MAG Beta Opens to Everyone Soon

Anybody with a PS3 and an internet connection will soon be able to take part in MAG‘s final beta phase.

PlayStation 3 exclusive MAG has gone gold and is in the process of getting out to retailers for its release in late January. To make the wait a little easier, Sony and developer Zipper Interactive are opening up the game’s beta to absolutely everyone in the world. MAG is a multiplayer FPS that has gained its fame by pitting up to 256 players against each other at once.

However, this isn’t going to be a holiday gift. MAG‘s files can be downloaded through the PlayStation Store in North America right now, but it won’t be available to play until 5:00 AM PST January 4 through 11:59 PM PST January 10. Japan can start downloading on December 25, while Europe cannot begin until January 4. All in all, the MAG beta will take up around 2 to 2.5 GB, so it wouldn’t hurt to get it all set up and ready to go beforehand.

The beta will offer full access to MAG‘s 64-player Sabotage and 256-player Domination modes. Players are divided up into 8-player squads, with 4 squads forming a platoon, and 4 platoons forming a company. Specific players will be designated as leaders as they advance in rank, who are able to give objectives to their squads and have extra abilities such as calling in cluster bombings. MAG isn’t just 128 vs 128, the game is broken up into smaller skirmishes that all work towards a common goal. It sounds like a nice change of pace from regular old Deathmatch and Capture the Flag scenarios, and is probably worth checking out, especially now that it requires no commitment at all other than a 2 GB download.