Kylie, MAG is not generic.
I think the best way to describe it, is that MAG feels like war, whereas other shooters feel like sports. The player count is necessary for that feeling. Its not generic... in fact its completely different.
In most console shooters, you do well by killing as fast as possible, and win by having a team full of people with a better K/D ratio than the other team, typically. Or you cap the flag, or steal the gold, or whatever -- nothing really beyond an online deathsport. MAG feels like a war. If you run around trying to score kills quickly... you get gunned down mercilessly by smart defenders in covered locales, or the attackers take away your bunkers, or blow up your comms relay, etc. You don't bother with the objectives, and the other team gets a hefty advantage. MAG is about surviving and accomplishing, rather than killing and scoring.
I think you have to play it (ideally with a couple friends and headsets) in order to really understand.
