Sony Online Entertainment is planning to do battle on a monumental scale, preparing to let PlanetSide 2 loose on the world.

This latest Play4Free gem takes multi-player first person shooters to the extreme. With thousands of players involved in a single game battles are fought on a Ben Hur scale. The sequel to the ground breaking PlanetSide, the original massively multi-player first person shooter – FPS -.

Set once again on the planet Auraxis 3 factions must fight for territory and the control it brings. The three empires vying for control include the stern military empire of the Terran Republic, the loosely organised rebels of the New Conglomerate and the technology obsessed Vanu Sovereignty.

Sony will also be introducing new worlds in the future, keeping the battles fresh. The first planet Auraxis, the home planet, will be broken up into territories and sectors. Each sector is up for capture and control. Each sector also has resources available, Auraxium for example. Managing the resources and targeting sectors for invasion for their resources will be an essential part of the evolving game. As in the physical world the control of resources form the basis for many of the greatest battles, this is being emulated within the PlanetSide 2 world.

Up to 2000 players will be able engaged in each battle, the action will be fast paced and relentless. With players fighting for every inch of territory battles rage for hours. Land and air vehicles will be available during gameplay, don’t just look left and right, look up.. Day and night cycles are being integrated into the environment, keeping players on their toes. 6 pre-set classes have been implemented, each with multiple progression trees which should keep things interesting.

The award winning author Mark Wolfman has joined the team to pen a new science-fiction back-drop for the game. Giving a storyline to the epic combat scenes.

Beta testing is underway, sign up now if you feel the need to go to war. Beta testers will of course be contributing to building a better game. Sony has some grand ideas and the technology to back it up. The battle for our Play4Free attention is heating up, who’s side will you take.

Reference: PlanetSide 2
Reference: Kotaku