Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

Online only games can be a perilous affair. Perilous because you are not offering a story driven single player portion to hang your hat on if your multiplayer of the game is substandard. There is no golden parachute to save your game. What you are essentially offering gamers who venture forth to your game is the means for them to have fun with one another, be it through content, tools to create a community, and most importantly the gameplay to keep them coming back again and again. As a matter of fact, these are the same reasons why there really aren't that many online only games on consoles. It's hard work and an even more select audience you are catering to. Generally this audience while lucrative if successfully piqued, are smaller in size than the crowd that inhabits the console world of today.

The secret to success for online only games is not just to cater to your core crowd that will most likely gravitate to your product, but to grab a piece of that console crowd that typically doesn't buy online only games because, well... they're online only! Look at Shadowrun on the 360. A great game that unfortunately never caught on. Then again look at Warhawk which has. The differences between the two is not one sucked and the other didn't. It was one was allowed to offer more content, more support than the other.

What does all that have to do with SOCOM? Easy. Your game better be crack-a-lackin' dynamite in order to not just sell, but to survive the harsher justifiable criticisms that will be thrown your way. It better start with a bang and have the fundamentals down in order to get to the adding more content stage. Does Sony/Slant Six's SOCOM:Confrontation have what it takes to get to that stage? Is SOCOM's gameplay even relevant in today's market where the Gears of Wars, Call of Dutys and Halos of the world reign supreme? Walk with me soldier and watch my six, as we scout ahead to find out.



SOCOM:Confrontation didn't start off with a bang. One could say it didn't start at all. The debut of SOCOM was one of massive failure, as in if you got this game day one ( a month ago ), you would of considered yourself a lucky dog if you even got it to actually work. Perhaps you may have remembered my spirited blog pointing this out. But time has passed and it's time to judge the game not by its initial shortcomings but that of todays. For those that have been smoking crack, pawned your Playstation 2 way back when and don't know about SOCOM, its essentially a third person shooter where one team plays a branch of our armed forces and the other plays mercenaries. Depending on the game mode the objective changes. Ultimately you can revert to eliminating all of your opponents with extreme prejudice in all modes to win. Just make sure that you can accomplish that before their goal is completed.

The modes of play as well as the maps more than get the job done. There are seven game modes which coincidentally equals the amount of maps you have to play with. For SOCOM vets Slant Six brought back old favorites: Crossroads, Frost Fire, and Desert Glory. All three are just as you remembered them with a spit and polish that may bring a tear to your eyes. Some like Crossroads have grown to ensure even more players join the fray comfortably. I know some of you are thinking seven maps? That's all? Well gentlemen, let me put your worries at ease. These maps are ingenious, large affairs. If I were to compare the largest map of SOCOM to say the largest of COD4 it's no contest. SOCOM wins hands down. Not just in size mind you but in complexity. Most buildings you see you can enter, most rooftops shown can be used to scout and snipe, cars littering the streets while good cover are combustible, and the nooks and crannies within are legion. Not only that but there is at least one or two major parts to a map that can be blown to smithereens that will block ( or conceivably trap the opposition to ) a section of the map.



Modes of play are as follows:

-Elimination: A no respawn Team Deathmatch. Kill the opposition.If there are players left after the runs out. Draw.

-Control: In control mode each team is tasked with marking 5 key points ( Done by cracking flares on the spot.Awesome.) around the level. Again NO respawns.

-Breach: The Commando team needs to destroy a target within Mercenary territory. They must breach walls blocking routes to the target and plant a bomb. They win if they destroy the target or eliminate the mercenary team. The Mercenaries win if the time runs out, they defuse the bomb, or they eliminate the commandos. Again NO respawns.

-Escort: The Commandos need to escort 3 VIPs across the map to 1 of 2 extraction points ( Picked up by a sweet Heli ). They win if they can escort at the minimum 2 of the three to those points or eliminate the opposing team, The opposing team wins if they either kill the VIPs or the Commandos. Do I need to mention there is no respawns again?

- Demolition: Demolition mode has a bomb located right smack in the middle of the level. Each team needs to recover it and destroy a target of interest. Victory is achieved by planting the bomb and having it go BOOM, defusing a planted bomb or eliminating the opposing team. No respawns.

- Extraction: is the same as Escort except the Mercenaries have 3 hostages and the Commandos need to retrieve them to 1 of 2 extraction point. Like always if they get them there...win. If they eliminate the opposing force...win. No respawns.

-Suppression: This is basically Team Deathmatch but respawns are in play, if you choose. Victory is won if the opposing team is eliminated, or you have more men when they do when the ticker runs out, or if you reach the designated kill count.



So yeah, plenty of modes. Yada-yada-yada. How is the game? Let's start with the graphics. SOCOM will not win any beauty awards. This doesn't have jaw dropping graphics like Gears, the color palette of Halo nor the sharpness of a COD4 game. But guess what? It doesn't need to. What's on tap here by Slant Six is more than respectable.They're cool. Cool as in it gets the job done and occasionally you'll notice something small like rubble falling from above, where someone is walking, giving away their position, and you're like... that's cool. Keep in mind that the maps can be huge, indoors/outdoors, with day and night cycles. It's all good. And if your HDTV supports 1080p, guess what? So does this game. On the right TV this game looks clean ( BTW:The night vision mode...slick ).

Your view of the game while third person is adjustable. Push up on the dpad and you get a closer third person view ala Resident Evil. Believe it or not if you're in that mode you are actually more accurate with your aim. But you lose the vision and mobility of the classic zoomed out view of the default camera. Of course while manually aiming it's just like a 1st person affair. But you'll work for that kill still. Which leads me to the gameplay of SOCOM. A LOT of people think SOCOM's gameplay is antiquated. Its time has passed. It's just much too slow, methodical, the controls too unfriendly and unforgiving. It just doesn't have a cover system like the latest Rainbow Six or Gears. It's not as intuitive as COD4. Also, no respawns? Really?



Yes, really. There are no respawns at all in ranked games. Hell, in most unranked games that will be the case. This game is not nurturing in anyway, shape or form and I wouldn't have it any other way. There is a reason that the majority of the SOCOM crowd are of the *ahem* older demographic and that reason is, forgive me for this generalization, they're more patient. You'll need plenty of that in this game. Sure you can run off like Rambo and try to put bullets in people's dome as sure as you please but it wont net you many wins. What it will reward your cowboy ways with is a view of the match without you in it. This actually is not a bad thing as you can see how others play the game and the strategies they employ, which in turn if your an apt pupil you can incorporate to your play the next time your on the field.

There is just something to be said about having one life in a game that is just plain win. Games that have multiple lives while enjoyable lose one of the best thing a shooter should have in its repertoire. And that's the thrill of the hunt or the hunted. Without that, sure it can be enjoyable but the intensity is lost because in the back of your head you know you'll respawn. With SOCOM you know better. You know this is it and you better bring it or it's snack time on your sofa watching the festivities. Teamwork here is essential. If you're not communicating with your squad telling them where you are, what you think you heard/saw, you're doing it wrong.



The gameplay, while hard to come to grips, is sublime. Guns with their varying degrees of stats that are wildly different from another, are there to be chosen from, to accompany your style of play. Don't think that any gun will do. I mean, yeah any gun can shoot someone dead, but if your the up close and personal type, you may want that shottie, if your more the stealthier type, that sniper is nice, not good with aiming at all? Get a machine gun that has a shitload of bullets. One of them will hit its target.

Same goes for armor. Want heavy armor with the benefit of taking a bit more damage? By all means go for it. Just know you'll be sacrificing mobility and carrying a refrigerator on your back. Want light armor so you can run circles around your opponents. That's cool too. Know that it will take even less to drop you. Or you could have a fusion of the two. It's all up to you and the way you play. Finding that happy medium with your guns, gear and armor will give you an advantage before you even step foot into the field of play. The controls which can be very hard to get into while unforgiving become second nature the more you play. To the point that like all good control schemes become invisible, not seen or thought of. All that is required to achieve that level of comfort with them is dedicated play.



And finally the last two things I'll reflect on. I could keep going but I'll spare you. Seeing I wrote more than intended to.

Number One: The Headset w/ the Game Bundle.

This headset is awesome. There is a reason why it's the official headset to the PS3 and it's simple. It rocks. It automatically syncs with the PS3 by just plugging it up through the usb cord it comes with. No more WTF wont this work syncing problems. Not only that if it's low on juice just drop it on it's cradle and you can still use to to chat. Sound is crisp and clean and really that's all you can ask for it. Aside from a big mute button that it has within easy reach. I love it. Since I got it I haven't looked back at my other bluetooth.

Number Two: Netplay/Online:

This is part of the review that comes full circle with the beginning of my take. Does SOCOM have the means for you to have fun with one another, be it through content, tools to create a community, and most importantly the gameplay to keep them coming back again and again. Does the online work, is stable and most importantly for an online game, functional? The answer is a resounding yes.

FACT: I have had more bouts of freezing playing Fallout3 than on SOCOM. I have had no more or no less lag than I would any other game. Dropouts are an extreme rarity and voice chat works beautifully. This is not an opinion here. This is a fact. SantanaClause89 and I host SOCOM on Friday Night Fights and on SOCOM Saturdays and can easily confirm that we have no network issues that have been stated elsewhere. All one has to do is play the game with us to see for themselves. Or by themselves. I will say that perhaps the people who may be having online difficulties may be picking the wrong channels/servers. SOCOM has a server list to choose based on your area in order for maximum performance. If you choose the wrong region, you very well may have connectivity or lag issues. I live in the east. I choose East Servers, not ones from Central or Canada.

So is that it? Is everything with SOCOM groovy? No. There is still not a party system for it yet, it can be a chore to get everyone in a ranked room because of this, the interface for sending messages in game is confusing, trophy support hasn't been implemented yet ( though they are for Tournament play anyway so no need in thinking you'll have to do things over again ), and loading a game is noticeable. Also let me reiterate SOCOM isn't for everyone. It takes a dedication and a patience that upfront seems like too much of a commitment to adhere to.

But to those who take the plunge and put the effort, they will be more than pleasantly surprised, they will see what all the fuss over SOCOM was originally. A realistic shooter that stands on its own, made more so because of all these other shooters being oh so similar. Keep in mind there has already been two patches with more to come. Like fine wine, the best thing about online only games are the more they age the better it gets. The next patch is rumored to be out next week for you trophy aficionados.

Bottom line: If you're in the market for a headset I highly recommend a buy as the price of a regular game will net you the headset... If you're not in the market for a headset and aren't particularly into the one life mentality, a pass is in order, though a rent might not be out of the question as I feel that you may find something in SOCOM that you are not finding anywhere else. For those that yearn for a game without shields, without multiple lives or spawn camping, with no auto aiming assistance, without the babble of kids screeching in your ear, and victories earned with teamwork and skill, your game has arrived soldier.