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88%
PROS
Great graphics, detailed maps, mentors online, tons of units to choose from.
LOWS
Annoying subscription, incredibly hard, no indication of game speed.
OVERALL
M.A.N is a hard game, but if you wait out your noob period, you will be in for an excellent turn based strategy game.
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After you are sure of all your moves, you can connect to the M.A.N server and send your turn. It is now your opponent's turn to act. Once he has made his move and sends his turn out, it is your turn to play again. Because you won't be playing with your opponent at the same time, games can last forever. This doesn't mean they won't last for a shorter time, as some games are meant to be played fast and quickly. If you are always in a hurry to play, you may be discouraged at the waiting factor involved in M.A.N After you have sent your turn, there is nothing you can do with game. You must wait. It is recommended to be playing 10 games at once, so there are plenty of different players with different schedules, so you can always have a turn ready. Nonetheless, M.A.N is not for you fast paced action junkies, because it is a strategy game that is meant to take time. Nonetheless, you can play as many games as you'd like at the same time, so if you really want to play, you can always start a new game. I would have preferred an option when you start a game to make note of whether or not you would like the game to be played back and forth fast, or have a lot of time in between turns.
Maps have a huge variety, and can be either incredibly large or just of medium or small size. As the graphics are excellent, you will notice all of your surroundings.
In M.A.N, you must buy new units to defend your current bases, disclose your allies to gain control of new territory, and invade both enemy bases as well as neutral areas. As long as you remain in control of a region, you will gain revenue in that country at the end of your turn. You can also venture into neutral territory, so you will gain a new source of revenue as well as a new base of operations. This revenue money can be used to buy new units. You can also choose not to buy any units, so you accumulate a larger sum of money that you can spend on higher end units. Once you have a big enough army, you can take to the offensive and invade enemy territory. Each unit has a specific movement range, hit point count, and firing range. It is very important to position all of your units carefully, so they are not stuck together and have nowhere to go. Hit points are shown as blocks and hover above the unit. The attack number of a unit is subtracted directly from their hit points; a 4 hit point LAV will loose 2 hit points if attacked by a Bio T, due to its 2 attack. Revenue is presented in signs of money; however, not thousands and millions of dollars. Instead, the cheapest unit is $1, a tanks runs in at $2, and an Ostrich (a Mechwarrior type or machine) is $4. I was happy that money wasn't presented in some obscure form or even in thousands of dollars. It makes mathematical calculations much easier.
There are tons of different units you can purchase in M.A.N, and all have a different purpose. For larger maps, you will need naval transport ships to take units back and forth between islands, but you may also want Destroyer ships to protect your cargo. Tanks are a good option, and inexpensive LAV's or Smallfoots are good for cannon fodder. The Free Nations Union and the Phantom League have a different set of units, but they are similar. I was actually surprised at the variety among units; long range rocket launchers, Mechwarrior machines, transport vehicles, Death turrets, amphibious tanks, and much, much more. There is a lot of planning involved in how you will manage your cash flow and distribute it among units. Variety is necessary, but since you will be able to see what you are up against, you will have a good idea of what to make.
The only major downside to M.A.N is that it requires a subscription service to pay online. The basic rate is $6.95 a month, which is not bad, but is still a pain in the ass running in at about $84 a year, assuming you don't purchase any discount 3 month subscription periods. But hey, people gotta make money.
Overall, Massive Assault Network is a professional grade turn based strategy game. It has tons of units, awesome graphics, detailed maps, and there are even training missions and mentors to help guide you. It will take a long time to get to be an experienced player, because the game is very hard. If you can deal with being a noob for awhile and the subscription service, get ready for some hardcore strategy!
