.

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GameZone

I have not had this much fun in years playing a MMO anything and I highly recommend this title as a must have if you’re a fan of the genre.

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Gamer's Pulse

While the average base capture can be pretty repetitive, there are huge difficult battles every so often that are more fun than anything, and these will keep me coming back for awhile.

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AtomicGamer

The action is not always constant or perfect, but a big battle here is a unique experience that you just can't get in another FPS.

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Loaded Inc

It’s by no means revolutionary but it’s hard to complain when you can’t stop playing and that’s what successful online games are all about. If you’re a FPS fan and have always wanted to jump into a massively multiplayer world, then landing on PlanetSide is a good way to start.

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FiringSquad

Vehicles, weapons, bases, and factions are all inter-woven into a system of balanced and sophisticated combat, even if it does feel like fighting for fighting’s sake.

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Play Magazine

Manages to deliver an addictive experience that is at times incredibly exhilarating and fun. [Aug 2003, p.74]

Game Over Online

My rants aside, PlanetSide offers up a fun, 24/7 battle royal over giant continents with lots of toys that will delight FPS players of all skill levels, and with a free downloadable trial version of the game, you can give it a test drive for yourself.

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PC Gamer

Find a good outfit and learn the game's nuances, and you'll be hooked. [Sept 2003, p.76]

Gamers Europe

Whatever about the bugs being ironed out this is an addictive game and that’s the end of it.

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G4 TV

If you've grown accustomed to 16 on 16 battles in other shooters, nothing, we repeat, nothing, will prepare you for combat in Planetside.

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GameSpot

If you think you can surmount the game's learning curve and whip a squad of like-minded recruits into shape, you'll find that PlanetSide offers a unique and potentially very enjoyable challenge.

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ActionTrip

The good part about this game is that it is fun, looks good, sounds great, and plays exactly like one would expect a game of this magnitude to play, minus the aforementioned technical issues of course.

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IGN

What can be a really exciting team game experience is marred by having to play with uncooperative idiots, monotonous landscapes, long wait times to get into the action, and some serious lack of definitive purpose.

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GameSpy

Veteran shooter fans and adrenaline addicts might find it a bit too slow for their taste. For others, though, PlanetSide may be the perfect fit to fill a genre that's been waiting to explode for a few years.

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Game Revolution

Just learning the myriad of functions, trying to organize a group and then arranging transportation will easily eat up a couple hours before you've even fired your first live round at a real enemy.

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Eurogamer

Once you've scratched the surface and delved around beneath, that's when you'll realise that a game like PlanetSide needs constant development and a flow of new content to keep it fresh and interesting. And at the moment, that just isn't happening.

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Cheat Code Central

This game is not intended to appeal to RPG players and even though there are three different teams the game has little to entice hardcore RTS gamers. Consider it an online shooter with a few shakes of spice.

GameNow

There's no sense of accomplishment on any grand scale. So it seems, in fact, that you're fighting for nothing; hence, there's no real story... It becomes tiresome rather quickly. [Aug 2003, p.38]

GMR Magazine

Finding a hot zone that doesn't play like a deathmatch in a broom closet [or getting to a hot zone at all] takes more legwork than you'd expect for the payoff. [Sept 2003, p.65]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 31 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jamie F. gave it a 10:
Great game, for all those saying they wont pay the small monthly fee - get a job

Stephen M. gave it a 7:
Good game but i dont think i would pay the subscription fee though.

Brandon K. gave it a 0:
This is a horribly bug ridden game. Training modes don't work, TONS of connection problems and crashes, and even saving a keyboard layout doesn't work 3+ months after release from beta. DO NOT get this game. If you REALLY want it, wait 6 more months til the bugs are shaken out. Don't believe me? Check out the tech support board. There's a post ever 2-5 minutes. Yes, seriously. Oh, and there are already cheaters screwing it up for everyone, too. Still sound fun?

Bennett R. gave it a 10:
WOW! that's all i can say, is WOW

Henke A. gave it an 8:
It's a great but somewhat laggy and istabil game. But still is one of the best games I've played!

Bob E. gave it a 9:
Best game ever.

Mark O. gave it a 10:
Look out this game is as addictive as heroine, but well worth it.

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PlanetSide

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