PlanetSide 2 is a free to play shooter that aims to capture the feeling of massive combat engagements as players literally battle over the surface of a planet. Pairing this with combat classes and vehicles you’ll find a huge amount of variety and player choice as you battle against hundreds and sometimes even thousands of players for territory control.
Reviving the PlanetSide franchise this second version of the franchise leans even harder into the massively multiplayer online first person shooter genre. With the progress of gaming hardware between the 2003 original and 2012 for PlanetSide 2 the original vision for the franchise has now been realised and continued to progress with near endless game updates since launch.
The core of PlanetSide 2 sees players swearing allegiance to one of the three factions in the game which are fighting each other for control of continents and resources in a familiar futuristic science fiction setting. Factions include the New Conglomerate, Vanu Sovereignty and the Terrain Republic, each of these factions has their own strengths and weaknesses for players to consider to ensure they each have an identity within the science fiction universe. A fourth available faction of robot mercenaries known as the Nanite Systems Operatives (NSO) is also available although locked for players on initial account creation and can fight for any side.
The New Conglomerate features hard hitting guns with lower magazine clips with solid vehicles and aircraft to provide them battlefield support. The Terrain Republic prefer fast firing weapons with large magazine sizes and have some of the fastest moving vehicles in the game that allow them to quickly bring forces to a conflict area. Finally the Vanu Sovereignty uses alien lasers which provide high accuracy and low recoil that can make them deadly at defences if attacks come slow and steady. Considering the strengths of your own faction and the enemy plays a large role in the gameplay of PlanetSide 2 although is regularly tweaked as necessary to ensure each individual fight feels winnable.
These fights are set on a single map of a larger planet and feature large numbers of players and familiar FPS mechanics. While these fights are literally across a planet there are still a range of map variations to ensure you have vehicle based encounters, long range weapon battles and short range chaotic battles. Victory on the battlefield will enhance your factions territory control which depending on the location may bestow particular faction boosts or greater game currency rewards. This game currency works alongside experience points that are handed out for your battle efforts and in turn used to increase your account levels, weapons and cosmetic choices.
In order to offer further customisation beyond the standard shooter experience you’ll find a class structure that offers a set of 6 diverse options with their own role to play. These are the Infiltrator, Light Assault, Combat Medic, Engineer, Heavy Assault and MAX that serve roles similar to other class based shooters. The Infiltrator for example is a stealth specialist that utilises the deadly bolt action sniper rifle to scout, report and kill enemy units while the Combat Medic heals allies and the Engineer supports the various vehicle options with damage repairs.
Summary:
- A MMOFPS experience with expansive battles across an entire planet of territories.
- Choose from one of three factions each with their own strengths or a fourth mercenary faction to fight for them all.
- Use land and air vehicles on your way to victory alongside the core infantry units.
- Customise one of six available classes with a variety of weapon options to design your playstyle.
- A free to play experience of epic scale for Windows and PlayStation 4 players.
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Review Platform: PC
