httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goNh81Duz90

PlanetSide 2 recently won the award for Best MMO of E3 here at Game Rant, but in case our praise was not enough to convince you of the supremacy of this persistent online shooter, why not let Sony Online Entertainment take a shot at it.

Before letting the press get their hands on PlanetSide 2, Sony Online Entertainment gave a short presentation highlighting many of the new features present in the sequel, from classes and vehicles to the wide array of customizable doodads.

The video starts by outlining each of the factions: the Terran Republic, the New Conglomerate, and the Vanu Sovereignty. Each faction will have access to all eight of the game's classes, described in greater detail in our preview from E3. Occasionally classes can feel interchangeable in FPS games, but PlanetSide 2 distinguishes the strengths and weaknesses of each class starkly.

The variety does not end there. Armor and vehicles will have customizable skins, "anything from a serious, more hardcore look, to something flat out silly." A red flag for many long time free-to-play MMO gamers is a complete lack of customization, whether there are only three classes to choose from, or four face models that all look basically identical. In PlanetSide 2, individual players will stand out in the crowd. Especially if they are riding around in a zebra-skinned tank.

Speaking of tanks, there are a wide array of vehicles to choose from, each of which serve a different purpose depending on the situation. The Flash is a personal transport used to quickly move across the terrain, whereas the Sunderer can move an entire squad of players at a more deliberate pace. There will also be faction-specific tanks and aircraft, each with tweaks relevant to their factions.

As players level up, they will be rewarded with certifications, which can be used to upgrade stats (weapons, vehicles, etc.) or unlock armor and vehicle patterns. We discussed the team play aspects at length in our preview, but it is important to note that squad leaders can give assignments to their team to keep everyone on track.

For my money, the most impressive part of this presentation has to be the lengths SOE has gone to in order to allow PlanetSide 2 players to stay connected both in and out of game. Much like Bungie did for the Halo series, there will be deep stat tracking for each and every PS2 player, but the killer app has to be the actual iOS and Android app that will incorporate all of the features of the website, as well as allowing players to connect to the in-game VOIP and talk to friends and allies on a smartphone or tablet.

Now that you have seen the full E3 presentation, do you agree with our decision to award PlanetSide 2 the Best MMO of E3? Let us know in the comments below.

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Follow me on Twitter @JacobSiegal.