[Gamers' Day 2007] SOCOM Concentration
SOCOM is coming to the PS3, but not in the way you might think. First impressions to follow.
Published: May 17, 2007
Though most can knock the PlayStation 2's online service, it was in a lot of ways a proving ground for what Sony could do with the PS3. Given the kind of strides they've made in just a few months, it seems they weren't just resting on their laurels when it came to fleshing out the service either, but no matter how you cut it, the PS2 had a pretty barebones online service. Luckily, it also had SOCOM the game that almost single-handedly powered the PS2's online player base to insane levels. Though the tactical shooter now is a home to only the elite and the ultra-hardcore, it's still a valuable property in the SCEA stable of franchises, and they'd be stupid not to release it on the PS3.
Well, they aren't stupid. It's coming to the PS3. Soon. SOCOM Confrontation, they're calling it, and if you noticed the lack of a decidedly lengthy moniker, that's not an accident. Dropping the U.S. Navy SEALs portion of the title wasn't by accident. This is an online-only game that features the SEALs, but just as apparent are special forces from all over the world. Still, with the roster changed, the actual game itself is going to feel just like home for SOCOM vets, because -- at least right now -- it's mostly an up-ressed port of the game you've come to know and love online.
But it's just online, and that concentration of the core experience is something that probably needs to be re-stated. This is a game made purely for the PlayStation Network (though it will also hit at the same time on Blu-ray, which is why it's in the PS3 section rather than the PlayStation Network section on the next page of [feature=7173]our rundown of the event[/feature]), and as an online-only experience, it'll come with the bells and whistles you're probably expecting; 32-player games, headset support, people calling you "faggot" every 2.6 seconds voiced by some kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet.
You'll probably also think you're suddenly black by the time you've finished a single game. Welcome to SOCOM online. Oh, and don't worry, there will be crazy community support too; clans, ladders, leaderboards, scheduled tourneys, regular events and full-on character (and team) customization so you can stop popping your friends from afar -- Sony is going all out on this one.
Luckily, from what we've seen, it's going to be a pretty faithful update to things, too. The trailer they showed was a redone version of the Crossroads map many have come to know and love almost as much as de_dust (fittingly, they look kinda similar) with some new tweaks to the buildings, inter-cut between two different perspectives of an encroaching team and some folks entrenched with some nice RPG-powered hardware at their disposal. Admittedly, the game looked... well, early, but it was noticeably clean and smooth, with decent textures, but some painfully stiff animations (this is next-gen, we need some smoovnizz, Slant Six).
Oh, right, we kind forgot to mention that. Like SOCOM: Tactical Strike, this game isn't being done by Zipper Interactive, the folks behind the original series, but rather the folks at Slant Six (don't worry, they were birthed from the talented folks at Sony's Bend studio that worked on the [i]awesome Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, so no need to worry). E3 will be the proving ground for the game -- both in terms of how far it's come and if we see a playable version. We'll have more impressions then.
Well, they aren't stupid. It's coming to the PS3. Soon. SOCOM Confrontation, they're calling it, and if you noticed the lack of a decidedly lengthy moniker, that's not an accident. Dropping the U.S. Navy SEALs portion of the title wasn't by accident. This is an online-only game that features the SEALs, but just as apparent are special forces from all over the world. Still, with the roster changed, the actual game itself is going to feel just like home for SOCOM vets, because -- at least right now -- it's mostly an up-ressed port of the game you've come to know and love online.
But it's just online, and that concentration of the core experience is something that probably needs to be re-stated. This is a game made purely for the PlayStation Network (though it will also hit at the same time on Blu-ray, which is why it's in the PS3 section rather than the PlayStation Network section on the next page of [feature=7173]our rundown of the event[/feature]), and as an online-only experience, it'll come with the bells and whistles you're probably expecting; 32-player games, headset support, people calling you "faggot" every 2.6 seconds voiced by some kid who hasn't even hit puberty yet.
You'll probably also think you're suddenly black by the time you've finished a single game. Welcome to SOCOM online. Oh, and don't worry, there will be crazy community support too; clans, ladders, leaderboards, scheduled tourneys, regular events and full-on character (and team) customization so you can stop popping your friends from afar -- Sony is going all out on this one.
Luckily, from what we've seen, it's going to be a pretty faithful update to things, too. The trailer they showed was a redone version of the Crossroads map many have come to know and love almost as much as de_dust (fittingly, they look kinda similar) with some new tweaks to the buildings, inter-cut between two different perspectives of an encroaching team and some folks entrenched with some nice RPG-powered hardware at their disposal. Admittedly, the game looked... well, early, but it was noticeably clean and smooth, with decent textures, but some painfully stiff animations (this is next-gen, we need some smoovnizz, Slant Six).
Oh, right, we kind forgot to mention that. Like SOCOM: Tactical Strike, this game isn't being done by Zipper Interactive, the folks behind the original series, but rather the folks at Slant Six (don't worry, they were birthed from the talented folks at Sony's Bend studio that worked on the [i]awesome Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, so no need to worry). E3 will be the proving ground for the game -- both in terms of how far it's come and if we see a playable version. We'll have more impressions then.
