That is then, the premise of Global Agenda. It is also where the story ends. But then, who really cares in MMOs about the lore? As a somewhat casual gamer, I know I don't when it comes to this genre. What is more interesting about this kind of game is the hold they are able to take on you, and the sense of achievement you gain from levelling up and acquiring that 'epic' weapon or armour. Something World of Warcraft has done to perfection, evidenced by its horde of players. Excuse the pun.
Global Agenda has a slightly different take on this than other MMOs. You get to pick your class before you start, but that's about all the variety it offers. There are four to choose from, Heavy Assault, the tank and heavy weapons specialist; Recon (my class), who uses stealth and speed to get around, Medic; which can either heal or specialise in deadly poisons, and Robotics; who create support structures such as rocket turrets and medical terminals. Other than this choice at the start of the game, it doesn't really matter what level you are or what gear you have. The aim the devs have gone for here is to be able to have say a level 12 player quite able to take on a level 50 (the max cap) without fear of being steam rolled. In actuality the only real point of levelling is to gain that one skill point to invest in your skill tree. Armour suits are purely aesthetic in purpose, and actual armour pieces (head, shoulders, chest, feet etc) are more or less the same whatever level you are. The idea then, to give you that edge is to invest in the game's modding and crafting tools. That is, you are able to collect materials from PvE in order to craft, and then modify your wholly generic choice of equipment in the form of 'boosts'. However, these boosts are often underwhelming, for example collecting all the materials and blueprints to up your weapon damage only results in a 2% increase to its existing stats. In order to create a level playing field for everyone, it seems that variety has been compromised, and it is that variety that is quintessential in MMOs. You have a sense of achievement and individuality when you earn that epic gear and consequently look different to your fellow community. In Global Agenda, everyone looks the same. Thus the only distinguishable feature among players are these boosts, which aren't visible on your character's avatar.
This is not to say that Global Agenda fails as an MMO entirely. It is ambitious, trying to take as many positive aspects as it can from the genre and make it into some sort of uber-game. There are three main game modes. PvE, PvP and Conquest. PvE is basically the obligatory dungeon crawl present in every MMO. You can choose to either solo it or jump into a team with three other randoms. At first it is quite fun, and the gear you're rewarded with at the end of the instance's boss is just fruit for your efforts. Doing a dungeon run with a team that knows what they're doing also emits a feeling of great satisfaction. Soon however you realise that there are only about five different dungeons, and it starts to feel like you are traversing bland geometric shapes rather than some sort of beautifully rendered and visually distinctive environment. The rewards also dry up, as you soon find yourself with ten of everything, such is the lack in variation of items in the game. It becomes apparent that the only reason you persist with the PvE grind is to gain the materials needed to give your chest armour that 0.5% boost in health.
Surely then, this game has some saving grace? Well, yes and no. The other two modes are really what you're paying the monthly subscription for. First up is 'Mercenary Mode', which throws you into a 10 vs. 10 battle. The objective is invariably some 'unique' take on capture the flag/strategic points. The battles are frantic and fast-paced, but instead of evenly balanced games the outcomes are often either a total pasting from the opponent, or you totally annihilating them. The result is then either one of frustration in defeat or emptiness in victory. So what's left is 'Conquest Mode', which sees Agencies fight against Agencies in a persistent world map to gain territory and resources which allows access to certain advantages. This is the mode which has garnered most attention, harking back to the days of Planetside, a game that for some strange reason has not been sought to be imitated. However, in order to access Conquest requires you grinding for hours until you reach level 30 before you can start to enjoy it. That is, if you've even been invited to join a competitive Agency yet. Even then, it does not replicate the epic battles on the scale of Planetside, with the game sticking to the 10 vs. 10 formula. For example, if your Agency has a hundred member and you wish to invade an opposing Agency's territory, or 'hex', you will only be able to do so with ten players.
It's difficult to justify a subscription fee for such limited content. In many respects it's a little bit disappointing. I was hoping for some sort of amalgamation of Planetside with Tribes, but it fails to deliver on both accounts. I've been waiting for a decent alternative to Elves and magical woodlands, and I was willing this to be it. The result is actually pretty bland. While quite a fun game on the outset, it quickly tires and I can't see how it justifies the monthly $8.99 subscription unless the devs add a hell of a lot more content. I guess yet another MMO that promised big, but failed on all it dared to achieve.
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