SOCOM 4 Preview – I traveled 4000km to play it
Recently Zipper Interactive invited me, as a fan of their SOCOM franchise, down to their studio in Redmond, Washington to check out the upcoming SOCOM 4 – releasing on PS3 April 19th. After having a few days to digest the entire event and what I had played I have come away with a very positive outlook on how this game will turn out. I’m in the unique situation of being one of those people who have sunk over a thousand hours into the SOCOM franchise since the original released in August 2002. With SOCOM 4, Zipper is looking to expand past its hardcore audience and attract new players with a set of more accessible parameters and unique single player features.
In single player you play as Ops-Com, where using either a Dual-Shock or the Move controller, you command a squad of 4 others through 14 missions. Right off the bat the first thing you’ll notice is how visually impressive and cinematic SOCOM 4’s single player is. While I didn’t opt to try out the single player (I was too busy playing multi-player) the mission that was on display seemed structured in a way where you are meant to take control of where you setup your team and when to attack. It’s a far cry from past SOCOM games that stayed very true to the ‘U.S. Navy SEALs’ brand, as this time Zipper really seems to be pushing that cinematic flair and going for those big explosions.
The majority of my time spent at Zipper though was playing multiplayer. With 18 televisions setup, every community member was able to pick a kiosk and stick to it during roughly 4-hours of playtime. We played 4 maps over three different modes in ‘Classic’ and ‘Standard’. Classic mode is a nod to the core SOCOM fanbase – with a round-based format, no health regeneration, 1-life per round, and the cover system disabled – I was feeling right at home. Though if there were one major change I would make to Classic mode it would be to put the cover system back into it. The people that don’t use it anyway don’t notice it’s there, whereas someone like me who does use it really notices when it’s gone.
Standard mode is for those players with less patience and an expectation of newer gameplay elements. These include health regeneration, reviving teammates, respawn, and the cover system. While I didn’t have nearly as good of a time playing Standard mode, I must say that I definitely see the appeal and I imagine myself hopping into Standard when I just want to warm up and get a few games in before I jump into Classic.
There are a total of 4 modes and 10 maps in the game, of which we got to experience 2 modes and 4 maps. The map that stood out the most to me as a SOCOM fanatic was of course ‘Abandoned’, which was present in SOCOM 1 & 2 (as well as DLC for SOCOM 3/CA) and is only playable in ‘Suppression’ mode which is essentially team deathmatch. In SOCOM 4 it looks incredible, the basic design is still there but added is lots of overgrown shrubbery and foliage – something you would expect to see if an environment has been unattended to for over 8 years.
The other three maps varied in sizes including a larger one called ‘Assault and Battery’ where we played the mode Last Defense. In this mode each team is tasked with capturing three points – A, B, and C – and once all three are captured by a single team you must then make it to the other teams base to launch an airstrike. It’s a map that relies on that ‘push and pull’ sort of gameplay that requires teamwork and smart play to succeed. The other modes we didn’t get to play were Uplink (a more realistic variation on Capture the Flag) and a secret, unannounced, mode.
With SOCOM 4 Zipper was put into an interesting position – appeal to their longtime hardcore fans or try and attract a new audience – but instead of picking a side they chose both. Coming from the hardcore side, I think SOCOM 4 has the ability to attract new players and then actually get them playing Classic mode. Classic mode rewards smart tactical play whereas Standard is more akin to the other shooters on the market where it’s all about your trigger finger. But both still feel unique and truly unlike anything else currently on the market.
[Ed Note: this article originally appeared at David’s site GreatCanadianGamer.com]
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