Planetside ships
by Jolex Del Pilar

Monday, May 19, 2003

A MMO first person shooter? We await our review unit...

Sony Online Entertainment announced that its highly-anticipated massively multiplayer online first-person action game, PlanetSide, has shipped to U.S. and Canadian retail stores. The groundbreaking game allows thousands of players to fight online in an all-hours-of-day global war that has never been seen before in the first-person action genre. The company also announced its first planned post-launch additional features including several new vehicles and game options. PlanetSide has a suggested retail price of $49.99, and includes a 30-day subscription to the game.

"PlanetSide provides an awesome action-filled adrenaline rush as players experience the game's vast online world and deep gameplay that is unlike anything ever seen before," said Michael Lustenberger, director of product marketing at Sony Online Entertainment. "With dozens of specialties, vehicles, weapons and ten continents to explore and conquer, PlanetSide is THE game for anyone who enjoys action games."

The first new features planned for release post-launch include three new vehicles: a bomber, an airborne vehicle transport and a four-wheeled anti-aircraft buggy. New game options include the ability to form three squadrons of ten men each into one large platoon and Sanctuary strikes, where empires can strike at previously untouchable bases, and outfit competitions, pitting squads against one another in unique challenges.

After the included 30-day subscription period, PlanetSide will carry a monthly subscription fee of $12.99 for continuing access to the game world. Players can subscribe for additional months using a credit card, or by purchasing PlanetSide 90-day Game Cards, which open the PlanetSide universe to those who choose not to use a credit card. Additionally a subscription to PlanetSide is included in Sony Online Entertainment's recently announced SOE All Access(tm) subscription. The $21.99, SOE All Access subscription gives loyal customers the opportunity to play all SOE published premium entertainment content with a single account, including EverQuest® II (when released), PlanetSide, EverQuest®, EverQuest® Online Adventures(tm), Infantry, Cosmic Rift and Tanarus. For more information about the SOE All Access subscription and SOE's current roster of premium titles, please visit http://www.soeallaccess.com.


PlanetSide is the world's first massively multiplayer online first-person action game. Featuring a vast game world where thousands of players can battle at all hours of the day, PlanetSide takes squad-based combat to the next level. Players choose their allegiance and enlist with one of three unique empires in the fight for total domination on a global scale. Characters gain experience with every conflict, and can become one of the best in more than 30 combat specialties, including infantry, sniper, stealth commando, engineer, hacker, medic, pilot, driver and more. PlanetSide also features:

* Hundreds of different armor and weapons configurations to truly customize play style

* More than a dozen different land and air vehicles to master

* Dozens of combat skills and specialties

* Ten continents of unprecedented scale, filled with turmoil and conflict

* Massive battlefields with thousands of unique tactical situations

--- Jolex Del Pilar