Introducing Planetside 2

[Cirno]

The important terms to keep in mind are Massively Multiplayer Online Game and First-Person Shooter.
If you don't like either, then you mightn't appreciate Planetside 2.
If you do, then this could very much be the game for you.

A decade ago, I'd write a wall of text describing the game, with pictures and all the good stuff.
It's not a decade ago, so all I need to do is say; MMOFPS.
And link to some awesome gameplay footage.

Fresh and new, we have the unembeddable las0m - Planetside 2: Beta gameplay
That was recorded by the Creative Director just a couple of hours ago.

If that whets your appetite, but doesn't sate your hunger, then there's TotalBiscuit's streams from E3:
If they were VHS cassettes, they'd be all mangled and crackly, the amount I've watched them.

Also, check out Planetside 2 Stratics!
It's still in development, but at least the text is in a nice Terran Republic red.

 

[Taylor]

I started playing yesterday. Didn't receive a beta key, but purchasing their new Alpha Squad package grants instant access. The graphics are going to take some getting used it. What struck me about it, though, was the scale. Imagine the biggest TF2 map, then pretend that a couple dozen of those maps were linked together. In that regard, it reminds me a lot of Battlefield 3. While this makes for much richer and more interesting gameplay, there are times when I just want to spawn, kill, respawn. Hopefully they will include some death room-type matches.

 

[Cirno]

For the more instant action, you'll probably want to get in on a base attack/defense.
The easiest way is probably (with a 30 min cooldown) to click on one of the "hot spots" on the map, and "Instant Action" into an active area (you actually drop in in a drop pod from like a kilometer up).
Or another interesting way is to go to a vehicle terminal and grab a "Flash" and drive there on one of those plucky little quad bikes