Tag Archives: SOCOM 4

SOCOM 4 ships April 19, new multiplayer trailer and game stills enclosed

Fans of the beloved PlayStation franchise SOCOM, listen here!  Developer Zipper Interactive announced a release date for the latest installment.  SOCOM 4 hits shelves April 19 exclusively for the PlayStation 3.  As promised the game will boast multiplayer support we’ve come to know and love, as well as a significantly enhanced single player campaign.  As I’ve shared with you before, all SOCOM games following PS2’s SOCOM II never sat well with me. Thankfully, Zipper promises that they’re going back to their roots with SOCOM 4, eliminating all of the fluff and nixing all the problems of past iterations (namely SOCOM 3, Combined Assault, and Confrontation; online lag issues and weak (and sometimes totally absent) single player modes plagued these titles).  After previewing SOCOM 4 at E3 2010 I am happy to report that the updated graphics are stunning and at the same time the title manages to capture the classic feel I last experienced playing the 2003 sequel.  Add in the PlayStation Move support, and you’ve got a PS3 shooter that deserves wild anticipation.

Preorder SOCOM 4 at GameStop.  Why?  Because you’ll receive a GameStop exclusive map. “Abandoned” is a modern take on SOCOM & SOCOM II’s “Suppression” map and it’s being described like this: “Abandoned takes place in the daytime around an ancient Thai village deep in the misty jungle. Fight your way over dense hillsides, through dark caves, and into the close-quarters mayhem of the archeological site. Classic SOCOM heritage meets evolved SOCOM 4 action.”  That’s what I like to hear.  You’ll also receive a weapon, the Super M90 Shotgun.  Whether you purchase the game online or pick it up in-store, you will be given instructions and a code to download the exclusive map and weapon when you load the game.  Want to get in on the action early?  For a limited time new copies of Killzone 3 (which releases February 22) will include an access code to the SOCOM 4 multiplayer beta. Specially marked cases for the Killzone 3 standalone and Helghast editions are your ticket into the beta, so keep an eye out of them.  Zipper has not announced when they will turn the beta on.

According to a Zipper rep, “the good news is that this is just the beginning of an upcoming flood of SOCOM goodness.”  So stick it right here for the latest news in SOCOM 4 single and mulitplayer news.  For now, check out the brand new multiplayer trailer (embedded after the break) called “Not For Self” and look in the gallery below for game stills.  And that’s some slick box art up there, huh?

[Via PlayStationBlog; Socom]

Continue reading SOCOM 4 ships April 19, new multiplayer trailer and game stills enclosed

Interview + hands-on: SOCOM 4 (w/ PlayStation Move)

Game: SOCOM 4

Publisher: Zipper Interactive

Release date: November 2010

The SOCOM franchise is one I hold very close to my heart.  After going through an obsessive phase with SOCOM II on PS2, I have been looking for that same fantastic experience to make its way to the PS3.  After getting some hands-on time with SOCOM 4 (which is developed by SOCOM II publisher Zipper Interactive), I am excited to share with you that this next iteration in the SOCOM franchise is going to be a winner.

With TV Superstars and The Fight: Lights Out Sony is branching out to the casual set of gamers who just want to grab their Move controllers and jump into a quick and easy to maneuver game.  SOCOM 4 exists to prove that even hardcore gamers can get in on the Move action without sacrificing traditional strategic gameplay that SOCOM is known for.  With the Move controller in one hand and the Navigation (sub) controller in the other, you control a character called Ops Com who leads a squad into a war-torn Southeast Asian environment.  Wait, this doesn’t sound like SOCOM, you’re thinking.  Well, it is!  In addition to a robust online multiplayer mode that supports up to 32 players, SOCOM 4 packs a true single player story-driven campaign that places you in command of a squad.  The demo dropped me into a battle with lots of gunfire.  With a tap on the D-pad I can rally the squad around me and direct them where to go.  Overall the Move controls add a level of precision that goes way beyond what the DualShock 2 controller allowed for in SOCOM II.  The subcontroller’s analog stick moves your character around, and the Move controller is used to line up the reticle, set up a shot, and take it.  Although SOCOM 4 will be playable with a standard DualShock 3 controller you’d be crazy not to want to at least try the Move controls.  It’s really not a gimmick in this game; after sitting down with it for a nice chunk of time I’m confident in saying that Move support is going to help SOCOM develop into a better and truly immersive game.  Calling in an airstrike has never been this much fun.

I’ve been talking so much about the single player and motion control goodness that I haven’t even touched upon the stunning graphics yet!  SOCOM 4 looks amazing.  The environments are highly detailed and quite destructible.  If you shoot at a car window glass will shatter into tiny pieces and the shards will gracefully fall to the ground.  All new intense single player; 32-player online gameplay we know and love; precise Move support; and gorgeous graphics–SOCOM 4 will become my next gaming obsession.

Note: Sorry about the degraded sound quality in the video above.  Our mic was having some trouble during this interview.

Zipper Interactive is back with SOCOM 4

One of the most beloved video game franchises is making its way back onto the PlayStation 3 this year.  After creating MAG, a PS3 exclusive multiplayer-only shooter, Zipper Interactive is going back to its roots and bringing the masses the next installment of SOCOM.  SOCOM: Confrontation, the first game in the series to hit the PS3, was developed by SlantSix and did not fare well with SOCOM players coming from the PS2 due to lag issues, among other problems.  Original developer Zipper Interactive plans to bring a solid single player experience to SOCOM 4, in addition to the obligatory multiplayer game it’s well known for.  Though not a ton of details were let loose by the devs, they made it clear that this go around the SOCOM experience will be inviting and very much accessible to newcomers of the franchise.  IGN sat down with Zipper and got the scoop on the single player campaign.  Besides revealing basics like support for up to 32 players and a promise for “an all new experience,” nothing else was spilled about the SOCOM 4 multiplayer aspect.  Although I personally feel SOCOM never felt the same after SOCOM II on the PS2 (that online experience was incredible!), with the promise of a hardcore single player feature and the multiplayer experience we’ve come to know and love, I still have faith in Zipper Interactive to create a handsome, solid SOCOM game for its allegient fanbase.  Initial screenshots in the gallery below.

[Via IGN]