This is the functional part of SOCOM's retail package, and it's a great headset.
Well, the server issues continue. And Sony's official SOCOM site has updated with news about where the guys and gals of Sony and Slant Six are at with regards to getting it going.
It sounds like most of the issues are server-side, which feels in line with my experience. I still run into issues where I can't get off the main menu, and even when manage to wade through the game's menus to get into a game, I've been getting disconnected pretty regularly.
Though I don't feel like I've been able to play enough of the game to write a full review and score it, there's a larger problem with SOCOM: Confrontation that I certainly noticed after only a few rounds. The developers of the game have painstakingly re-created as much of the old SOCOM stuff as possible. On one hand, that's awesome. I played a ton of SOCOM and SOCOM II, and in a way, the game feels like a throwback to the original games. So if you can muster up nostalgia for a game released in 2002, you'll probably feel the same way.
But it's 2008, and games have changed a great deal since then. I don't think it's too much to say that the SOCOM series greatly benefitted from being in the right place at the right time. There was nothing quite like it on the PlayStation 2 or the Xbox. Meanwhile, PC players probably just sort of sneered in SOCOM's general direction while playing another round of Counter-Strike. By being somewhat unique for console players, SOCOM's clunky server menus and stuff didn't seem like a huge deal. But when you flash-forward to today, those same menus seem completely unnecessary and incredibly cumbersome.
So it's a shame that this practically slavish dedication to the old SOCOM games poured over into the game's menus. To play a game, first you have to select a channel, which is an area where up to 256 players can connect for servers specific to that channel. Most of them have location-based names, like "US WEST 15" or "US EAST 9" or something. Since the entire first page of channels is usually totally full, I don't think anyone ever looks for the first open channel in their region--instead they just look for one they can actually join.
From there, you can get a server list. I don't believe you can actually create your own ranked games, so you're stuck trying to get into the few ranked servers that populate each channel. Usually those servers are either jam-packed to the player limit or, for whatever reason, completely empty. You could also try to jump into any number of unranked, player-created games, or make your own and hope people join. Even with the inclusion of a friends list and some sort of clan support, getting into a game feels like a real chore. The new standards of "ranked game" or "custom match" menu options should have been used here. The entire channels system doesn't make any sense in a modern online shooter.
The menus give you a handful of options for customizing your commando (good guy) and mercenary (bad guy).
The headset that comes with the retail package, however, is awesome. You can sync it with your PS3 via USB, and doing so enables a high-quality audio mode that sounds terrific. It also allows for on-screen feedback concerning your headset's battery life and volume level. It's a great headset that should have been included with the PS3 from day one. Seriously, I've tried a ton of different crappy Jabra headsets, including the one that came with Warhawk, and this one is way superior to that stuff. It's easy to use, and it's the first Bluetooth headset of any kind that's felt comfortable to wear for longer periods of time. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on, like, the shape of your ears. If there's a silver lining to all this, it's that I now have a great PS3 headset to use once LittleBigPlanet gets up and running.
But seriously, they need to fix server issues or otherwise suffer mediocre scores from sites, like 1UP's C+
I hope it really gets patched soon because it's feeling like a beta test right now.
Not to mention, SOCOM has crashed my PS3 more than once and stutters mid-game frequently.
Also, 1UP's review is totally dead on. Cheers to ReTarDedFisHy for directing my attention thusly.
In that regard, I don't think the older SOCOM titles benefitted from being in the right place at the right time. They were, as a review in the now deceased Official PlayStation Magazine put it, "a thinkin' man's shooter." SOCOM is supposed to be damn near Chess with guns. SOCOM fans or people who may end up becoming part of that group are just flat out not the people who enjoy spending days playing Halo matches. Therefore I believe comparing it to other shooters on the market right now is totally inappropriate. You don't compare Smash Bros. to Virtua Fighter and say Smash Bros. is better because it's "more fun."
Sorry if that was too long a comment but this has been festering in my mind all day.
For the most part, it is.
But even as a hardcore SOCOM fan, ReTarDedFisHy doesn't recommend buying it now - you should wait until the issues are fixed.
Overall, the multiplayer still feels like SOCOM and is as great as ever, but you're only able to play like 2-5 minutes then you get dc'd for no reason.
The issues right now are ruining the gameplay experience, albeit temporary, they really need to get this sorted out.
As for SOCOM, playing the beta was my first playing experience with the franchise and I didn't really fancy it. I was never sure how I was supposed to aim in order to hit someone, all the camera angles felt weird, the sixaxis leaning was often more a distraction then really useful and the graphics weren't all that impressive, even for an online game.
And that headset...wow.
"But the part where online games and my tastes in online shooters have continued to evolve since the release of SOCOM II probably aren't things that can be patched."
Saying a game like CoD 4, which is probably one of your favorite shooters right now, is an more evolved than Socom is purely an opinion. CoD 4 is fun and all, but there's only so much fun to be had, for me personally, in running and gunning. I have played any top shooter you can name, and the ones that stick with me for a longer period of time are ones where you don't just run straight in and you have to be patient and think out your strategy. That started with Counter-Strike and probably the most recent one I played the hell out of was Gears of War. For me it is a lot more satisfying in Gears to tactically use cover to get into the best position and pop out the best moment to pop a headshot or wait for someone to run by before you blow him to bits with a shotgun. Sure, mindlessly running around and shooting people is fun too, but it won't keep my attention for too long.