SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs
Co-op tactical combat makes its debut at E3. We get hands-on and give you the skinny.
Published: May 29, 2001
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs was mentioned on Sony's pre-E3 web site in such a casual manner that it almost seemed as if the title had been batted around the press for months when in actuality E3 would mark the game's debut. So it was with a little anticipation and lots of curiosity that Sony and Zipper Interactive finally pulled the wraps off the game at the Sony press conference a day before E3. It turns out SOCOM is something that consoles haven't really seen much until now - and for good reason: until now, it really wouldn't work. You see, SOCOM is at its core a co-operative game. More specifically, it's a co-op tactical action simulation of real-life Navy SEAL operations. Until now, consoles were restricted to same-screen multiplayer experiences (with the exception of the link cable set-up for games like Wipeout on the PlayStation). This is fine for fast-paced first-person shooters, but when working with an entire squad in third-person, shrinking the screen just a little bit really cheapens the whole experience. The solution? Take to the net, or link up on a intranet.
That's right, folks, SOCOM is an online game, and the demo that Sony showed off, while a little bland, illustrated this point perfectly. As any hardcore PC gamer will tell you, there's nothing better than jacking your computer into a LAN and going at it against friends with your own screen. There's a level of interaction, especially in games like Counter-Strike that really works best when you have your own view, but you can communicate easily (read: shout) to your teammates. With the ability to link up to a network, you can finally experience this dynamic on a console. Because so much of SOCOM boils down to a co-op, team-based effort, communication is essential, and when it all comes together, the rewards are far better than anything you could do on a shared screen.
That's not to say you can't just hop into SOCOM, guns blazing and take on the enemy by yourself. Zipper demonstrated a voice-directed branching command tree. That's right, I said voice-directed. Using the supplied microphone, you can issue orders to your AI teammates, telling them to push ahead, hold back, scout around, and coordinate a simultaneous assault from different angles. This is key, because SOCOM's entire play structure in the co-op modes (both single- and multi-player) revolves around working as one. With locales like the arctic wilderness, dank jungles and bleak deserts, all team members need to make sure they work in tandem to assault the same target. What's more, if you don't feel like hopping into a slow, more deliberate mission, you can jump online and into a 16-player deathmatch to get your blood pumping.
Zipper plans to duplicate real SEAL tactics and moves, and to that end, they've motion captured real SEALs to get an authentic look and feel, as well as skinned 6 different faces so that you get more variety among players. The developers also took the time to record authentic sounds for all of the 30 weapons available in the game. We noticed, even in the early build that was on show, that efforts to include ambient effects like wildlife and rustling trees were included as well. Despite SOCOM being quite early (framerate was still quite an issue), the game managed to grab us with an easy-to-use interface and the always-entertaining angle of tactical ops. The game still has almost 6 full months to go, but we'll be sure to keep up on it as more info becomes available.
That's right, folks, SOCOM is an online game, and the demo that Sony showed off, while a little bland, illustrated this point perfectly. As any hardcore PC gamer will tell you, there's nothing better than jacking your computer into a LAN and going at it against friends with your own screen. There's a level of interaction, especially in games like Counter-Strike that really works best when you have your own view, but you can communicate easily (read: shout) to your teammates. With the ability to link up to a network, you can finally experience this dynamic on a console. Because so much of SOCOM boils down to a co-op, team-based effort, communication is essential, and when it all comes together, the rewards are far better than anything you could do on a shared screen.
That's not to say you can't just hop into SOCOM, guns blazing and take on the enemy by yourself. Zipper demonstrated a voice-directed branching command tree. That's right, I said voice-directed. Using the supplied microphone, you can issue orders to your AI teammates, telling them to push ahead, hold back, scout around, and coordinate a simultaneous assault from different angles. This is key, because SOCOM's entire play structure in the co-op modes (both single- and multi-player) revolves around working as one. With locales like the arctic wilderness, dank jungles and bleak deserts, all team members need to make sure they work in tandem to assault the same target. What's more, if you don't feel like hopping into a slow, more deliberate mission, you can jump online and into a 16-player deathmatch to get your blood pumping.
Zipper plans to duplicate real SEAL tactics and moves, and to that end, they've motion captured real SEALs to get an authentic look and feel, as well as skinned 6 different faces so that you get more variety among players. The developers also took the time to record authentic sounds for all of the 30 weapons available in the game. We noticed, even in the early build that was on show, that efforts to include ambient effects like wildlife and rustling trees were included as well. Despite SOCOM being quite early (framerate was still quite an issue), the game managed to grab us with an easy-to-use interface and the always-entertaining angle of tactical ops. The game still has almost 6 full months to go, but we'll be sure to keep up on it as more info becomes available.
