Alone in a massively multiplayer online gaming world.

There's no denying PlanetSide is a fascinating game. It's ambitious, the environment is epic and - aside from some lag issues, a cruel learning curve and wasted time getting from A to B – the gameplay can be intense.

At a glance, PlanetSide has elements of, say, Halo – first-person shooting, armoured soldiers, drop-ships, jeeps. But it's actually a significantly innovative blend of the FPS with the massively multiplayer online game (like EverQuest). It's an “MMOFPS”, building on the foundations of other online shooters where the number of players has been limited. The PlanetSide battleground – alien planet Auraxis, where three factions fight it out for control of bases on ten continents – is filled with the avatars of hundreds, nay thousands of people (there are already 50,000 subscribers in the States, 20,000 in Europe), two thirds of whom will be gunning for you and your compatriots.

Now, for someone who's never especially got into the massively multiplayer online gaming thing or multiplayer shooters (a high-powered PC is a fairly new addition to my kit, supplanting my old iMac), a videogame that combined sci-fi FPS action with something of the strategising of the board game Risk was a compelling prospect.

Aside from the above-mentioned issues, PlanetSide is remarkable and, when the action kicks off, it's frenetic and exciting. However, you can't get on here if you're shy: this is a teamplay game. Me, I'm perturbed by the challenge of bonding with digital strangers – I'm self-conscious about my shoddy game-skill levels for starters. Odd, possibly, considering I'm hiding behind a pseudonymous avatar.

Personally, I've always been more inclined towards one-player, narrative-based adventures. PlanetSide, however, is pointless as a solo experience. There are no one-player missions and there's no narrative, just the ebb and flow of terrain being conquered then lost, then taken again. Sony's landmark game (published by Ubi Soft) is a constantly evolving proposition, however. Patches and tweaks are constantly being added, and the first expansion pack is already due out in October. I doubt PlanetSide will ever be suited to us go-it-alone types, though, so I'll really have to work on my massively multiplayer online shyness (MMOS). Daniel Etherington 12 September 03

PlanetSide, available now online.

useful link: www.planetside.com

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