A "Planetside 2" Smack to the Face

Geez, Planetside 2 really drops the player into the thick of things without explaining a lick of what is going on.

I played for an hour or so last night and it's obvious that I should have spent some time watching some of the suggested "How To" videos because I was completely mystified for all but the last five minutes.

As an engineer class, some of the "skills" I honed from Battlefield: Bad Company 2 I was at least able to help out by repairing tanks, but since the battle rages far and wide I felt a little inadequate, particularly because I'd sprint out into the open and be blown to smithereens and have no idea why.

What I've been amazed by is that Planetside 2 is free to play.

Free?

A game this massive -- albeit my opinion is formed by about 60 minutes worth of play time -- and complex and good looking as this and it's free? If you told me five or six years ago I'd be able to play a game like this for free I'd have laughed in your face or derided your predication on MySpace.

Besides continuing my playthrough of Sleeping Dogs -- 53% finished according to the stats -- it seems like Planetside 2 will be the game that gets my attention for the early part of 2013.