As a huge fan of the original SOCOM and SOCOM II, I was ecstatic to hear that new developer Slant Six (maker of PSP title SOCOM: Tactical Strike) are focusing on a close-quarters, tactical combat gameplay for the upcoming online shooter, SOCOM: Confrontation.

With a complete overhaul of the game and a huge leap forward in technology with the PS3, SOCOM: Confrontation is looking like the next-gen SOCOM experience we’ve all been waiting for.

The realistic gameplay made the earlier SOCOM titles two of the most popular online PS2 games, with a strong online community behind them as well. With the help of the original developer, Zipper Interactive, Slant Six Games is really determined to focus on what gamers enjoyed from the first two games and learn from what gamers didn’t like from SOCOM III and SOCOM: Combined Assault, like vehicles and massive-scale maps.

All-new features such as enhanced clan customizations, Sixaxis controls, six unique special forces, and seven maps at launch make September seem so long away. With strictly online-only gameplay and lack of a single-player campaign, there isn’t a story to SOCOM: Confrontation. Well, at least not much of one.

However, players will have the ability to envision their own story with the option to play as six different special forces (and more to come), such as U.S. Navy Seals and U.K. Special Air Forces, when they join a clan. Speaking of clans, Slant Six is introducing many new features aimed at supporting and strengthening the Confrontation community, particularly enhancing clan and group play.

For example, every player begins the game with two characters: a commando and a mercenary. Both characters can be customized with different weapons, outfits, and gear. But to really expand on your characters, you’ll have to join a clan to become a special force and really become part of a team.

Having special forces allow for different customizable equipment items such as camo patterns, different helmets, and of course, unique weapons for each particular special force. Clan leaders will be able to choose which special force the clan will be and will have access to clan customization to make your clan look like an actual team.

Clan management will also be improved with the launch of SOCOM.com, a website for the Confrontation community. Clans will be able to make changes to schedules and rosters, exchange info with clan members and even scout new recruits. And of course there will be an in-depth stat tracking system that will keep all players stats from ranked matches logged, which will be helpful when trying to recruit for clans. More importantly, Confrontation introduces a party system that allows groups to move from game to game and with open-mic chat in the lobby and during matches.

SOCOM III changed aspects of gameplay with the addition of vehicles and massive-scale maps, among other things, but the goal for SOCOM: Confrontation is a return to the classic SOCOM experience. Although Confrontation supports 32 players like SOCOM III, vehicles are gone and more close-quarter combat will be focused on.

Each of the seven available maps at launch will also offer a smaller 16-player version that will keep combat at close-quarters. But how about getting around in those huge 32-player version maps, you ask? Instead of using vehicles, Confrontation is introducing the ability to run and to keep on running.

Keeping the game on-foot, Slant Six thought it would be a wise idea to give players to run all they want throughout the map, but not without some repercussions. When running, you won’t be able to shoot, and once you stop running, your accuracy will be poor, thus making it extremely important to not always run around every corner. Some maps will be more focused on running and quick movement, but others will be focused on keeping cover, especially now that sniping is more realistic and accurate as ever.

One of the bigger changes in gameplay for Confrontation is the ability to use the Sixaxis controls to lean in and out of cover. While hiding in cover, you’ll just tilt the Sixaxis controller to the left or to the right for a glance around your cover. This is the kind of innovation that Slant Six is trying to implement into Confrontation.

Out of the seven maps planned for launch, only two have been revealed: Crossroads (a SOCOM II favorite) and Urban Wasteland. Other than making a bigger 32-player version, Crossroads looks a lot like the original map, involving mainly tight spaces and tons of cover.

Why all the cover? Well, the move to the PS3 has given SOCOM players the ability to finally see the whole battlefield with enhanced view distance. With a clear-cut view of the playing field, snipers will have an extremely big part in the game, but without dominating the game. The other map, Urban Wasteland, features many multilevel buildings, rooftop areas and the reliability on quick movements and running across wider streets for cover.

The fact that the game is still in early development, I was surprised at how well the environments, buildings and objects looked in the Crossroads map. I’m pretty sure there is still a need for some tweaking to get the game looking smoother and better. Of the clips I looked at, the characters and weapons looked really detailed and I can only imagine what they will look like in the final version.

And with 7.1 surround sound support, the sounds of the game will make it look even more beautiful. The novel audio sound system in the game will help define the sounds of the game according the source of the sound, the position of the players and any obstacles in between. This sound system will allow for an easier time to locate gunfire and to hear enemy movement near your player.

Even though a few months away, SOCOM: Confrontation is already looking like its going to shape up to be a very beautiful, detailed and thrilling game. With its focus on tactical, close-quarters and realistic combat, Slant Six is looking to a return to the classic SOCOM experience.

Getting rid of the vehicles and ridiculously large maps of SOCOM III really shows that Slant Six is serious about making the game a “real” next-get SOCOM game. And the new features and enhancements with clan and group play, is only going to strengthen the SOCOM online community. With a few more months to polish things up, SOCOM: Confrontation should be on the radar for every SOCOM fan and any PS3 owner looking for a promising online shooter.

Tags: online, socom

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2 Comments » Meresin on May 11, 2008 6:11 am The videos we’ve seen to date have been promising. I just hope they make the game run a bit more smoothly. Eli on May 19, 2008 1:41 am im sorry but this game looks ugly as hell to me. maybe its so fun i dont care if none of the characters look like they are actually in the world. RSS feed for comments on this post. Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.