MAG is hard to get into but once you are immersed in the Shadow War you will have fun..depending on who else is playing
Learning the pros and cons of the different factions adds some pleasing depth, and character customization and development are superbly detailed. MAG is a more chilled out FPS than something like MW2 (crack) but the action encounters are tense and exciting so this is a well-rounded experience and certainly more tactical than most of the other FPSs out there. The lack of a tacked on single player campaign is almost thankful. There is little to no lag and the big battles give an amazing sense of scale without technical issues. If you have a PS3 you should buy this and support what Zipper are trying to achieve with this ambitious game. The potential to play as a squad and platoon leader is also a welcome innovation and adds real tactical depth if you want it. Just make sure you have a headset if you're going for a command position!
Review update: Having played to max rank with SVER and most of the way through with Raven my impression of MAG has changed a little. Though the concept and art design is sometimes interesting, such as the Mayan temples in some of the smaller Raven levels, MAG is a bland visual experience. The graphics are workable at best, though this owes somewhat to the huge player count so is perhaps more excusable. However, although you are free to move around the enormous maps and see all 256 players, because of the squad structure you rarely do so. Therefore it often feels as if the scale is diminished compared to what it could have been and maybe the graphics should be better as a result.
Games such as Domination, though initially thrilling, can degenerate into a robotic-like experience of joyless objective completion that seems all too familiar. Also, not nearly enough PS3 owners have headsets for MAG to properly work, and this is a problem, perhaps Zipper could have bundled a free headset to address this issue. I'm not saying bluetooth, but maybe just a basic wired headset. Communication was not such a problem when playing with SVER, as most faction members seemed to have one and have experience at the game. But transferring to Raven was painful, hardly anyone has a mic and it seems that no one knows how to play.
This brings me to my final point, MAG can be a rich, exciting experience if you are playing with people who know what they are doing and listen to orders. If you are playing with a bunch of anti-social snipers who don't follow orders and don't seem to care about taking bunkers etc. then you will have an infuriating time and it will take several ice ages to gain enough experience to level up. I also feel that the voting system for kicking players is badly designed, as players often vote to kick a squad leader almost immediately, presumably because they want the slot for themselves. If you're a seasoned veteran leader you should have some sort of immunity to this immature voting crap, its an oversight by Zipper that needs addressing. Overall, if you can look past the generic gameplay and graphics, MAG can be a riot if you get lucky with your teammates.