SOCOM 4 will be 3D-enabled

Thanks to a quick eye by Dirty_Walter it looks like SOCOM 4 will indeed be 3D-ready when it releases next year. This was also confirmed by a post in the thread later on, by Zipper's Community Manager Chris Roper.

Well then...

As I said I've said before and as Tombstone mentioned, the game was not delayed to add 3D in any way, shape or form. Did the extra time allow for it? Well, you've seen the video.

Err, I mean, no comment. Or something.

--------------------

Chris Roper

Community Specialist, Zipper Interactive

--------------------

Now the question is, what percentage of the SOCOM audience is actually going to have a 3D TV to take advantage of this. I did play Motorstorm in 3D at the Playstation Canada event a few days ago and I have to say that it was incredibly impressive. But the cost of the television and the fact that it requires glasses, turns me off.

My SOCOM 4 impressions at GreatCanadianGamer.com

A couple days ago I attended the Playstation Holiday Preview Event in downtown Toronto. You can read the entire article here about what I experienced, but here is a short snippet from my SOCOM 4/Special Forces experience:

Despite the crowds, I was able to go hands-on with some games, notably SOCOM: Special Forces. As a SOCOM veteran player, this was the game I was really looking forward to playing. At first I couldn’t even find it, but eventually noticed it tucked away in the corner with the Move games. Sadly, once again Sony is treating SOCOM like an afterthought, and not just because of where it was placed but also because of how it was setup. It was only being showcased with the Move, which wouldn’t normally be a big deal except for the fact that the Move was placed in the ‘gun peripheral’ shell casing. The issue with this? SOCOM: Special Forces is not a light-gun game, and requires you to use the face buttons on the Move controller, which you do not have access to while the Move is in the gun peripheral casing.

The result of this was a game demo where players couldn’t do half the maneuvers. The ability to change your stance (prone, crouch, stand), get into cover, and even zoom, were all not possible while playing the game at the Playstation event. To make matters worse, instead of giving us the Navigation controller (the complimentary one-handed controller to the Move) for movement, we were forced to use the Dual-Shock, meaning people playing the demo had to balance the full Dual-Shock controller in their left hand while struggling with the Move in the gun peripheral casing in their right hand. I could not think of a worse way to showcase the game. At least they got the HDTV settings correct, as the game was visually impressive, but it’s a real shame that people who are not familiar with Zipper’s latest SOCOM game came away with the feeling that it’s a mess.

So as you can see, due to the less than ideal setup, my first experience with the game wasn't as good as I was hoping.

SOCOM 4 coming to Toronto on October 5th

Just yesterday Playstation Canada announced that they will be holding the Playstation Canada Holiday Preview event in downtown Toronto from 5pm-9pm. Among the selection of titles listed as being at the event, is SOCOM 4.

Naturally, being a resident of Toronto you can bet that I will be there on October 5th playing SOCOM 4 and everything else on display there. Of course I'll also be taking pictures, possibly video, and writing up my impressions of SOCOM 4 when I get back.

Look for that October 5th!

Hope to see you there.

No armor or encumbrance confirmed. Time to rejoice!

Last night's episode of the Zipline came with some great little tidbits of information about SOCOM 4. The most exciting of those announcements being that there will be no armor or encumbrance systems in SOCOM 4's single player and multiplayer. Travis Steiner, Lead Designer on SOCOM 4, stated the reason for this is that they wanted everyone to have the same amount of hit points and remain on a level playing field.

Which I believe is absolutely the right decision and would mark the first time that this has happened since SOCOM 2. Can you feel the excitement in my words? From the little tidbits of information and the model of "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid) that they are following, I'm pretty confident that SOCOM 4 will, at the very least, have the most balanced online mode since SOCOM 2.

SOCOM 4 HD walkthrough and a SOCOM documentary?

So, I'm sure you've all seen this by now, but on the Playstation Blog Zipper posted an HD walkthrough of the Gamescom build of the game (but in english). Check that out below.

I think it's looking really good and there is no doubt that Zipper is really focusing on polish and adding those last touches to make the campaign stand out more than any SOCOM game in the past.

Also, according to this week's Zipline Episode 18, Zipper is working on a documentary about the history of the SOCOM franchise, something I find VERY interesting. If you aren't already aware, I currently working at a major television news station up here in Canada, and went to school for video production. As someone big into videogames and video production, I've always loved watching those "behind-the-scenes" videos found in many videogame collectors discs. So that fact that one is being done on SOCOM is very appealing to me.

Apparently it will be posted to the SOCOM Blog once its finished, but for now there doesn't seem to be any real time frame for it. Regardless, keep an eye open for that.

The lack of updates

Hello readers,

Sorry for the lack of updates as of late. Just recently made a big move, been working a lot, and also when I've had time to breath I've been enjoying life on vacation by a lake. But now I'm back, and as time draws closer to the release of SOCOM 4 (some time in 2011), I'll be ramping up my over-analyzing and podcasting, as well as the occasional spotlight on some community members.

So look for all that in the coming weeks and months up till the release of SOCOM 4.

Regards,

David

Speculation. IGN visited Zipper Interactive last week. *Update*

On yesterday's Podcast Beyond, go to the 13 minute mark. One of the IGN editors (I think his name is Colin) stated how he saw Chris Roper last week, then another editor states "Didn't you see someone else too?", and Colin hesitates at first, sounding like he feels he shouldn't be talking about this, but then admits to seeing Jeremy as well.

I find it kind of interesting. It sounds like IGN made a little visit to the Zipper Interactive offices last week. Possibly for a new story on SOCOM 4?

Let the speculation begin.

UPDATE:

Chris Roper has replied to the speculation with this:

Mark Ryan Sallee, their guides king, went on a road trip for the week and we met up for lunch. Nothing secret going on, sorry.

--------------------

Chris Roper

Community Specialist, Zipper Interactive

--------------------

Looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for more SOCOM 4 information.

SOCOM 4 pushed to 2011. States "additional features" as the reason

If you haven't already heard, SOCOM 4 has been officially pushed to a 2011 release window. Which, by the way, is a mighty big window, so hopefully that'll be narrowed down soon.

What I find really interesting is this paragraph:

SCEA's senior corporate communications director, Patrick Seybold, told Joystiq, "We can confirm that SOCOM 4 will be released in 2011. The team is focusing on additional features which will help to deliver the most compelling and immersion SOCOM experience yet. Please look out for further updates and announcements over the coming months."

I wonder what "additional features" is referring to. A co-op mode? More maps? More single player levels? Who really knows. But they state that we'll be getting more details within the next few months so hopefully we don't have to wait to long to at least find out what we have to look forward to in 2011.

Recent Zipline Ep 13 brings good news and "ugh" news

So, we'll be talking all about this in the next SOCAST, but I just wanted to hit on some points from Zipline Ep 13 this week. Firstly, lets break down some of the new SOCOM 4 information:

Good:

The average size of a map is about the size of Blackwoods from SOCOM 3.

SOCOM 4 will have some of the smallest maps the franchise has ever had.

It will take roughly 3 body shots from an assault rifle to kills someone.

Location-specific damage (12 different locations that enemies react to).

Sure why not:

You can kill chickens/birds.

There will be a dance feature.

Cullen Grey wears jeans because he was caught off-guard and unprepared for the whole mission.

Bad:

There are clan factions, and special weapon for each faction.

Now all the good points speak for themselves, so lets jump to the bad. Why, oh why, are they bringing in separate factions and have specific weapons for each?

Nothing good has come out of this in the past, and it prevents your fans from experiencing all of the game's options.

At least in MAG it kind of made sense because the whole game was designed around 3 large factions and it forced you to pick one and stay with it (even though it bugs me that I'll never be able to see what SVER and VALOR are like, and I think that whole design choice turned a lot of players off of MAG).

It just has absolutely no place in SOCOM. I don't even know why there are 'factions'. I'm curious what that even means for this game.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how this plays out. This isn't a deal breaker by any means, but unless I can be told a legitimate, good reason for this being in the game, it makes no sense to defend it.

The Real SOCOM Podcast Mini - Media Episode 1

This is a new short-form audio feature I'll be doing whenever SOCOM is mentioned in the media. This week I discuss some comments made about SOCOM 4 on the Rebel.fm podcast. So take a listen and let me know your thoughts on the opinions expressed.

Direct Download Here

Show Notes:

Rebel.fm

K'naan - Take a Minute

The voice chat/communication system

More recently on the SOCOM.com message boards I have noticed that a lot people have been speculating how the voice chat system might/should work. Fellow SOCAST contributor LUKENBACHER posted this thread where he calls back to the way that the early SOCOM games executed the voice chat system.

While I do like the general idea of the chat channels that LUKENBACHER suggested, this brings up the issue that people who play alone, and join a room where a lot of people in the same clan are playing. The person who is playing alone might be left out of the conversations and strategies that the people who are playing as a group in a different chat channel are having.

This sparked my own thoughts about how I think the SOCOM 4 voice chat system should work. This harkens back to an idea I was pushing on Slant Six before SOCOM Confrontation and has to do with the PS3 launch title Resistance.

Insomniac (developer of Resistance) was very progressive in terms of Resistance's online interface and how the various systems worked together to encourage a team environment that I think the game pulled off very well, particularly the chat system.

All the separate chat channels were open mic, but the main channel you had to press and hold a button. And even if you were in a separate channel you could press and hold that chat button to talk to everyone on your team, regardless of what channel they were on. So people in the main chat channel/other channels could still be privy to strategies and still communicate with people in other chat channels by holding down a button.

I think this is the absolute best way to execute the chat system, and encourages teamwork not only between clans, but between lone rangers and strangers (hey, I can rhyme) as well.

SOCAST Episode 8

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of original updates recently. In the midst of a big move and a new job so I've been a bit busy. But I found some time to join the SOCAST crew once again this week, and it's a pretty good episode with xWARGOx from the RMD Clan joining us - who reveals something VERY interesting about his past (hint: he played a professional sport in a National league).

Listen/download here!

The SOCAST is also now on iTunes.

SOCAST Episode 7

Me and the rest of the SOCAST/SOCOMIV.com crew are back again this week for another episode. Check it out.

In Episode 7, the SOCAST CREW is back this week with special guest........... Dr_McNOOB !!!!!!

In this episode we discuss.....

The SocomFans.com merger

SocomIV.com Forums

One Game Mode Per Map in Socom 4 Official?

Daytime vs Night Maps in Socom 4

"Water Polo" in Socom 4 Multiplayer

Public Beta for Socom 4?

Dr_McNoob's Epic 60 "Second Spotlight" Rant

And we briefly discuss some of our CRITICS out there......

CAST: HTK , r_e_v , LUKENBACHER , David2Crazy, and Dr_McNOOB

TIME: 33 minutes, 43 seconds

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

SOCAST Episode 6

Hey everyone,

I'm back as a guest on the SOCAST this week. We discuss Seth Luisi's appearance on the Zipline, some hot topics off the Socom.com boards, and make an announcement concerning SOCOMIV.com and it's community. Check it out below.

In Episode 6, the Socast Crew is back this week with special guest "BULLBOYKENNELS"

In this episode we discuss.....

Zipline Episode 9

Seth Luisi's Epic Appearance & Interview

Hot Topics in the Socom.com Forums

"60 Second Spotlight" Featuring "BULLBOYKENNELS"

Official Launch of the SocomIV.com Message Boards!

We were all amazed at Seth Luisi's performance, and felt he addressed numerous topics our community have been wanting to hear. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

CAST: HTK , r_e_v , LUKENBACHER , David2Crazy, and BULLBOYKENNELS

TIME: 36 minutes, 53 seconds

Click here to listen/download

One mode per map + specific day/night maps + co-op confirmed?

Check it out!

According to a GameStop listing:

GameStop Exclusive Abandoned Map - This popular “Suppression” map from SOCOM 1 and 2 makes a comeback in SOCOM 4. Abandoned takes place in the daytime around an ancient Thai village deep in the misty jungle. Fight your way over dense hillsides, through dark caves, and into the close-quarters mayhem of the archeological site. Classic SOCOM heritage meets evolved SOCOM 4 action.

Super M90 Shotgun - An extremely high quality, versatile and powerful weapon, the Super M90 is preferred tactical shotgun among the U.S. NAVY SEALs since 1999. This 12-gauge shotgun is equipped with slug ammunition for serious stopping power. It inflicts heavy damage in a focused area and features a greater effective range than standard shotguns. This weapon can be used exclusively for multiplayer co-op missions.

Damn! A lot of big news for one day. Heres hoping that this will be discussed on tomorrow's Zipline. If not, then you can bet that we'll discuss it on the Socast this weekend.

Giant Bomb interviews Chad Lowe, Producer on SOCOM 4

Check it out. No real new information, but Jeff Gerstmann is just excited to hear about multiplayer as we are!

SOCAST Episode 6 Promo Video (Seth Luisi Week)

I'll be on this week's SOCAST with the rest of the SOCOMIV.com crew. R_E_V made a little promo video for it that you can check out here:

I'll post it on the blog when it goes up sometime this weekend, so watch for it!

The Real SOCOM Podcast - Episode 6

Hey everyone!

Me and Hellman are back again with a new episode of The Real SOCOM Podcast for the week of E3. In this episode we discuss our feelings on what we've seen on SOCOM 4 thus far, how the "Abandoned" pre-order bonus map is being handled, some hopes for online play, and end it with our overall thoughts on this year's E3 - specifically the three major press conferences.

Hope you all enjoy it. Feel free to comment here with any feedback, or you can also email me at daviddoel@therealsocom.com. I read and respond to every email so don't be afraid to tell me your thoughts.

MP3 Version
Subscribe RSS
iTunes Link

And follow us on Twitter!

SOCOM 4 nominated for three Best of E3 Awards by IGN

Check it out.

Nominated on IGN for Best PS3 Game, Best Motion-Control Game, and Best Shooter.

Abandoned (classic SOCOM map) is in SOCOM 4!

Straight from the SOCOM website itself. Pre-order SOCOM 4 at GameStop and get the Abandoned map.



Awesome news!

SOCOM 4 E3 Move demo video

This was just posted on IGN, check it out:

More SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs Videos

Overall I think it looked pretty good. Nothing particularly blew me away, but it looked like an enjoyable level none the less. Now we just have to see it with the Dual-Shock controller.

SOCOM 4 will support 3DTV technology

Straight out of a USA Today article.

SOCOM 4 is due later this year, and Killzone 3 is expected next year, both being developed with 3-D features.

3D technology is way too early in it's infancy for me to care about it yet. When the prices come down and the technology improves, I will care.

New SOCOM 4 trailer and my thoughts

If you haven't already seen the new trailer, check it out here:

Video Games | SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs | E3 2010: Exclusive Story Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

I like how the game looks but the overall feel of the trailer was just very "me too". I don't think it does anything to stand out from long list of shooters already on the market, but that's also an inherent problem with bringing a shooting game to market. Ultimately they all look very similar on the surface, and its really only when you get to play them that you know the differences.

I'm really just excited to see some hand-on reports and footage from E3 this coming week. Keep checking back here for my thoughts on that, and I'm sure I'll be in a couple podcasts next week where you'll be able to hear my feelings on all the SOCOM happenings at the event.

Socast Episode 4 & SOCOMIV.com

Hey guys,

Once again this week I joined the guys on the Socast to discuss everything SOCOM. You can listen to it here. We also made an announcement this week, launching SOCOMIV.com, a new hub for all your SOCOM 4 information.

I will still be posting here on a regular basis, and in the next couple weeks I plan to record another episode of TheRealSOCOM Podcast with my buddy Hellman, so keep checking back for all that stuff.

Sadly though I'll be out of town at the end of this week so I'm going to miss SOCOM 4's appearance on GameTrailers TV (which airs on SpikeTV), as well as the next episode of the Socast. But I'll be back for E3 week voicing my opinions on all the new SOCOM 4 information, you can bet that.

Zipline Podcast Episode 7 - I'm the first audio question!

Hey everyone,

If you haven't checked out episode 7 of the Zipline Podcast you can listen to it here. I sent in an audio question which was played at about the 24:30 mark of the podcast, so go check it out!

Some back story. How I got into SOCOM.

Some insight into my introduction to SOCOM. SOCOM 1 was actually my younger brother's game that he asked for, for Christmas that year. I've always followed videogames and the industry very closely, and I was never interested in SOCOM, honestly, because of it's 7.5 review on IGN. At that time I was 17 and took what an IGN review said to be gospel, and idiot me thought that 7.5 was too low, so I wasn't interested. Which is weird to think of now because both Dunham and Roper who worked at IGN (but not at that time I don't believe) are working on SOCOM 4 now.

But anyways, when he got it I decided to give it a try. I remember it was NIght Stalker and I had absolutely no idea where I was going, but I was still having a blast. My name was either D3 or 3D, because of my initials, and a couple days later I was playing FrostFire in a DH (Deadly Hitman) tryout room. Had a lucky few rounds and they asked me to join the clan and change my name to CrazyLegs, because everyone on the clan needed a G.I. Joe name. And that's why my name is David2Crazy on PSN, keeping the 'Crazy' part of my name of which I was known for on SOCOM.

I guess the rest is history. The day SOCOM 2 came out was an awesome day for me. I was in college and was lucky enough to not have any classes that day. Rode my bike down to EB Games in freezing cold November weather, and picked up the game. First map I played was Foxhunt, and I was in awe at how big the map felt compared to what I was used to in SOCOM 1.

SOCOM, at least the first two games, is an enormous part of my gaming life and my real introduction to online gaming that kept me addicted. I had played some online PC games before but nothing really kept me playing till SOCOM came along.

SOCAST Episode 3 - I'm a guest!

Download it here!

I was happy to be a guest on this week's SOCAST with HTK, r_e_v and lukebacher. We talk about all the latest SOCOM 4 information and speculation including regenerating health, 1 more per map, the move controller, etc. Check it out.

Regenerating health, 1 mode per map, etc

Woah, that was a great episode of the Zipline Podcast last night. If you haven't listened to it (episode 6) you can check it out here.

I was incredibly impressed with CJ Heine who was interviewed on the podcast this week. He's been at Zipper since the development of SOCOM 1 and you can tell that he is really a true classic SOCOM fan. It's great to know and very encouraging that people like that still exist at Zipper. Here's a short best/worst from the podcast:

Best:

CJ Heine seems to hint that maps in SOCOM 4 are designed around a single mode, which I hope to god is true. This is one of the major aspects that make a SOCOM game feel unique and addictive.

Worst:

Regenerating health will be in single player and it sounds like it might be in multiplayer as well (but it wasn't confirmed). The majority of people on the forums are up in arms about this but I'm staying opened-minded. I personally don't think it's a deal-breaker and its something that people should have already braced themselves for.

Listen to the podcast for yourself and lmk what you think.

Also, I'll be a guest on the SOCAST tonight, discussing all of this information and more. So check back for that later.

Zipper and over-the-shoulder view, and why they're wrong

In the last episode of the Zipline Podcast, creative director Ed Byrne stated why they've chosen to go with an OTS view as opposed to the classic centered third-person view from previous SOCOM games.

"[OTS view] is for both [Move & Dual Shock controllers]. So we tried to make sure that there is as little difference as possible between playing with the Dual-Shock and the Move in terms of the camera position, that sort of thing. We had to move the camera out a little bit for the Move, um, we had to push it back and raise it a little bit higher. So when you see footage from GDC you're seeing a slightly different camera angle then you'll see at E3. But for the most part the over-the-shoulder aspect is on both.

I know thats a contentious issue with some of

the fans, um, but it's just one of those things that we sort of, uh, we saw that start in the FTB series and it was one of those things that when we're doing usability tests, and we're doing surveys and talking to gamers out there it seemed like that was becoming a more contemporary camera position, you know it allowed the character to be a little bit bigger on screen and to get out of the central area. For multiplayer we've taken a step back from that a little bit so we are considering a lot of things."

My one problem with this isn't that they are using the OTS view, but that Ed Byrne makes it sound as though they chose that view because of surveys and tests as opposed to having a fundamental gameplay reason for choosing it. Yes, he states that it makes the character larger on screen, but doesn't state why he thinks that is important for this game.

If I were to give any advice to the team at Zipper it would be to make the game that THEY want to make. Sure, read the boards and take us and other opinions into consideration, but ultimately don't let outside forces make the decisions. It's why their reasoning for using OTS view got me so mad.

The one glimmer of hope is that it sounds like the team is keeping it open-ended for multiplayer, and haven't yet made a final decision on what they want to do.

Community - Socast Episode 2 AND vote for SOCOM 2 HD!

Check it out.

HTK, active member on the SOCOM.com forums has just posted another episode of the Socast podcast, this time discussing Zipline Episode 5 and the SOCOM 4 information that came from it.

MP3 link to the podcast here.

Next, you MUST vote in this poll to get Sony on board for a SOCOM 2 in HD remake. Create awareness and make it happen. Remember, this is how God of War Collection got greenlite for an HD remake. Make enough noise and they can't ignore you.

Zipline Podcast Episode 5

Zipper put up Zipline Episode 5 last night with plenty of SOCOM talk. Check it out here.

I'll give my commentary on it in a bit.

Community - The Importance of SOCOM 4 (youtube clip)

Thanks to r_e_v on the SOCOM.com message boards for finding this link. Starting at the 1:25 mark, this SOCOM fan tells it like it is. Check it out below:

Community - "Upriver" Map Concept

Just came across this post on the SOCOM.com boards by SpecterMK23. You know SOCOM has an amazing community when people like this design maps in their spare time. Check out the link to see his idea.

Your answer to UCRR's is coming...soon

Probably one of the most asked questions about SOCOM 4 from hardcore fans is if UCRRs (User Created Ranked Rooms) will or won't be in the game. Your answer, it seems, is coming next week. According to Chris and Jeremy in today's 'Zipline Podcast Episode 3' stated that they hope to announce how the online setup works, including whether UCRRS are in or not, but will do it the next time they have someone working on SOCOM 4 on the podcast.

My prediction? The classic lobby setup will be chucked out the window in favour of a more streamlined, more current, match-making setup. Hopefully we'll have our final answer next week.

IGN single-player Q&A

Check out IGN's new Q&A with Ed Byrne on SOCOM 4's single player here.

I really like the focus on the characters in the story that Ed Byrne seems to be hinting at. I think a lot of shooters loose sight of how important it is to know the characters names and their backgrounds when it comes to crafting a single player story that you want your audience to latch on to.

Really happy with what I've heard about single player so far. Looking forward to seeing more.

Community - Socast Episode I: Discussing Zipline

I came across this post on the SOCOM.com forums. Great half hour podcast put together by HTK and r_e_v from the forums. They discuss all the information that came out of Zipper's Zipline Podcast.

Check it out here. (mp3)

And I'll be posting more posts/podcasts/etc from the community. So if you see something interesting that you feel should be recognized, drop me an email at daviddoel@therealsocom.com and I'll be sure to post it.

Zipline Podcast Ep1 - My thoughts

If you haven't already listened to Zipper's new weekly podcast, you can check out Friday's episode here.

I was surprised with the amount of new information that came out of the half hour podcast. Jeremy & Chris interviewed Lead Designer of SOCOM 4, Travis Steiner, who divulged a good amount of new information including:

- There will be NO vehicles in multiplayer

- The online gameplay will be a departure from the classic SOCOM experience (new modes, new maps, a new experience)

- Cover system will be in multiplayer

Travis also explained that SOCOM 4 will be a much different experience than their previous game MAG, but didn't quite indicate how other than the fact that SOCOM 4 is a 3rd-person game without vehicles online.

He was also very adamant on the point that SOCOM 4 will not feel like a classic online SOCOM experience. He made the point that many of the members on the team have been working on and playing SOCOM since it's inception, so they want to try something different. I just want to counter his point by saying that every SOCOM game since SOCOM 3 has been very different from the SOCOM 1/2 experience. So making a SOCOM 1/2 style game WOULD be a departure from what has been released more recently. SOCOM Confrontation (developed by Slant6) was definitely an attempt at trying to bring back the SOCOM 1/2 feel, but its hard to find hardcore fans who think that Confrontation is a proper representation of SOCOM 1/2.

But like I've been saying since SOCOM 4's announcement, Confrontation is the closest that we are going to get to a PS3 classic SOCOM experience. A lot of people thought I was full of it and that Zipper would bring 'back the classic', but if it wasn't obvious before, it is now, they want to do something different.

Personally I'm not complaining. I'm really excited to see what they have planned for multiplayer and single player. But I'm here to represent the hardcore fans, and they don't seem as convinced as I am, that it's time to move on to some new ideas. I just hope that the overall experience still feels like SOCOM, just pushed to the next level.

Jotstiq interview with Travis Steiner

Joystiq just posted an interview they had with Lead Designer on SOCOM 4, Travis Steiner. There is some really good information in there about how they are approaching the Move controls as well as why they chose to release two shooters in one year.

Check it out here.

Seattle newspaper sits down with Zipper

The Seattle Times have sat down with Zipper Interactive's Brian Soderberg to talk about the Playstation Move and SOCOM 4. Check out the entire article here. No real new information for the hardcore, but its an interesting Q&A none the less.

Source

Zipper's weekly podcast starting April 23rd

Jeremy Dunham and Chris Roper will be back together in podcast form starting next Friday. Both come from IGN and had been on a couple podcasts there, namely IGN PS3's 'Podcast Beyond'.

It's awesome to see Zipper doing this for their fans. When I had started this blog there was barely any communication between the SOCOM development team (SlantSix at the time) and it's fans, and now there is constant communication between the two.

Good luck with the podcast guys, I know I'll be listening.

Source

Chris Roper (formally of IGN) joins the Zipper team

Awesome news out of Zipper, Chris Roper (formally of IGN.com) has joined Jeremy Dunham on the Zipper community team as a 'Community Specialist'. Chris Roper was recently laid off from IGN - citing economical reasons.

Chris and Jeremy

It's great to see he's landed on his feet at Zipper, and just like his work at IGN, he'll have a lot to offer the company as well as fans of Zipper franchises.

Check out all the details here.

G4TV hands-on with SOCOM 4 & Move

Members of G4TV.com give their thoughts on SOCOM 4 with the Playstation Move. Hardcore fans take note, they mention how they would probably get their ass kicked if they were to use the Move online against players who use the dual-shock controller:

Xbox 360 Games - E3 2010 - Heavy Rain

SOCOM fans worried? Don't be

With the announcement of 'Move' support and various other information gathered from the gameplay video at GDC, some SOCOM fans are worried about the direction that Zipper is taking with SOCOM 4.

But SOCOM fans, on the SOCOM.com message boards Community Manager Jeremy Dunham gives you something to look forward to:

zpr_DunhamSmash posted:

And again, you guys haven't seen anything yet.

I'm promise you, we haven't forgotten about the core.

I'm actually excited that we're going to prove that to you in the next few months.

:)

So if you've been down about SOCOM 4 expanding it's audience, don't worry, Zipper hasn't forgot about you yet.

SOCOM 4 stage-demo from GDC

Video Game - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

You'll have to fast-forward a bit, it comes after the Motion Fighters game.

Update on Motion control support

Just over 10min ago Sony demoed SOCOM 4 on-stage at a GDC Press Conference with their new motion controller (called Playstation Move).

Surprisingly, I was impressed with the demo, both visually and also by what the motion controller seemed capable of. The controller seemed precise and also natural when exploring the environment. All the commands and options you have with a regular controller, you will be able to execute with the 'Move' controller. Also the reticule was not dead-set in the centre of the screen like it would normally be when using a normal controller. I imagine this is ONLY to make it easier to use the Move controller, and is not something you will experience when playing with a controller.

Visually I thought the game looked incredible. This could be the SOCOM fanboy in me talking, but I was really impressed with what was shown and I'm eager to watch the video again when it hits the internet. And I'll make sure to post it here when it does.

SOCOM 4 supports 'Playstation Move'. PS3's new motion controller

Straight from Sony's GDC Press Conference.

Yes folks, HUGE news, and something I thought about but didn't really think would happen. Sony's new motion controller will be supported in SOCOM 4. There was a quick clip shown in a montage (game looked really good), and I'm assuming there will be an on-stage demo shortly.

I'll update with more info when that happens, and hold off my impressions until then.

Giving a nod to the SOCOM fanbase with SOCOM 4

This is something that's been on my mind since the release of SOCOM 4, and the more I think about it the more I believe how important it will be to SOCOM fans, regardless of how much the game will otherwise change.

Here are simple, small, yet very effective ways that Zipper can really speak to the fans of SOCOM:

• Include the original SOCOM 1 & SOCOM 2 theme on the soundtrack, somewhere in the game.
• Bring back "SEALS vs Terrorists" online, no more of this "Mercenaries and Commandos" stuff. SEALS vs Terrorists is to SOCOM, as Red vs Blue is to Halo.
• Text chat in pre/post-game lobbies
• Character skins from singleplayer (SEALs & Terrorists), playable in multiplayer (courtesy GORILA618)

I've posed this question to the SOCOM.com forums and will be adding to the list as more suggestions come in.

"TheRealSOCOM" Podcast - Episode 5

Listen here (direct download) - 28:07
Subcribe here (RSS reader)
We are also on iTunes here


We're baaaaaack!

Today we discuss the surprise announcement, the trailer, the visuals, the news so far, 32 players, and tons more! Also, for the first time we take voicemails. Enjoy!

Also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/therealsocom

Send us your tweets and voicemails! All voicemails can be emailed to me at daviddoel@therealsocom.com.

SOCOM 4 First Trailer!

Video Games | SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs | Exclusive Debut Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

We're finally on Twitter

I've had a personal Twitter account for over a year and a half, but I figured today was as good time as any to create one for the blog. So make sure to follow us at http://www.twitter.com/therealsocom . Updates will be frequent and instant with the latest SOCOM news, speculation, posts, and podcasts.

SOCOM 4 Podcast coming soon

It's been a VERY long time coming, but me and Hellman are finally going to record another podcast, this time with our impressions/loves/hates on the SOCOM 4 announcement. We are still debating if we want to wait for the trailer or not...we may just do one before and after. I know there are people listening, so watch for it!

SOCOM 4 announced!

IGN Preview
Playstation Blog Details

Read up! I'll be coming at you with some of my own commentary and possibly a podcast? We'll see soon.

SOCOM 4 Rumors and Hints

Courtesy of iplaystation.blogspot.com. The most interesting one being that SOCOM 4 is now in GameCrazy's database, available for pre-order.

FTB3 Impressions

Finally got to play some SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 online last night as the the Japan server had about 250 people online. Have to say I'm very impressed, and like any good online game I kept telling myself "just one more game before bed". The controls still aren't ideal but that has more to do with the PSP itself rather than the game.

A couple weeks ago when my review copy first arrived I put some time into single player which so far I find to be very straight-forward and simple yet oddly still enjoyable. Its pretty much a "get from point A to point B" affair, but it manages to do it in a way that's still engaging. You have control over your squad mates with simple commands like "fire at will" and the system is very intuitive when it comes to ordering your squad mates where to go as very rarely do I have to re-issue the command because they walked to the wrong place.

I have yet to try online co-op but I hope to at some point as with any online co-op mode I imagine it makes the single player a much more social and thus a more enjoyable experience.

If there is anything particular that you'd like to know about the game before it's release on Tuesday feel free to ask me in the comments section and I'll be happy to respond.

Fireteam Bravo 3 releasing Feb 16th. Excited?

For the past few months everything has been pretty quiet in regards to PSP releases. I've had a PSP now for about 4 years, where the majority of my time spent playing it was in the first year I had it. I do own Fireteam Bravo 2, and while I enjoyed what I played of it, I never really got addicted to the online as I did with SOCOM on the consoles.

The fact that Fireteam Bravo 3 is being handled by Slant Six as opposed to Zipper has me more interested than I would have been normally. Nothing against Zipper, but I think getting a fresh pair of eyes on a series can often be a great thing.

Now as anyone who reads the blog or listened to podcasts I've done with Hellman from the past, you know my interest in SOCOM derives from the console releases. But regardless, I will be checking out and doing a review of SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 in time for it's February 16th release. And if I have some time you might even get a treat for your ears in the form of a review-podcast.

Check back sometime between Feb 9th and the 16th for my full review of the game.