Friday, December 26, 2008

SOCOM needs your vote!

If you believe that SOCOM Confrontation was the best online game to be released this year, then head on over to page 2 of 1up.com's Reader's Choice Awards and vote it for "Best Multiplayer". Then go to page 3 of the nominees and vote it for "Best Downloadable".

Monday, December 22, 2008

1.30 patch NOT coming before 2009

Here

Should we be surprised?

IGN Article: What is SOCOM Nation?

IGN just put up an interview with some SOCOM veteran players, including a couple guys from 'RECOGNIZE MY DISEASE =\RMD/= ', friends of the blog.

So check out the article here.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

So funny I had to post it

This is a fake SOCOM.com Update that HeadAcheJoe posted on the playstation.com boards. I think it's important to recognize members of the community, even when they say something that is tongue and cheek. You can read it below:

Posted by Sath Luigi (on www.sucor.com)

I hope everyone is gearing up for a SOCOM filled Holiday season! The 1.3 Patch is back in the hands of Sony QA now for the third time. We had some minor issues that cropped up in their first two go arounds of testing. It was actually quite humorous, as everything seemed to work on one map, but then we switched from Crossroads to Fallen. While the map looked like the Fallen map, everybody could only MOVE like it was Crossroads-- where we saw tunnel entrances, there was an invisible outer wall of the Crossroads bazaare! We must have wasted hours, laughing, and watching everyone run around in mid-air; dancing was a real hoot. To top it off, you could see your enemy, but couldn't shoot him because a wall was in the way! You can imagine the fun. But, I digress.

With the new, updated-updated patch now with Sony QA, and the crazy posters in the comments sections and on the forums, we decided the Slant Six team needed a vacation. After all, we've been working hard!

So, we loaded everybody onto a bus, and headed out to Manitoba for some camping, airsoft and campfire singing. Camping in Canada this time of year is not for the feint of heart. We found out that several of our programmers, in fact, ARE feint of heart, and had to send 2-3 home for frostbite treatment. I've been told they're doing great in the Vancouver General ICU, and should be back to work just after New Years.

In addition to being cold, the airsoft was intense! It almost had the feel of a 20min 16 v 16 Elimination game on the Urban Wasteland night map, when you only have one enemy and 18mins left in the round! We had a pretty scary moment when one of our top programmers, Ramy, took a pellet in the hand. It generated a really nasty looking bruise. The EMTs that were called out said he'd be okay, but just to be safe, we're giving him the next four weeks off to recover.

Fortunately, it didn't hurt his guitar playing. Coombaya never sounded so sweet!

To keep with the trend of our other updates, I wanted to post a new screenshot. This one has nothing to do with the game-- it's actually the background of my laptop. My chihuaha, Yappy, likes me to dress him up, and when this pic was taken, we were both dressed as US Navy SEALs. Don't you just LOVE the custom mini M4? So does Yappy!

Well, I have to get back to my emailing. It looks like I've gotten about 43 emails from the Sony QA team while we were away. (Crazy that they're all marked urgent.) I'm sure they're just telling us that the patch has passed their tests-- good thing, too, because without Ramy for the next 4 weeks, we'd be in trouble.
I'll be sure to keep you posted! Until, Happy Holidays, and even Happier SOCOMing!
-Sath


Love it! LOL

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Quick match/party system to be in 1.30 patch

And thank god for that.

Hopefully this comes before Christmas, but it's good to see they are finally adding this feature that was supposed to be there for launch.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

SOCOM Confrontation mentioned on 1up Yours

No, it hasn't exactly been discussed thoroughly on the "what you've been playing" segment yet, but on this past Friday's 1up Yours podcast, Garnett Lee said he finally purchased the game and is going to check it out over the next few weeks before he talks about it. And John Davison and David Ellis also both showed interest in playing it.

So finally, the crew on my favourite gaming podcast may finally be discussing the game. I'm pretty interested to hear what they think about it.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

I had a dream...

That Seth had made a post on SOCOM.com apologizing because there would never be any downloadable content for SOCOM Confrontation as they had accidentally released the game without supporting the thought of future DLC...



I usually don't dream this nerdy...honest :)


And yes, it was only a dream! Don't go searching for any validity to this.

Monday, December 1, 2008

1.30 video part 2 - Dpad Lean

A lot of people have been asking for this feature. On SOCOM.com's newest update they've posted a video and some details of the new d-pad lean.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Transparant scoreboard

Well the patch isn't ready yet, but coming. For now Slant Six has teased us with a video of one of the new changes, the transparent scoreboard that allows you to move while viewing it (like old SOCOMs).



Source.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Confrontation makes top 10 sales for October

01. Fable II (Xbox 360) - 790,000
02. Wii Fit (Wii) - 487,000
03. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360) - 375,000
04. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) - 290,000
05. Wii Play (Wii) - 282,000
06. Saints Row 2 (Xbox 360) - 270,000
07. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (PS3) - 231,000
08. LittleBigPlanet (PS3) - 215,000
09. NBA 2K9 (Xbox 360) - 202,000
10. Dead Space (Xbox 360) - 193,000

Source.

Pretty damn impressive for an online-only game. The doubters that thought this game didn't have pull can now go eat crow :).

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Sloooww news, busy, etc

Hey ya'll,

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Been so busy with so many different things, I barely have time to even turn on my PS3.

I really appreciate all the emails and blog comments I've gotten from all the SOCOM fans out there. You seem to love the blog and I definitely want to keep it up. If there was more to post I would :p.

And YES, I know, me and Hellman still haven't recorded our review podcast. It will come one day, I just don't know when.

So are you still loving SOCOM? Any things you want changed/added to the game (apart from the obvious trophies & party system)?

And ya, I'm well aware of the Q&A that was done on SOCOM.com. Specifically the answer to this question:

Why can't we join a game in progress from our friend's list or clan list?

While this was a feature of previous SOCOM games, this was never announced to be a feature for SOCOM: Confrontation. We do realize that it is a highly desired feature and we are looking to see what can be done to add it. No promises, but it is something we want to add.

I mean, how ridiculous is that answer? So because it wasn't promised before we shouldn't expect a feature that SHOULD be in every online game, to be in SOCOM Confrontation?

Like, come on.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

1up re-reviews Confrontation. Gives it a B+

Sorry I'm late with this info, I was away all weekend. But its worth mentioning none the less. Since Confrontation has been working a lot better, 1up decided to re-review it as they had previously promised. The result? An entire grade higher, as it comes away with a very excellent B+ grade.

Check out the new review here.

Friday, October 31, 2008

IGN reviews the game. You make your own conclusions

IGN's SOCOM Review

Personally, it seems like the review was written 2 weeks ago, because from my experience the game has been working pretty damn well recently. And everyone I talk to seems to have the same experience.

I don't know, what are your thoughts?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

1.20 patch coming tomorrow morning

And thank god!

We are happy to announce that the SOCOM: Confrontation 1.20 Update will be released on Wednesday, October 29th, at 1200 GMT/UTC (8am EDT, 5am PDT, 1pm BST, 9pm JST).

The SOCOM: Confrontation 1.20 update addresses the following issues:
  • Fixed many issues which would cause the game to crash, hang, disconnect and exit to the PS3 XMB.
  • Fixed an issue which would cause large numbers of players in a high player count game to be simultaneously disconnected.
  • Fixed an issue which would cause players to be invincible.
  • Fixed a physics issue which would cause players to occasionally "warp" around on the map.
  • Fixed an issue where a "corrupt save data" message would be incorrectly displayed after updating the game.
  • Fixed some player model issues related to team swapping.
  • Client/server optimization.
  • Fixed an issue where the scope camera had an incorrect offset from the barrel of the gun while prone or leaning/peeking.

For players who have already downloaded and installed the 1.10 update, the 1.20 update is only ~50MB in size. For new players, the size is the 1.10 update plus the 1.20 update which is ~550MB.

The main purpose of this update is to address major stability and playability issues with the game. The stability of the game has been greatly improved with the 1.20 update. There are still a few low frequency issues which we are continuing to look into and will be addressed in a future update.

We are reading player feedback in the forums and will be making future changes to the game based on that feedback. Please keep the feedback coming.

Regards,

SOCOM: Confrontation Online Team

Sunday, October 26, 2008

New ranked rooms are up in every server

Played a little last night and noticed that every server now has a lot more 'Ranked Medleys' then normal. Each room now has Medley 1/2/3/etc for 4x4, 8x8, and 16x16. They also mix up the maps and modes in them. I was playing Crossroads on Extraction in one of the 8x8 rooms, when I believe normally its Demolition only.

It was also running spectacular. So if you've given the game a break because of the way it was running, it's time for you to hop back on and give it another try.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

IGN - "the players are a lot nicer and courteous"

Check out the recent IGN Tech Fetish podcast who talk about the SOCOM community for a bit around the 27min mark.

Like I have always said and will continue to say as long as its true, is that the community on SOCOM IS and has always been the best community in any shooter out there on the market.

Not only are we a lot nicer as a whole, but strangers work together, and I mean all the time in every game I play. People that have never played together before will communicate and work together as a team. It's why it's always been so easy to make friends on the SOCOM games and always a great shooter to introduce new people to.

Have you had the same positive experience with the community so far in Confrontation as I have?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Confrontation & Reviews

In case you missed them:

IGN's non-review
1up.com 'current' review
GameSpot's review

What are your thoughts? Fair/unfair?

Personally, as much as I love Confrontation I think those reviews and IGN's stance on the whole thing are completely fair. How exactly are you going to stay current and review a game when it's marred with technical issues that need to be patched?

These places need to review what's given to them, and what was given to them was a game that doesn't always let you onto servers, into games, and has a myriad of technical flaws in larger 16v16 rooms. Not to mention features that are on the box but are currently missing in the game (match-making, in-game inviting, trophies).

That said, the gameplay, when it's working as its meant to, is flawless in my opinion. The game is a total blast, and completely worth fighting through the technical issues to play, just as SOCOM II was with all it's technical problems. The difference here is that Confrontation's problems seem a lot easier to fix, and most likely will all be patched in within a couple months, unlike the major flaws in SOCOM II's design which were unpatchable (namely the hit detection).

For those wondering, me and Hellman are still reviewing the game in podcast form sometime this week. So keep an eye out. In the mean time, do SOCOM a favour and spread the good word about it. This is an online shooter that can't be passed on, despite it's current issues.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Annnnd...they're working alright again

Been playing for the last few hours. Played a few maps with 1up.com's own Nick Suttner which was a lot of fun (hopefully he's a little less sour on the game now :p).

One thing I must mention is how awesome Fallen (Large) is on Breach. Feels like a spiritual successor to Enwapi, with the Terrorist base in the middle and the Seals spawning around it. Absolutely brilliant, great fun.

What are your favourite maps in the game so far? Apart from the classics.

Servers are not running strong

Ugh, not again. They were down for most of last night, and when I tried to get on this morning they were still down.

Not much else to say at this point. Servers down on a Saturday night can't be good for first impressions. Sony really needs to get their shit together. This is just embarrassing and is looking bad on Slant Six even though they did their job of creating an excellently playing online game.

Sony need to hold up their end of the bargain and have servers that work properly.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Servers are running strong

I was playing online last night for a couple hours in 8v8 Ranked Rooms without any issues. Absolutely flawless, and insanely fun. Jumped into a 32 player room this morning and wasn't as lucky. Game was lagging slightly and ended up freezing on me 4 rounds into it.

What has been your experience thus far?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Servers running into issues, but it's running better atm

If you've been on anytime tonight, you probably ran into some server issues and trying to join games. The SOCOM online team promptly responded:

Due to the tremendous launch of SOCOM Confrontation and large number of simultaneous players connecting, we are experiencing some server load issues. We are aware of the current server issues and we are actively looking into them. We will have these issues resolved as soon as possible.

Regards,
SOCOM: Confrontation Online Team


And right now, as I am writing this at 1:07am EST, the servers are working a lot better and I was just able to play a match without any issues.

This is typical when it comes to a new online game. Look back and think of an online game that worked flawlessly at launch. I can't think of one. So just give them a couple days to get the server load issues ironed out before pulling out all your hair.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

New, and final trailer. And oh ya, the game is out today!

Check out the newest, and final trailer. Also probably my favourite. Let me know if you see it on television (or any SOCOM commercial) as I'm hoping they run it. SOCOM is one of those games that appeals to people who only buy 1 to 2 games a year, and you really nail that market if you get a tv presence.



Also, the game is out today! Some people already have it. I'm not one of those people. But in the mean time if you do have it, let me know what you think so far. My biggest question mark right now is match-making/party system since it wasn't in the beta. Is it in the final game? How is it working? Let me know.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Beta is over. Prepare yourself for next week.

Hope you all enjoyed the beta. The final game is a few days away.

In the meantime I will be enjoying Thanksgiving here in Canada while working on a pile of College projects.

And sometime the week of Oct 20th I will be recording a podcast with Hellman with each of our reviews of Confrontation, so look for that.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Desert Glory fly-through video on the PSN Store

And its looks incredible.

Go check it out.

Patch 1.60 is live

It's up! Go get it.

I'm busy this morning. I'll be back with my impressions as soon as I get some time with it.

EDIT:

So far so good for me. I hear some people are having issues with freezing, but I'm having no problems. At least not yet.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Patch 1.60 on the way

As per Abigale's post on the Playstation.com message boards:

Hi, Folks-

I want to first thank you again for helping us find the bugs in this Beta. It's impossible to know how things are going to go until we have a large number of people online and playing, no matter how much testing we do internally. I know these last couple of days have been difficult, but take heart in knowing that you all helped us find some issues that now will not be there when the game launches on the 14th!

I have already told you we are working to fix these issues. We are testing a new patch and hope it will be ready for release by tomorrow (Thursday) morning. We'll keep you informed and let you know more details about that soon, on SOCOM.com. But I also wanted to tell you that we will be extending the Beta just a little longer. Instead of ending on Thursday, it will be going on until Saturday night at midnight PDT. So you will have just a little while longer to help us test things out before release.

Thanks again for being willing to play our unfinished product in order to help us find what needed fixed. I hope you enjoy the full game when it is released! :)


And don't forget, the final game is only a week away.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Beta Patch 1.50 hits...and falls flat on it's face

The 1.50 patch for the beta hit this morning and I just had a chance to hop on and play with it myself. Anyone else getting constant error messages popping up in the lobby? I wasn't even able to get into a game because it wouldn't start, and then would kick me and a bunch of other people out to the briefing room lobby.

I try to be as optimistic as possible, but if this is the latest build of their netcode, then I can't hold out much hope for October 14th. And the match-making/party system is not even in the beta test. I'd be surprised if that works flawlessly without any prior, mass public beta, testing.

Cross your fingers.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

PSN version hits 2 days late

According to a comment by Seth Luisi of Sony on the SOCOM.com blog,


Unfortunately, the PSN version will not be released until Thursday, October 16th...


This is unlike Warhawk which was released the same day on PSN as the retail version. So just a heads up for anyone that was going to download it, you'll have to wait a bit longer.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Beta extended to October 9th

All info here.

Weird to think the final game is only 11 days away.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Say hello to Frostfire

Check out GameSpy's article, and their video of it below.



:)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

7th map revealed!!!

Wow, colour me impressed. The 7th and final map to be announced, 'Fallen', looks awesome.

Check out the IGN Q&A with all the details, here.


1.30 Beta patch out now!

Check here for all the info.

I had some time to play this morning and it was definitely performing better.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

"The Real SOCOM" Podcast Episode 4

Yes finally!

Great episode this week. Me and Hellman give our impressions on the public beta, what our thoughts are on other people's opinions, I read some comments off the blog, and we also have a map of the week. Enjoy!

Download here
RSS here
We are also on iTunes here

P.S. Don't forget to listen all the way to the end, where I express my love for one of gaming journalism's finest.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

New podcast coming tonight/early morning

I swear, yes, this is real.

Me and Hellman are recording episode 4 in about 2 hours, and I will edit it and then post it up. We have lots to talk about, so it should be enjoyable for your ears and mind.

EDIT:
Ok, we recorded it last night (Thursday), but I have some prior obligations to attend to until noon. So I'll edit the podcast sometime this afternoon and put it up then.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Still waiting for your email? Hold tight...

Abigale made a post on the Playstation.com boards concerning the people who signed up for the beta and still haven't received an email.

Hi, Folks-

To those who did not get your Beta code email, I want to apologize. We have been looking into the problem all day to try to figure out what was going on. I won't go into the gory details, but we discovered that there was a technical problem that prevented some of the emails from going out. The people responsible are working on the problem now and have told me that they will reblast those emails by 5:00 PDT tomorrow afternoon. I'm sorry, but it will take them that long to get it all sorted out, set up and arranged.

I am so sorry that you missed the first couple of days of Beta but technical issues sometimes happen. All we can do is try to correct the problem and that's what we are doing. If you were affected by this glitch, it should be resolved for you by tomorrow evening.

If you are getting your Beta download for subscribing to QORE, that will not be available until this Friday. We'll have more details on that soon.

Once again, I apologize for this problem.


So there ya go. They're coming soon!

Patch going out today

In about 10min from now (5am PST/8am EST). Get all the info here.

Really happy to see this, and honestly didn't expect it. Looks like they are already taking patching seriously and dealing with it much quickly then in the past. And the game isn't even out yet!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Impressions?

We're planning on recording another episode of the podcast soon. Just like to get some of your impressions on the public beta thus far.

I'm saving all mine for the podcast :)

Friday, September 5, 2008

Codes are on their way!

Within the next few hours you should be receiving your codes for the open beta in your email box that you will then redeem on your PS3. They are going out in bursts (Europeans are already receiving it) so if you don't get yours right away don't freak out :p.

Anyways, enjoy! Might try and put another podcast together this weekend to share our thoughts on it (assuming we're allowed of course!).

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Open beta delayed 5 days

Yep, to Friday September 5th (Sept 12th for Qore people). There goes the labour day fun.

Can't pretend I'm happy about this news when dates keep getting announced and constantly pushed back (remember when Confrontation was a Winter 08 game?), but at least it's only a short delay.

The beta will still be a full month as they are adding the delayed time onto the end of it.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Slow week

I guess it's the calm before the storm. Nothing new to talk about but the open beta is hitting on Monday and you'll all finally be able to enjoy this wonderful game ;).

Remember, the beta emails haven't been sent out yet (so don't panic), but once they do email you the code, ensure that you download your copy first and THEN give away the code to two other people. If you don't know who to share your code with then make a post on a message board, or even reply to the many comments from people on here who are begging for one.

Friday, August 22, 2008

And the winners are...

I have selected the winners and will be sending out emails within the next hour with the voucher code (where you must then register online). There were a lot of responses and naturally I could only chose a few of you, so don't feel bad if you don't get chosen.

If you didn't win you can still go to GameSpot/EB Games and pre-order the game. Of if they are out of vouchers then try one of your friends or someone on a message board. Remember, each beta code can be shared with two other people. And if all else fails, and you're in North America, buy the first episode of Qore on the PSN which will give you access to the beta on Sept 8th. Sure its a week late, but it's better then nothing.

Anyways, I'm emailing the winners now. Thank you everyone for the replies, and congrats to those who won!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Giving away 7 SOCOM beta codes

Hey, sorry I've been gone so long, but now I'm back, and with a treat ;)

I'm giving away 7 SOCOM Confrontation Open Beta codes. All you have to do is make a comment on this post with your email address and tell me why you should have a beta code. Don't worry about making it too long, a short explanation will do.

I'll be selecting the winners on Friday, August 22nd, posting the winners on this blog and sending them each an email with the code.

Please do not enter this contest if you already have a code or are already planning on pre-ordering the game.

Good luck!

EDIT: And to clarify, these are 7 separate codes. So each person that gets one will be able to share it with 2 other people.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Out of town for possibly a week

I'm in the process of moving and going on a mini-vacation where there might not be internet for a week. So I won't be here to update the blog, but don't fear because I've given VOODOO+ (well-known on the Playstation.com boards, and overlord of RMDSpecOps.com) control for however long I'm gone for (could be 4 days, could be 13).

So talk to you later!

Open Beta date and details!

Posted on SOCOM.com. Yes, finally!

Public Beta info... no really!
Posted by Seth Luisi

I'm happy to be able to share information on the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Public Beta.

When does it start?
The SOCOM Confrontation Public Beta will start on September 1st and end on September 30th; a whole month of SOCOM goodness.

How to Get In?
There are two ways to get into the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta

GameStop Preorder Campaign
Some of you may have already seen we have started an exclusive preorder Public Beta campaign with GameStop. If you preorder SOCOM: Confrontation at GameStop, not only will you be able to access the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta on day 1 but you will also be able to share the code you receive from Sony PlayStation with two friends as well. SOCOM is all about team work and what better way to encourage team work than to make it easy for you and a couple of friends to get online in the Public Beta. We want you to spread the word about SOCOM and share the experience with your friends so get down to your local GameStop and pick up your voucher or pre-order here.

left right


QORE™ presented by the PLAYSTATION®Network
If you downloaded the June issue of QORE, you, too, will be able to participate. You will be able to download the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta from within the application starting on September 8th and play through to September 30th.

The Fine Print

This should be obvious, but you must have a PSN account in order to download and participate in the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta. You can sign up for a PSN account online.

This information only applies for North America. Details about the SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta in other parts of the world will be announced by the regional Sony Computer Entertainment offices.

Let the Games Begin!

The pre-order plan is a great idea. You get 2 extra invites to share with a couple other people.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Open beta date coming tomorrow

Abigale made a post on the boards today:

Hi, All-

Ok- So today you read about the prices for the different versions of Confrontation on SOCOM.com. You also heard from GameStop that they will be the ones distributing the pre-order Beta keys. So that only leaves one big question, right?

When does the Open Beta start?

Well, we will be giving you the answer to that question and the rest of the details on the Open Beta tomorrow on SOCOM.com! Barring any unforeseen issues, it will all be published then. I don't think there will be any issues but I always have to say that. If something should happen that it doesn't go up on time, you guys will never let me hear the end of it! :smileywink:

So finally... tomorrow you will know! I am so glad that you will finally have your answer on when the Open Beta starts! :smileyhappy:


So there you go!

GameStop/EB Games sending out beta codes/instructions on Monday

As seen here and here.

Reserve SOCOM: Confrontation and receive access to the multiplayer Team Beta.

Online / In-Store Pickup Customers: Your code and instructions will be emailed to you. Please provide a valid email address at time of reservation.

Store Customers: Your code and instructions will be provided at time of reservation. NOTE: Information will be available in stores beginning the week of 8/11. Please contact store to confirm availability.

Now, this doesn't mean the beta will start on Monday. If anyone here was in the MGO beta you'd remember that the beta codes were given out a few weeks before the actual beta test began. I imagine it will be the same for this.

Pick the new name for Urban Wasteland!

Firstly, thank god they are considering changing it. Urban Wasteland is an incredibly generic name, and since it was revealed in EGM in March, has been considered a place-holder until they chose a real name for it. So it looks like they are finally doing that assuming Urban Wasteland doesn't pull out a victory in the poll.

I don't want to sway your voting...but please pick "Aftermath". Its by far the best sounding name of the bunch, while doing a good job at describing the map, and right now the battle of votes is between Aftermath and Urban Wasteland. So if we have any hope of changing the horrible "Urban Wasteland" name, its by voting for "Aftermath".

Vote here at SOCOM.com. The poll is on the right side of the page.

Pricing and bundles announced/detailed

It's good! People were speculating the bundle with the new high-quality headset would go for $80. Well, you're wrong.

I'm happy to announce we have finalized our release plans for SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation. On the week of October 14th, you'll be able to pick up one of the following versions of SOCOM: Confrontation in North America.

$59.99 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
(Bundle Version)
Includes SOCOM Confrontation, a newly designed Bluetooth® Headset for the PLAYSTATION®3 system and exclusive Behind the Scenes videos.

$39.99 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
(Stand Alone Version)
For all of the people who want SOCOM: Confrontation on a disc. Does not include the headset or the Behind the Scenes videos.

$39.99 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation on the
PlayStation Network
SOCOM Confrontation downloadable from the PSN without ever leaving you couch. Does not include the headset or the Behind the Scenes videos.

Details for the rest of the world will be announced by the regional Sony Computer Entertainment offices, but our goal is to have a simultaneous world wide release. Let the preordering begin!


From SOCOM.com

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Peak at the main menu

N4G.com relayed some info that was posted on a Japanese gaming website. Probably the most interesting picture of the batch is this one below which shows what the main menu will look like. Remember that these pics are taken from an earlier build of the game, so things may have been changed since then.


I like how it puts some of your general player information right there on the front page. And "Reputation", I wonder what that could be? If it's based on feedback other players have given you, or if its calculated based on how skilled you are/how long you've played.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Beta update from Abigale

Nothing really new, but it sounds like a beta date is coming soon.

Hi, All-

I know you are all very impatient about the Beta. I wish I could tell you more. Or even better, I wish I could hurry everything up for you. But alas, those things are not in my power.

We cannot and will not announce any details until everything is ready and set in stone. If I even gave you a target date and then we missed it because something unforeseen came up, can you imagine the flack we would take for that? So we don't say anything until we are 100% positive of what is going to happen and when.

That being said... we are trying to get the last details worked out so that we can announce when the Open Beta will start. We should be announcing the date very shortly. Again, I won't even give you a time frame for that because you never know what could happen between now and then. But the plan is to get you that info very soon. Believe me, I want it announced as badly as you do.

As for the Closed Beta, I can't tell you anything on that, as always. But we are getting that process moving as quickly as possible as well.

I know you all want more info and you have been waiting patiently. There are just so many details to get into place with all of this and we want to have everything worked out and absolute before we make it public. But what I can tell you is... we're almost there. :smileywink:

Thursday, July 31, 2008

SOCOM Confrontation box art

Thanks to Gamecocks625 for posting this in my NeoGaf thread. Looks like it'll be the final box art (with the "M" rating added once its approved). Notice how they added a background as opposed to the older box art which was just draped with a boring black background.


I like it. Very nice!
If you haven't seen it yet, Dev Q&A 12 is up on SOCOM.com. Check it out.

They touch on encumbrance, the friends list, and a couple other things.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Has nothing changed?

One thing that was clear to me after this year's E3 was the complete lack of SOCOM coverage. Even though the game was there playable at the show, only a handful of publications put up a hands-on report on it. This could be because the game was already shown a few weeks prior at a Pre-E3 event just for the game, but the build being shown in Sony's booth was a lot fresher yet we barely heard a peep.

The result of that being, the nominations and awards that are going out from many of these websites (including GameTrailers) have completely failed to mention SOCOM Confrontation in any category. Which is quite odd considering that all recent hands-on reports are saying the game keeps looking and playing better.

But the real kicker is Comic-Con. Occurring last week and not normally a place where you see that many games, SOCOM Confrontation was playable on the show floor. And while it seems that many casual visitors got hands-on time with the game, I have not read a single preview from IGN, 1up, or GameSpot (or anyone else for that matter), about it's presence at the show. Not in podcasts either. Even though it was being shown off in Private Beta form.

So who's to blame? The media who keeps "ignoring" SOCOM? Nope. I put the blame on Sony.

While in the past year Sony has managed to finally support the SOCOM community with a dedicated community person and for the most part, keep us fat and happy, what they have failed to do is generate any hype outside of this hardcore base of SOCOM fanatics.

For a game that supposedly looks and plays great, as said from various 'qualified' people around the web including Jeff Gerstmann (GiantBomb), Jeff Hayes (IGN), and Thierry Nguyen (1up), Sony hasn't been able to deliver the hype on their end. The most obvious example of this was their E3 Press Conference, where Confrontation was nothing more than a 5sec video between a mish-mash of other titles.

Considering the legacy and power of the SOCOM franchise, I've been extremely disapointed with how Sony has treated it. Keeping the core community happy is not going to blind us to the fact that its been severely under-hyped (yes, history shows that most hype is generated within the company, not the media), and how that will hurt its userbase come launch.

To me, it feels like Confrontation is being sent to die. Unless we witness a huge marketing push come September and October, its clear Sony doesn't have much interest in pushing the game. Maybe they feel it's on auto-pilot and that it can sustain itself, but personally I don't think that's true. This is a franchise that went through a world of hurt and someone has to let those casual gamers know that the real SOCOM is back, while informing those who are unfamiliar with SOCOM why they should care.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Knife kill explained

Dev Q&A 11 went up on SOCOM.com today. Check it out here.

Allen Goode's initial response to the knife kill question was that it was 1-hit kill, but thankfully in the comments section David Seymour clarified that answer and said:

Hey guys,

The answer above about the knife attack is incomplete. The knife strike is a one-hit kill from behind, but from the front it only does half damage. Apologies for the omission,

David

Which is great news. We won't have to worry about people rushing us in a close-quarters gun-battle if they are going to have to take two strikes before they kill us.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Keep Hellman in your thoughts

Hellman, good friend of mine and co-host of TheRealSOCOM Podcast is currently being effected by Hurricane Dolly in South Texas. Right now he is out of power till probably the end of the week.

With that said though, I'm going to try and coerce him into recording a podcast this weekend. That way we can talk about E3 and SOCOM's presence at Comic-Con (which is starting tomorrow).

If there is anything in particular you want us to discuss, let me know in the comments section of this post or in an email.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Why MAG won't have the SOCOM name

Kotaku just put up a new article on MAG. Apparently one of the focus testers that Sony interviewed prior to MAG's announcement, spoke out anonymously. Early on in the article Kotaku seems convinced that MAG will carry SOCOM-branding;

It will more than likely carry SOCOM branding, as Zipper Interactive is behind it. And if so, it could be called SOCOM: Shadow War or SOCOM: Zero.

I sent Kotaku an email, simply explaining to them why it definitely won't have the SOCOM brand attached to it, if Sony isn't run by idiots. I'll let you read the email;

I run a SOCOM blog for hardcore fans of the franchise. I just read your article on MAG, and you and Orange seemed convinced that MAG will have the SOCOM brand. You are probably unaware, and curious why MAG wasn't announced with the SOCOM brand attached to it. To understand this you need a little history of the franchise and its fans, but I'll try to give you a quick overview.

SOCOM fans loved SOCOM 1 & 2, generating upwards of 40,000 unique players online at once every night, it was obviously a huge game for Sony. But then with SOCOM 3 Zipper attempted something different by making it 32 players (compared to 16 players of the first two), and adding vehicles and large open maps to the game. The fan base was not happy, and there was a VERY quick drop-off of players.

When SOCOM Confrontation was announced to be "going back to it's roots", removing vehicles and large open maps, and concentrating on what made SOCOM 1 & 2 so great, the fanbase was extremely excited. What may surprise you as well is that we were also very happy that a new developer what taking over the franchise, Slant Six. Zipper was extremely poor at community relations and QA, among other things. Slant Six has been nothing short of spectacular so far, and SCEA has also been extremely supportive by adding a new Community Relations manager and allowing SOCOM.com into their Playstation-blog family.

The reason MAG wasn't announced with the SOCOM name and that you won't see that brand attached to it is three-fold. One, the community would be outraged. Two, with a new franchise it's a lot easier for new players to feel welcomed to try it out. And three, it would cause a drop off of players in Confrontation just like SOCOM 3 caused a drop off of SOCOM 2 players, regardless of how different those experiences were, and Sony is very aware of this. Why would they want to chance throwing away one of their key fanbases who are extremely dedicated and are easy money makers for DLC by introducing a radically different SOCOM game, when they can instead keep the SOCOM Confrontation fanbase AND also build an entirely new online fanbase with a new franchise such as MAG.


David Doel
http://www.TheRealSOCOM.com
Our podcast is found at http://daviddoel.libsyn.com/
daviddoel@therealsocom.com

I'd like to hear the community's feedback. Are your feelings similar to mine and are you happy MAG doesn't have the SOCOM name? Let me know.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Your thoughts on this year's E3?

I'm going to do something a little different. I'd like to hear from you guys/girls, what are your overall feelings on this year's E3? It doesn't need to be SOCOM related, it doesn't need to be Sony related, just give me your overall thoughts on what interested you, impressed you, and maybe disappointed you.

Either post a comment here or email me at daviddoel@therealsocom.com with your feelings. In my next podcast I'm going to take some of your thoughts and read them on the air with Hellman, and we'll talk a bit about the stuff you brought up.

For those that aren't already aware, I'm a huge gamer outside of just the SOCOM universe. I own all the current-gen consoles and even though I use a Mac I still follow the PC side of things. So I love talking gaming in general, and me and Hellman will open up the next episode of TheRealSOCOM Podcast with some E3 talk.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Peak at the between rounds screen

Gamespot just had Seth Luisi and SOCOM Confrontation on their E3 Live show. In typical Gamespot fashion, they failed at answering any real burning questions we have and instead filled the last portion of the segment with bonehead questions like "Are there any vehicles?" and "Can you pick up backpacks from other troops?". Lord.

Anyways, Hellman, a friend of mine and co-host on TheRealSOCOM Podcast, grabbed a couple shots of what the menu that comes up in between rounds. There is some interesting stuff in there including "Kill Assists", a new and welcome addition to the franchise.


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Zipper Int. accounces MAG: Massive Action Game

People can finally stop saying "wait for the real SOCOM from Zipper". Just a few minutes ago in Sony's E3 Press Conference, Zipper Interactive ended with a trailer for their new game, MAG: Massive Action Game, eerily similar to the name I predicted on TheRealSOCOM Podcast Episode 3, "Big Ass Battles" :p.


MAG is an online game where you in a squad of 8 can take part in battles that can reach up to 256 players! It also includes player progression akin to an MMO as well as rank within your squad.


I'll post the video as soon as I find it online, but it was simply a CG trailer, so no gameplay to be seen yet.

Anyways, you can tell your journalist friends to stop saying "wait for the real SOCOM", because the REAL SOCOM is hitting on October 14th, and it's called SOCOM Confrontation.

EDIT:

Here
is the video from the conference.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Ranked rooms now in the classic lobby system! + more info

You all prayed for it, and Sony/Slant Six is making it happen. Now ranked games are no longer just stuck to the auto-match/party system. Today, in Q&A #9, straight from David Seymour:

In addition to the lobby system for custom games, we have added ranked rooms to the lobby system. These ranked rooms will contain pre-set playlists of ranked games which will allow players to earn rank from within the lobby system while still preserving a fair and competitive ranking system. Adding ranked rooms to the lobbies was a decision that was made in response to the feedback given on the forums on and the blog.

Wow, I have to say that I'm really impressed. I knew Slant Six and Sony were listening, but I didn't think this was something that they had any intent on implementing. So from the sounds of it, those "Medley" rooms we all loved in the past games will now basically be the ranked rooms of each lobby. No word yet on how they will break the rooms down (whether it's by map, by mode, random, or all three) but we'll just have to wait and see. Regardless, it's a welcome addition.

But that isn't all. Some more great info came out of the Q&A - no rocket and grenade launchers in ranked games! Also David clarified that all ranked rooms will have respawns off and friendly fire on, while unranked match-making games will have respawns on, friendly fire off, rocket and grenade launchers on. Seems like a fair trade off to me. It also confirms that you will never find me in a unranked match-making game :p.

There is also some more info in the Q&A about how they will handle ranked vs unranked stats, and that they currently have no interest in ever adding vehicles (thank god). So just check out the full Dev Q&A #9 yourself.

Monday, July 7, 2008

A pic with the words "Private Beta" in it? Woops!

Sony can try, but they will never be as quick as the people on the Playstation.com message boards are.

Earlier today, on SOCOM.com, David Brothers made a new blog post about the radial weapon selection menu but that wasn't the thing the boards went crazy over. It was the fact that in the original image that was posted, it clearly said "Private Beta" in the top left corner. Take a look for yourself at the original image that was posted:


Now take a look at the photoshopped image that it was replaced with soon after:


"Private Beta" is missing. I don't know why they even bothered as by the time they corrected it, people on the boards were already going crazy, saying that the private beta had to be out and getting all pissed they weren't in it.

Well sorry folks, as Abigale cleared up for all you later, the Private Beta is NOT out. Yes, the image clearly said "Private Beta" in the top corner, but that does not mean it was sent out to anyone outside of Sony and Slant Six. Here is Abigale's post:

Ok, ok, here's the deal. Beta has not started yet but as you were able to see from the tag on that shot, we are definitely working towards that. The shot went up, someone noticed that it said Private Beta and thought that would get everyone thinking that it had already started. So they pulled it down and removed that part.

If I had known they were going to do that, I would have let them know that it was already too late. I know you guys well enough to know that if something is up there for 2 seconds, one (or more) of you will find it and repost it! :smileywink:

So... sorry for the confusion and rest easy for now. Beta is around the corner but it hasn't started yet. All of this speculation is just what we wanted to avoid by removing the Private Beta tag. We just didn't do it fast enough! :smileyhappy:


So there you have it. The Private Beta has NOT been sent out yet.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

SOCOM 3 & Combined Assault patched

Who would have thunk it! Zipper is still supporting SOCOM 3 & Combined Assault (which work off the same servers) with patches. Today they released version 2.3 (for SOCOM 3) and version 1.4 (for Combined Assault). You can check out all the details at SOCOM.com here.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Unconfirmed: Confrontation delayed till October 14th

JBlack261 has discovered that on GameStop's website SOCOM Confrontation is now listed with an October 14th release date.

This would also go hand-in-hand with what we heard in a couple of videos from the media event where you could hear Allen Goode saying "the game is slated for a fall 2008 release", and we all know that September 16th is still considered summer.

Well as long as it ensures the game will recieve a proper launch with a steady framerate and stable netcode, I'm ok with it.

Friday, June 27, 2008

"The Real SOCOM" Podcast - Episode 3

Listen here (direct download) - 59:31
Subcribe here (RSS reader)
We are also on iTunes here


I'm back with a new podcast, once again co-hosting is Hellman, and we're just in time for the embargo to lift. We discuss all the stuff that came out today, a couple topics we forget to talk about last time, Zipper's game, and also forgot to do a map of the week segment! I made it up to you though by including some funny pre-show test records and bloopers. You'll just have to wait till after the outro music for those.

Enjoy!

LOTS of stuff

Geez, I hate these embargoes cause once they end everything goes up at once and it's hard to track it all. This is what I have for you so far. I will update this post with more links as I find them:

GameTrailers map fly-throughs
IGN hands-on + new videos
GameSpot demo video
GameSpot hands-on
PS3 Fanboy hands-on
SOCOM Headset officially shown
1up Hands-on preview

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Two embargoes now?!

Sorry to induce headaches here, but now it appears that there MAY be two embargoes on the SOCOM event. One, which ends today (Friday in the east), and another which ends Monday at 8am according to Joystiq, according to DarthArino.

To add more fuel to the fire, in IGN's latest Podcast Beyond (which I linked to in the previous post), mentioned that Greg and Chris were going to check out something on Friday, and that embargo would be lifted at 8am EST on Monday.

So now the speculation begins. If there is indeed a 2nd embargo, what could it be on? SOCOM Confrontation beta? Zipper's new SOCOM game? Who knows. All we have left to do is play the waiting game.

Tomorrow (Friday) morning...

We will have information from the SOCOM media event that was held this week according to today's IGN Podcast Beyond.

Let's hope that means 12am PST (3am EST).

Finally, a clear explanation on how 'team-switching' will work

Originally posted on SOCOM.com:

Hey Slant Six, why add team switching?

That's a good question. The decision to implement team switching stems directly from the core premise of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation; pure online competition. The ranking system in Confrontation is meant to truly reflect individual skill and teamwork, and in order to do that all other variables must be controlled. If a team only plays one side of a map then we can’t determine who truly is the most skilled, flexible and capable team. Would anyone claim that they have played a game where all the weapons, attachments, maps and game modes are 100% balanced in every way (including the previous SOCOM? Does that stop people from taking advantage of those subtle imbalances and aiming to play under the most advantageous conditions? Not a chance.

In order to make a game truly competitive it must be as fair as possible and that means leveling the playing field. There is a reason professional sports have the competitors switch sides part way through a game. Surface irregularities on an ice rink or tennis court could unbalance a sports competition, so the players always switch ends. We don’t want people walking away from a match attributing their win or their loss to the location of their spawn or the weapons their team had. In addition, we feel that players will have the greatest investment in their Clan-specific Special Forces character, or at least have a preference for playing Commandos or Mercenaries and we want to ensure that in ranked games everyone gets equal time with their preferred character.

In ranked games players can expect to play a total of 10 rounds, each round being 6 minutes long. At the 5 round mark the teams will switch sides and the players reverse roles. This is the reason that each player has two avatars: your Commando (Special Forces) and a Mercenary. You will be playing with these two characters each time you jump into a game. Players will be able to create multiple preset loadouts for each avatar which can be easily selected during the course of a game. At the beginning of each round players will be able to choose the loadout they want to use.

If at the end of the 10 rounds both teams are tied at 5 rounds each then the team with the best overall performance is awarded the victory. This is where individual skill blends with being a team player to tip the balance in close matches. So if you have a camper playing with you, hanging back and not pulling his weight you may want to persuade him to change his play style.

Finally you can disable team switching in custom matches.


My comment to that was:

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not yet convinced.

And you can't blame me for feeling this way when no one complained about how this was handled in previous SOCOM games. We've been waiting for a true SOCOM experience since SOCOM 2, then we finally are offered what seems to be one...yet now you guys want to change aspects of the game that was never broken to begin with.

My big problem with your method here is that in classic SOCOM, it was all about those heart-pounding come back victories. Your team was down 4-0, but then you all agreed on a new strategy, banded together, and came back to win 6-5. This is what classic SOCOM is about.

Are you making us play 10 rounds in every match, even if it's not needed? If a team wins the first 6 rounds, are they going to have to play the next 4 as well? Your explanation is hazy in this regard.


I'll let you know if I get a response to this.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Embargo until Friday

New update from Abigale on the boards, like I suspected and was told by 1up, there is in fact an embargo on yesterday's event, and it lasts till Friday:

Hi, Folks!

I just wanted to let you know that you are right and I was wrong. There is an embargo in place until Friday. I had thought there wasn't so that's what I told you last week. I'm very sorry. I am not part of the Marketing/PR department so sometimes I don't get all the details of what they are doing. At any rate, I am very sorry that I told you there was no embargo. It was my mistake.

But I do have to say that we are not the ones that got you all looking so forward to this. I keep reading that we shouldn't have set you up for a let down. Well, we didn't let you know about it. As far as I know, it was kept a secret by us until some of the people that were invited mentioned it. Then we really had no choice but to admit that we had it scheduled. I hadn't wanted you to know it was coming for just this reason. I know how hyped up you guys get. :smileywink:

So hold on until Friday. And go ahead, let me have it for giving you the wrong info. I try very hard not to make mistakes with you guys but hey... It happens sometimes.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

A possible embargo on today's event

The reason I haven't posted any new info on the SOCOM media event today is because nothing has hit the wire. There is quite possibly an embargo on the event (according to Matt Leone of 1up.com), despite what we had initially heard.

I wouldn't expect the embargo to last past midnight PST though. So hopefully we will get something before we're all in bed tonight.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

SOCOM media event next week

In case you don't already know, there is a SOCOM Media Event on June 24th (next week). An entire event for 1 day? Definitely expect some great stuff to come out of it.

Sadly I wasn't invited (cry for me), but just keep a close look here on the 24th, assuming there is no embargo, and I'll link you to all the right places.

I'm also going to try and roundup Hellman for a podcast on that day so we can discuss everything that went down and everything else that we have made a note of and want to discuss.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Encouraged clan play. A brilliant accident.

I'm going to do something I haven't done in a while, write an editorial. Usually mine are slightly negative and trying to shed light on something I think needs to be looked at, but in this case I want to shed light on something I think is going to have a profoundly positive impact on Confrontation.

Encouraging clan play is one of the best things they could have done for SOCOM Confrontation. First of all, if you aren’t already aware, being in a clan is being encouraged in a few different ways. It’s the only way to join a Special Forces team (ie: Navy SEALs, British SAS, etc) and have access to a new weapon, new gear, and be a part of the clan leader boards. At first I wasn’t so sure about this idea to push people into a clan, but now it’s all making sense and if you look ahead, post-release, it’s going to help keep the community for Confrontation going strong.

If you aren’t following what I’m alluding to here, I’ll make it a little more clear. The online mode in the original SOCOM was able to create a very strong community, almost by accident. A large part of the reason for this was the lobby system that was implemented in conjunction with the lack of a fleshed out friend’s list. What I mean by this is the friend/clan list in SOCOM 1 only told you who in your list were online, it did not tell you what room they were in. This caused each clan to have a “home server”, so you always knew where to find their rooms or could at least narrow down where they’d be playing. Which also meant that it, almost accidentally, caused communities to form around each server and you really got to know the people you were playing with and against as you would keep running into them in that single 256-max player servers (‘US East 5’ for example).

So what does that have anything to do with this? Well the encouraged clan play in Confrontation is almost like the SOCOM 1 lobby system in that they will both, almost by accident, strengthen the community. What the encouraged clan play in Confrontation will do, is firstly, cause people to join a clan. That part is rather obvious. But the ramifications of this will be huge.

For anyone that has been in a clan or a guild, one thing you realize is that often times you’ll just play the game so you can play with those people, because you enjoy spending time with your clan mates or guild members. And if you take a look at all the most successful online games (World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, SOCOM II, Halo 2, etc), clans/guilds are a HUGE part of those communities.

So not only is pushing clan play in Confrontation to the benefit of Sony/Slant Six, as it will build a strong community and help keep this game going for many years, but it will also benefit the player in ways that might not be as obvious. Taking the examples I used in the paragraph above, something else they all have in common that goes hand in hand with clans/guilds, is voice chat. Whether it’s through Ventrillo in World of Warcraft, or it’s built in like it is in SOCOM II, voice chat is integral to those experiences. And if you are familiar at all with the state of online gaming on PS3 right now, voice chat is very underutilized.

But with clans being so prominent in Confrontation, what this will end up doing it pushing people to use voice chat more. No longer will we be in games where only 50% of the room has a headset, and the other 25% has one but doesn’t want to wear it, because with clan play you WANT to talk. You want to have conversations with the people you play online and have become so familiar with. So because of this, I predict SOCOM Confrontation will be one of the first PS3 games where you find 9 times out of 10, that almost everyone in the room is using voice chat.

So the way I see it, encouraged clan play is the SOCOM 1 lobby system of 2008. Both are brilliant accidents that did/will strengthen the community.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Pics of Viral Labs & European Q&A

European Q&A #1
New pictures on SOCOM.com

Check out both links.

I think Viral Labs is looking pretty nice. Seems to be some nice potential for choke points along the catwalks, and that dome structure looks pretty diverse and interesting. Also, there is the addition of the water which you CAN swim in (one of the pics has a playing climbing up a ladder out of the water), so that should add an extra layer of strategy to the entire thing.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

New map shown in latest issue of GameInformer

As said here on the SOCOM.com blog.

Luckily one of the community members over on the Playstation.com boards, Culkid, has the issue and was nice enough to give us details about it:

i loved the new preview, however GI seemed to say some negative things like they dont see it becoming as popular as COD and halo. they did say a few things. ill list what i read

NEw map called Viral Lab. its the inside of a domed industrial facility surrounded by metal catwalks and water.

they said you can only have one character at a time and the only way to get a new character is to leave your clan

each character "seals, sas, ksk, UOE, RPIMA have their own specific weapons, camo and specialized armor

in the photos:

let me say i dont know if every screenshot here are from this new viral labs but let me describe each picture:

the first one has terrorists on top of a cat walk shooting at seals below. the seals are crouched behind 2 water turbines.

the second one has a seal prone on a catwalk shooting at a standing terrorist on another catwaelk

the third one has seals shooting at terrorists on a catwalk. the terrorists are standing by a big satellite

the fourth one has a SEAL with an ACOG scope on an M4A1 shooting at a terroriost. someone must have thrown a smoke grenade because the effect is AMAZING

the fifth photo is seals running outside *seems to be 2 facilities in this viral labS EMPHASIS ON THE S. meaning seals start in one lab and terrorists start at the other. water surrounds the lab

Sounds really cool. Almost like a spiritual successor to Chain Reaction, one of my favourite SOCOM II maps.

Be sure to pick up the issue yourself when it hits newsstands. It's the one with the inFAMOUS (Sucker Punch's new PS3 game) cover story.

Friday, June 6, 2008

A look into your Confrontation web profile

I first got this from a guy name 'evilone' on neogaf who found it on the Japanese Confrontation website, then posted here on the playstation.com boards last night. Now PAs_Scorpion has taken it to the next level and has posted a breakdown of exactly what we are seeing in this image. Take a look and prepare to drool:

Hit detection map, built in clan/friends list, complete breakdown of stats by weapon, medals, mail, a calendar, and...and...replays?!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Want in the beta? Spend $2.99 this Thursday

Sony has just introduced Qore.

If you click the link it explains it a little better, but basically it's an interactive magazine you can buy each month from PSN with,

"exclusive news, developer interviews, in-depth game previews and behind-the-scenes looks at PlayStation games and special access to game demos, special beta invitations, game add-ons and other downloadable game-related content."
Seems interesting enough. With exclusive SOCOM stuff coming in the first issue including an exclusive theme and a beta invite, they obviously have me pegged for a purchase.

Concerning the beta though, there are questions swirling whether this is for the private or open Confrontation beta. I'm pretty sure it'll be for the open beta as the private was supposed to be invite-only. I'll keep you updated when I find out for sure though.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Closed beta update

Straight from Abigale:

Hello, All-

I know you are all waiting and wondering what’s going on with the closed Beta. So I wanted to give you an update. I’m getting a lot of questions here and in PMs so I will answer what I can.

First of all, the closed Beta has not started yet. We are getting closer to it, but as of right now, anything you have heard about it starting already or people getting emails about it is not true. I know there are rumors floating around to the contrary but I am here to tell you they are just rumors. No one has been notified of anything yet.

I told you all in this post a little about the selection process. I told you that I was making lists to send to the group that was actually handling the Beta. Well, that has already been done. Those lists have been sent and it is now out of my hands. So if you didn’t get on one of those lists by now, I cannot add you. I’m very sorry but it’s too late.

And finally, I know you all want to know how you will be notified. If you are selected to apply for the closed Beta, you will get an invitation sent to the email you have registered for your PSN account. That will be the only way you will be contacted. So watch your emails!

If you do not get an invitation for the closed Beta, you will still have an opportunity to get in the open beta. Watch the blog on socom.com for a little bit of information on that later this week.

Hang in there, folks. We are getting closer and we will get this show on the road as soon as we can!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Slow news week? Check out last week's 1up Yours

On last Friday's 1up Yours podcast, SOCOM Confrontation was discussed for about 5min, and in a very positive light. Garnett Lee, known for being a hardass and loving to play devil's advocate, seemed to really be impressed with SOCOM Confrontation after getting his hands on it at Sony Judge's Day two weeks ago.

Check it out here at around the 69min mark.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

"The Real SOCOM" Podcast - Episode 2

Listen here!

Subcribe here to the podcast for your RSS reader
We are also on iTunes, here.

Yes, it's finally here, the long awaited Episode 2 of "The Real SOCOM" Podcast. Once again Hellman joins me (David Doel) for another great discussion, this one being roughly 55min. We cover everything that we can think of from our impressions of the gameplay videos, to ranked games being stuck to match making, to the name of Hellman's dog (no lie). And of course, like every show, we have a map of the week, but you'll have to tune in to find out what it is.

Enjoy the show!


*feel free to leave questions/comments below in this blog post, or drop me an email at daviddoel@therealsocom.com.

Monday, May 19, 2008

A new gameplay video

Check it out.

The audio is really good in this one too. You'll notice the voice of the woman from Single Player in past SOCOMs, giving you your objective. At one point in the video you can also hear radio chatter from what sounds like another person playing (who's obviously got a headset on).

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Gametrailers walkthrough part 1 & 2 in HD

Part 1
Part 2

Definitely check out both videos!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

GameSpot posts a great video interview. IGN posts written impressions

Check out the GameSpot video interview here. It shows how the Sixaxis works in action (which looks REALLY good) and if you take a look at the TV near the end you'll see the knife attack!

And here are the VERY positive written impressions from IGN.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Sony adds Youtube support to PS3 dev kits - what that could mean for SOCOM

Check it out

The functionality, which is being debuted in the free Mainichi Issho daily news and entertainment service, will allow uploads of user-created movies to YouTube directly within the game - making the PS3 the first games console to have official support for YouTube, according to Sony.

What does this mean? Well just imagine having the ability to upload your clan wars to Youtube, directly from within SOCOM Confrontation. Thats just one example. This also opens up the possibilities for machinema, videos of your strategies, and so on.

First round of Q&A answered

Go check out SOCOM.com where they have finished up the first round of getting your questions answered. Most interestingly, armor is confirmed to be in the game, but is sounds like it'll be properly implemented rather than making things more complicated, as a later comment from Seth Luisi shows:

Seth Luisi replied on
05.15.08 06:24 AM

We've had the armor in the game for some time and have been testing it with our QA group. Basically, normal players are just picking the armor which they feel looks best, "unless" they want to play a specific role like getting to the satchel first (lightest armor) or defending the bomb plant point (heavy armor).

So far, armor has been a good addition to the game. It is not over done like other games out there but it does mean something if you do want a slight edge in a specific role.
Keep an eye on SOCOM.com for more Q&A answers.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

New IGN interview

Definitely worth checking out.

Confirmed:
- 4 original maps
- 3 classic maps (making it 7 maps total)
- 5 of the maps will work with up to 32 players
- 2 of the maps will work with 16 players max (hopefully the 2 additional classic maps)
- Maps designed to work with all modes
- Night/Day on all maps

As well as other stuff I'm sure I forget. But thats why you need to read through the interview!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Get your most pressing questions answered!

Assuming you're a Playstation.com member, simply go here and post a question (1 question per post). Abigale will send them off and get them answered by either Slant Six or SCE. Just make sure you read through the thread before posting your question to ensure it hasn't been asked yet.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Glimpse at the weapon selection interface

Finally some gameplay videos from the European Playstation Day event are surfacing. In one of the videos seen here, for a split second when the camera moves off the tv you can see the new radial menu for the in-game weapon selection. PAs_SCORPION on the Playstation.com boards makes a good post here of what we see in the video.

What we saw....


my interpretation of what we saw......

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Correction: SOCOM WILL be at the show!

It was in the video opening at the press conference and it's also under Eurogamer's list of games that are appearing at the show (under Clan).

I have to go out shortly, but I'll be back to give you all the info!

Possibly new info coming today from Playstation Day conference in Europe

I'm going to say there is a 40% chance we'll see something on SOCOM at the conference which is about to start right now. Keep an eye on this link for the live blogging feed and this link if you're late to the party.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Confrontation preview on X-Play tonight

While we are all busy playing GTA4, if you have G4TV (G4TechTV in Canada) take a break from the car jacking at 8pm to watch X-Play. SOCOM Confrontation will be one of the games they are previewing tonight, so hopefully we'll get some more footage or at the very least some commentary on the game.

Alright, back to GTA4.

EDIT:

According to SOCOM.com, they WILL have exclusive footage and interviews! So definitely tune in to watch.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Great analysis of the videos

Xuses over on the playstation.com boards has a thread where he has edited together some of the footage from the 1up show, pointing out some interesting things. Definitely check out the thread.

And here is another one where most of the clips were edited by him.

This is the kind of community involvement I like to see!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Video coming this Friday. Yup, I told ya so

1up has put up a new interview/screen shots for Confrontation, and at the very beginning discuss that they will have SOCOM Confrontation footage on the 1up Show this Friday!

This is HUGE. The 1up Show is THE best gaming video podcast on the internet, by far. Can't wait for the episode.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Closed Beta Selection- Phase 2

Abigale has posted Phase 2 of the Community Beta Selection process. This time it's your turn to sell yourself! If you weren't nominated in Phase 1 then head on over to Phase 2, give the most honest response you can (the more honest the better! They are looking for a variety of testers) and you could have a chance at getting it.

Good luck!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

No podcast this week

Just letting you all know, that we are going to try to follow a bi-weekly schedule with the podcast, which would mean that I would have had one up today. Sadly though, Hellman's computer is in the shop and I've been really busy finishing up the last week of college.

Hopefully though, if we do indeed get some video of the game this week (which is what I'm speculating), we should have a good podcast up next weekend with lots more to discuss.

Friday, April 18, 2008

First shot of classic 3rd-person view

Found in SOCOM.com's new blog post:


If you look closely at the 3rd screen you can see that it clearly looks like the classic 3rd-person view we all know and love.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Closed Beta Selection- Phase 1: Community Leaders

There is a new thread posted on the playstation.com boards from Abigale concerning the Closed Beta. If you visit the playstation.com boards, contribute, and have proven your knowledge of the franchise, all your good work has a chance at coming back to you in the form of an invite to the private beta.

So good luck!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

New videos coming next week?

According to **MoPar** on the playstation.com boards, XPlay is advertising that they'll have Confrontation featured on their show next week.

And connecting the dots only leads me to believe one thing, and that's that we're getting Confrontation videos next week.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Reminder concerning SOCOM.com and the reason for why I do this

Just so everyone who follows this site is clear, I'm not reposting everything that ends up on SOCOM.com. That website should no doubt already be bookmarked by every SOCOM fan out there so there would be absolutely no reason for me to repost it on my site every day when SOCOM.com posts something.

Of course though, it all depends on the story. If SOCOM.com is the first one to post new screen shots or a video of Confrontation, I'm obviously going to make a new post about it, and link to it. But for their normal, every day, updates, like this one on the Hk5, their gun of the week, I won't.

To remind people who may not already know the purpose of this website. It's not only to inform, but also to give a voice to the hardcore SOCOM gamer that I still believe you won't find anywhere else. Instead of regurgitating information, I try to inject my personality and a voice into everything I write and record, and I hope that comes through.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

EGM's embargo coming to an end?

Well today I was at Chapters (Canadian book store..maybe they have them in the US too, not sure) and saw the May 08 issue of EGM (the one with Confrontation on the cover, for all you people living in a cave), which can only mean one thing...all your deep and big questions should hopefully have answers coming soon.

I'm sure EGM probably has another week left on the embargo, at which point 1up.com will probably ride a nice wave of information to all it's readers before places like IGN and GameSpot can start reporting on the game as well. So my advice to you, start paying close attention to 1up.com, and of course the playstation.com Confrontation boards. We'll probably be getting some more information, screens, and possibly even video (fingers crossed), real soon.

We are now on iTunes

Right here

You requested it, so I made it happen. You can now subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.

Thanks everyone for the support thus far.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

"The Real SOCOM" Podcast - Episode 1

Right here
(Right click save as. Better yet, add my feed to your RSS reader and download/play it right in the window)


Hey everyone, I told you it wouldn't be long.

This is the very first episode of my new podcast, "The Real SOCOM" Podcast. This first episode is roughly 45min, Hellman is my co-host, I hope you enjoy the listen and all feedback here (what you liked/didn't like, suggestions, segments you'd like to see) in the comments section is welcome.

A sneak peak at the upcoming podcast with a look at the past

The people who follow the blog probably know by now that a podcast from me is in the works. What you might not have known is that I've had it on the back burner since July of last year, before this blog even existed.

Originally me and Hellman were planning on recording our first show the week before the new E3, but for one reason or another it kept getting pushed back till finally we were both back in college, the Confrontation information flow was at a crawl, and neither of us had much free time to execute a podcast.

Well now, even though I'm busy as hell trying to finish this semester, the SOCOM info is at an all-time high meaning there is so much we want to talk about.

So to give you a peak at the outline I originally conceived for, what was to be, our first show this past July, here was my design doc for "SOCOM Show 01";

SOCOM Show 01 - July 2007

1st Show Intro:
Each host will introduce themselves and their history in gaming and in SOCOM, and how we met.

My [David] Intro:
• I currently reside in Ontario Canada
• Began writing for a website called ps2clan.com
• Went on to write for CVGames
• Then went on to run Xbox.net
• Came back to CVGames where I still freelance now
• I post on NeoGaf under the name ‘Doel’, IGN as a moderator under the name ‘daviddoel’, Playstation.com forums under the name ‘daviddoel’, and finally the 1up boards under the name ‘David2Crazy’
• You may have seen my analysis of the SOCOM Confrontation trailer from Sony Gamers Day, which I posted on a few different message boards.
• And you may have heard my name mentioned on the 1up Yours podcast and the IGN Playstation Podcast a couple weeks ago where I posed the question "is the SOCOM franchise being ignored by the media."
• Discuss why I’ve decided to start this podcast
• Mention our RSVegas clan name “SBS” Spoiled by SOCOM :p

Topic of the week:
• Breakdown of what we know about Confrontation thus far
• The media’s view on Slant Six
• How its shaped up visually
• Tidbits of info on audio from the Auguest issue of EGM
• New info from IGN Q&A with Seth Luisi
• My open letter to Sony, Slant Six, and Zipper
• Discuss the Online interface
• I wonder if Confrontation will even be able to capture that feeling of being the last guy left on your team up against 4 terrorists in the 11th round...picking the first 3 guys off with an M4A1SD from a safe distance, and then getting into a crazy firefight with the last guy, with both of you dying at once and then waiting for the verdict...."SEALS Victorious!".
• Possibility of semi-destructible environments to hurt other players
• Blymik’s thread
• Match-making vs Classic lobby setup

Map of the Week:
• Crossroads
• It’s implementation in SOCOM 2
• It’s implementation in Confrontation

Keep in mind that all of that was written in July 2007; obviously a lot of this has changed, including the format. But there are some aspects of that document that I will retain for our first episode, which will be called "The Real SOCOM Podcast".

When is our first episode coming? Probably sooner than you think ;)