As a huge fan of the SOCOM series, I eagerly anticipated the release of SOCOM: Confrontation since the PlayStation 3 was first unleashed. Once the game was actually launched last month, however, my anticipation turned into sorrow as the game was plagued with problematic issues such as locking players out of the servers, players “warping” around the map, and people shooting through walls. To keep things short, the game was really unplayable — not the launch Sony and Slant Six Games had in mind.

I played in the Confrontation Multiplayer Beta that was released in September, and the game had much of the same problems and issues then as well. I was sure Slant Six was going to fix the bugs that haunted the Beta, but nope. They instead released a 1.20 patch a few weeks after the original launch, and I must say the game is a lot better than before, which makes me happy.

I’m glad I didn’t review the game immediately after it came out, because it would’ve gotten a much lower score than what I’m about to give it. As we reported before, another patch will be coming in the next few weeks to add Trophies and few new features, so the game will only be getting better.

Now that the worst seems to be over, we can actually talk about what SOCOM: Confrontation has to offer. If you’re a fan of the franchise (like me), Confrontation is pretty much everything you liked about SOCOM II’s online play, but with four all-new maps and three favorite maps remade. If you’re looking for a Campaign mode or a deep single-player experience, however, look elsewhere — Confrontation is online-only, offering up to 32-player matches.

For those of you who haven’t followed the franchise or never played a SOCOM game, let’s get this one thing straight: this is no regular modern-day military FPS. If you play this game like you play Call of Duty, you’ll end up dead last every round. While there are respawn matches, the real SOCOM experience comes in the ranked games, in which you just get one life per round. If you die, you die and sit out until next round. It’s kind of like Search and Destroy in Call of Duty 4, but in SOCOM, careless play usually leads to you spending more time watching the game than actually playing.

This is actually one of my favorite things about SOCOM. The extremely intense and adrenaline-pumping gameplay that it offers because death holds a real penalty just makes it so much more thrilling and meaningful to stay alive. But, once again, there are respawn matches, so you don’t necessarily have to play the “real” way.

Because of the way SOCOM is designed, matches usually take longer and tend to move more slowly compared to most shooters. This wouldn’t happen without the great level design and a focus on strategy and tactics. No place is ever safe on any map as every move you make can be countered, and the only way to really succeed is to change up strategies when opponents become familiar with them. The levels are big enough and complex enough to allow the game to almost continually change along with the players’ experience.

Graphically, the game looks great. Characters and weapons look good, but could have been sharpened a little more. The maps are by far the best-looking aspect of the game with extremely detailed and realistic environments. Again, the level design and complexity just help the game feel that much more realistic.

Deep down inside, I feel like SOCOM: Confrontation is a really fun game, but it still has some issues. Confrontation lacks many promised features including clan ladders, matchmaking, and a party system. Along with these omissions, the game still suffers from occasional freeze-ups and stuttering gameplay. It even locked up my PS3 once before, requiring a reset. Unfortunately, Confrontation still needs some work, even with the recent patch.

SOCOM is a great shooter. One of the best of its kind on the PS3, but it’s not for every shooter fan. If Halo and Call of Duty fast-paced action is your kind of thing, you’re likely to find the realism in Confrontation annoying and too slow, but if you’re looking for a different kind of shooter, a game that really involves strategy and wits, then you’ll find it here in SOCOM: Confrontation.

Overall, the game has improved enough from its launch date that I’m okay with saying that I like this game and can recommend it to anyone owning a PS3. It doesn’t exactly give me that same feeling I had with SOCOM II years ago, but it comes damn close.

Looks like things are finally starting to turn around for SOCOM fans. The recently released 1.20 patch fixes a majority of bugs and other problems, but what about Trophies?

Well, like a Navy Seal unit closing in on an enemy base, the trophies are on their way. The 1.30 patch is said to be arriving soon, complete with Trophy support as well as a full list of new features and bug fixes. Check the complete list of updates after the jump.

New Features

• SOCOM Awards and PSN Trophies
• DTS audio support
• Add HUD and scoreboard opacity
• Scoreboard invocation improvements (tap select for persistent scoreboard, hold for temporary)
• Spectator mode HUD turns off after brief interval
• Spectator camera look now respects user invert on/off setting
• Spectator camera pan now consistent with in game camera
• Add dive-to-prone
• Add lean control to d-pad
• Gear items stackable
• Extend post-round period
• Restrict RPGs and grenade launchers in ranked rooms
• Increase prone movement speed
• Adding support for lefty control configuration (analog stick functions swapped)
• Increase frag grenade effectiveness
• Prevent incorrect reload interruptions

Bug Fixes

• Fix animation issue when prone rolling near certain objects.
• Fix remaining issues with statistics gathering and display
• Fix bugs related to equipping of C4 in breach mode
• Fix occasional audio drop outs
• Fix last remaining framerate hitch when other clients late join
• Fix remaining stability issues
• Fix hostages being affected by smoke

While this looks sweet, the SOCOM team was quick to note that all the features on the list are not guaranteed to come with the 1.30 patch, but may arrive at a later date:

“… some items listed may be delayed to a following update if additional development is required beyond what our schedule for the 1.30 update allows.”

Source: socom.us.playstation.com

A trusted source has let Ripten in on some information regarding the status of several high profile Sony titles on the horizon, so I thought it would be a good idea for me to take a break from my LittleBigPlanet fun-fest and fill you all in.

For starters, all you third person military shooter fans out there will be happy to hear that, after months of play testing, Socom Confrontation will be getting the patch treatment as well as some eagerly anticipated trophies very soon.

And remember that MAG title we all got a glimpse at during Sony’s E3 press conference? You know, the “massive action game” capable of supporting up to 256 players. Well, the word is that the pre-alpha is already being play tested, and the game should be nearing its alpha stage of testing soon.

That brings us to the new IP from Sucker Punch, makers of Sly Cooper. Yes, we’re talking about the super hero action game titled Infamous. No specifics were revealed in terms of gameplay, but we’ve been told that testing has begun on this title as well.

Finally, our source tells us that the Resistance PSP title is being play tested with less than favorable feedback thus far. We’re pretty sure that Sony’s portable fanboy division won’t be happy to hear this, but it’s still early — and regardless of how it fares — its console big brother, Resistance 2, is primed to kick some serious ass.

The Socom Confrontation booth at E3 consisted of — well, it didn’t exist. It was a single kiosk surrounded by several others running various Sony games.

At Liepzig however, those looking to play SOCOM won’t have the luxury of standing at a kiosk, in fact, they won’t be able to stand at all.

If you want to play the game, you will have to hit the ground, shimmy your way onto a sandbag, and duck under a low lying wooden structure covered in camouflage. Creative? Yes. Comfortable? Not so much.

Source: Kotaku

The SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta will finally start up on September 1st and will last through the whole month of September.

There are two ways of getting into the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta. The first way is by pre-ordering SOCOM: Confrontation at GameStop and you’ll receive an access code to get into the Public Beta. You’ll also be able to share the code with two other friends to allow them access into the Public Beta. You can pre-order the game at GameStop either in-store or online to receive your voucher.

The second way to get into the Public Beta is by purchasing the June issue of QORE (which is the first issue) from the Playstation Network. You’ll be able to download the Public Beta from QORE but starting on September 8th, instead of the 1st.

These two ways of getting into the Public Beta are for North Americans only. The regional Sony Computer Entertainment offices will announce details of the Public Beta for other parts of the world.

For me it’s a no-brainer, the pre-order deal is the best option. I mean if you’re going to buy the game anyways, you might as well put $5 down on the game and be able to play a month before the game is actually released.

SOCOM: Confrontation is still set for an October 14th release date. Hopefully the Public Beta goes well and we don’t get any more delays.

See you suckers online!

Source: socom.us.playstation.com

The trend in gaming as of late has been a push towards “reality”. Games like COD, Battlefield, and SOCOM all boast military advisors on staff, with a focus on making the game experience as “realistic” as possible.

The obsession with reality doesn’t end there, and its relation to a game’s overall fun factor, got me thinking — just how real do we want things, and at what point does reality cause a game to no longer be fun?

I must admit, I’m one of the people that really enjoyed playing the franchise mode of Madden and dynasty mode NCAA Football on the PS2 and Xbox. I really got into the scouting, drafting, and player progression aspects of the games.

Therefore, I should have been the perfect target audience for their NFL Head Coach game, right? Well, I bit and bought it for my PC, but after about an hour or so of spinning around in my virtual office chair, attending virtual staff meetings, and discussing the fate of virtual players, I decided that I wanted to be paid real money before giving the game anymore of my time.

The realization that I came to was that, I really just wanted to build powerhouses, rack up a billion trophies, dominate anything that gets in my way, and call it a career. I was willing to do this via some basic number crunching and mindless virtual drafts. I was even willing to run a few drills to improve the stats of my key players, but the other stuff, which I originally thought might be fun, was the furthest thing from it.

What about MMO’s? How long are people willing to endure the daily grind before they scream uncle? Never playing one before, I decided to give World of Warcraft a shot. I spent a few months playing the game as a manly man Warrior who put food on his table by mining ore and blacksmithing.

It was fun at first, because my rudimentary goal was to hit the highest level possible, be the greatest warrior in the game, and have all the best stuff, but as I learned more about how things worked, I realized what it would take, and it began to lose its appeal.

Running around as a solo madman trying to break through the barriers of WoW middle class had just about taken its toll on me. Right as I was about to quit the game for good, I got invited into a mature raiding guild full of really nice people.

The social aspect of the game that I discovered, as a part of a well run guild, made the quest to attain the “best stuff” bearable, because it served as a distraction from the fact that I was slaying the same creature five million times to complete a given quest. Upon hitting level 70 though, I quickly found that I was willing to settle for having stuff that was close to the best without actually being the best.

No longer armed with the goal of having the best stuff, I began to lose interest in logging in on a daily basis to perform tasks like farming materials and running daily quests to earn gold. Unfortunately, raiding (an aspect which I did enjoy) is very expensive, and requires lots of grinding to support.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that World of Warcraft had become more of a job, and less of a fun experience. The daily grind required to support the things I did like in the game became too time consuming and felt too much like work. The people I was exposed to were nice, and I will stay in touch with them via the interwebs, but having a second job that doesn’t pay just wasn’t something I could afford to do.

Reality in games, is not limited to simulated worlds or experiences that occupy large quantities of our time. It can also be used as a measuring stick to make less committal games, such as First Person Shooters, seem more like the real thing.

The other day, Dan stumbled on a YouTube video that showed a .50 caliber bullet ricocheting back towards the head of the person who fired it. He shared it with me and it lead to a discussion regarding the concussive force of a fired .50 caliber round. Dan had spent four years in the military prior to joining our amazing site, and it was his understanding based on a conversation with a .50 cal gunner, that a .50 cal bullet could in fact do fatal damage to its target without ever hitting it.

I found this information interesting and decided to shoot an email over to one of the producers at Infinity Ward. What I wanted to know was two fold. First, had they ever heard of such a thing via one of their advisors, and secondly, would they consider implementing such a thing in one of their games if possible.

I was informed that Infinity Ward spent a great deal of time with the Marines and that they shot everything in “real steel”. In addition, he stated that the aforementioned characteristic of a .50 cal round “wouldn’t translate well into gameplay” and would be “hard to convey”. I described a weapon capable of missing its target completely and still killing it as “cheesy”, and he agreed.

This video below shows the power of a .50 cal sniper rifle (sort of).

This is not to say that Infinity Ward does not implement aspects of reality into their game. Firing the M203 grenade launcher in Call of Duty 4 less than the required distance it must travel before detonating (15 to 30 yards) will cause it to not explode on impact.

However, one aspect of its COD4 implementation that’s not rooted in reality, is that you can still kill someone with it if you hit them pretty much anywhere without it actually exploding. This was likely done in an effort to not frustrate gamers who hit their target.

This video below shows the force at which the M203 is actually fired.

How fun would it be if you killed one cop in GTA4 and they relentlessly hunted you down from that point forward in the game? What if by alerting one guard in MGS4 they never resumed their normal unassuming rounds?

World of Warcraft eventually realized that the grind associated with their game was too much and made it easier for people to level. They’re taking it a step further with their latest expansion by allowing smaller groups to access end game content, and as you read above, even Infinity Ward, who strives for realism understands the value of balance.

We are all guilty, at one point or another, of demanding a more realistic gaming experience, but in the end, it seems that less realism equals more fun, and isn’t that what we really want?

In a post on the official SOCOM website, Senior Producer Seth Luisi has confirmed that SOCOM: Confrontation has been delayed and will now be released on October 14, 2008.

“Unfortunately, even working late into the nights and every weekend, we’ve had to re-evaluate our schedule,” explained Luisi. “Our top priority is delivering the best SOCOM online experience possible. Tough decisions had to be made and we’ve decided to push back the release date to October 14, 2008. We just had to face the facts and do what is best for the title. Rather than sacrifice features, quality and stability, we had to do the right thing and re-adjust our schedule.”

Since I’m a huge fan of the SOCOM series, Confrontation is one of my most anticipated games of the year. After already being delayed twice, I was sure the game was going to be ready by September, but guess not. I mean, if they’ve got to take another month to make it a better game, I’m all up for it. Just hurry it up already.

The Beta should be coming out real soon, so SOCOM fans should be on the look out for that.

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.

In a response to a poster who asks what games will be at GDC this year, Surfer Girl says “YES” to seven games. These games are MotorStorm 2, Alan Wake, Too Human, InFamous, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2 and Gears of War 2.

There are three other games that might possibly make it to the event: SOCOM PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and WipEout HD.

Unlike last year, Sony and Nintendo won’t be having keynote presentations, so it might be wishful thinking to expect anything on the scale of Sony’s reveal of Home and LittleBigPlanet.

On the other hand, there is a Microsoft day booked for Tuesday, along with an hour long Microsoft keynote. Big things could be coming from the Xbox camp.

What games can we confirm for GDC? Mercenaries 2, Far Cry 2, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Battlefield: Bad Company.

In addition to these, Square Enix will be presenting their Final Fantasy XIII engine, and three big Fable 2 secrets will be revealed. You heard it here first.

Make sure to come to Ripten for all of your GDC coverage.

*Update* -  Surfer Girl has since retracted her predictions, blaming sleep deprivation for her original outburst.  Please read about this here, along with further titbits on what will be at GDC’08.