Planetside is two years old! Fancy that. I remember hearing about the premise behind it way back in the day and telling myself I'd NEVER go near it - a game where all there is to do, is PvP? That's mad! That can't possibly work!
Shows how much I know; while certainly no World of Warcraft, SirBruce has it's current numbers at a steady 50-60 thousand subscribers, (and in theory, everyone with an Axis Pass), and largely it seems unaffected by any other online game. It's easy to see why - it occupies a strange genre-vacuum somewhere between Counter Strike and Anarchy Online, but isn't really that much like either. Indeed, it's truly unique, although the latest incarnation of Tabula Rasa seems to be a Planetsidey kind of thing now, so that may change in the future.
I tried it on a recommendation from a long time MMO friend whose opinion I respect, and was pleasantly suprised. True, it takes a lot of getting used to. I died with embarassing frequency, but the sheer scale of a full-on base assualt, with tanks and planes and people running and shooting everywhere was unlike anything else I'd ever seen. The sheer shell-shock and spectacle of the experience captivated me, and over time I learnt to survive, and indeed, even do well - nowhere nearly as well at the "Top 10%", of course, but well enough to achieve satisfaction.
I'm not sure if I qualify for the Two Year Medal, but I already have the One Year one, which in itself speaks volumes about my attitude toward the game. Its a game I return to over and over, simply because it's like nothing else on offer, and for all my chin-stroking about 'PvP Ethics', I have no qualms or objections to Planetside at all. I suspect it's precisiely because there is nothing to do except PvP; everyone you meet is ready, expecting it and is in effect, totally consentual about it all. There might be ambushes, but there are no ganks. Also, theres no equipment or xp loss for being killed - just good clean bounce-back fun.
Anyway, to celebrate, they've introduced a new gun, the 'Heavy Sniper Rifle', a ten-shot high-powered semi-automatic rifle with very high damage, but fairly low accuracy, designed for ranges in between the normal combat rifles, and the sniper rifle proper. Time will tell if it's any good or just an anniversary present, but as ever, the effects of the introduction of a new 'piece' to the game of chess that is Planetside will take a while to become fully apparent.
What is remarkable is that this is the first time in ages that they've added something that commonplace and basic. Usually it's huge robots, or high altitude bombers or field artillery. I'll give it a go tonight and see for myself, but I'm all for it; being a fairly dedicated Sniper anyway, I get to be able to requisition it for free anyway and variety is always nice.