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    SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs

    Game » consists of 3 releases. Released Apr 19, 2011

    Zipper Interactive returns to the SOCOM series with a new installment on PlayStation 3 that features squad-based gameplay, 32 player online modes, and PlayStation Move support.

    Socom beta impressions.. of a non socom fan

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    DonPixel

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    #1  Edited By DonPixel

    Ok  I racked up 7 hours into it since I got the beta Im re-writting expanding my initial impressions: 
     

    Im a 3rd person shooter sucker but I never played the socom series, the navy-marine stuff don't appeal to me.. My only previous experience with the Socom series it`s confrontation which I bough mainly because of the wireless mic so.. (go figure) 

    I was kind of expecting a half ass week 3rd person shoter.. yet I have to say this game seems pretty good fast paced thig feel 3rd person shooting, the weapons sound and behave diferent enough to not feel generic, you can see how they shoot different, the ballistic "draw" of the bullets it`s really good as a Bad Company 2 fan I think this one is on par, you can see the draw of the bullet trajectory and its drop, taking in count you die kind of easy gives the game the tactical feel the series is know for (i guess).. 

    thou the animation in the trailers looks lame, in the game they not as bad I would say COD BLOPS quality like, the 3rd cover mechanic works good enough, sometimes feels a little odd but nothing to worry about.. comparing it to games like uncharted is kind of rudimentary but well yeaa apples and bananas here. 

    Ther's seem to be a shitload of costumization options but I have no idea how deep is this gona be in the final game, visuals and sounds are pretty much MAG with a overhaul lighting and shadowing are pretty good, the clean a little plastic look of the game it`s well suited for a multiplayer game... I would add it runs pretty smoth and lag free for having 32 dudes online at the same time 

    No single or co-op in the current beta plus, while I have no much interest in the single player campaign.. I love co-op.. I think they can put something really good here if the mission design it`s good 

    I have absolutely no idea how this is gonna be rated in the metacritic.. not that it matter much for a niche-comunity oriented game like this.. personally think they allready broke the quality benchmark they need please the comunity, still Im not the most suited to state this.. 

    As far as the comunity goes.. (my opinion as a noob) seems to be quite good and mature, other than the usual COD troll bashing the game for well not being COD.. a lot of people uses the mic and do the usual game talk, so it`s cool. 

    Any socom fan out there also in the psn plus beta can share it's impressions ? is this gona please socom fans.. myself I def looking forward to play some more and Im giving it a buy once release.
     
    OK - I forgot to talk a bit about the downsides I´ve found (at least for me), so here they go:

    -Im having problems indentifying team mates, the blue name would pop up late constantly and the models aren´t that distinctive 
    -This is not that important but for a progression system that awards the usual killstreak, be nice, be badass and so on medals.. the graphic for such cyber-awards are pretty bad.    

    Final Note: After 20 hours of beta I still back up most that I wrotte yet I don´t see me buying the game... after 20 hours of it I feel no need for more Socom, plus I just re set my PC and Im hoked in steam again.. nevertheless: What the fuck? the review scores seem to be pretty low, I think this game is like 7 or 8 multiplayer wise... duno how did it get a 30 from destructoid that seems to be way to low.... crazy crazy world
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    Enigma777

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    #2  Edited By Enigma777

    I just played 2 matches. It's not bad. I'm actually impressed by how good it looks visually considering how bad MAG was. I feel like I can't find the sweet spot for the turning though. It's either too slow or too jumpy.  
     
    Also the cover is not very good. For example you can't even transition from leaning against cover to crouching against it like say Uncharted or Gears. It makes it feel cumbersome and janky. 

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    jayjonesjunior

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    #3  Edited By jayjonesjunior
    @Enigma777: MAG is a 256 Multiplayer game, you don't expect a 32 player game to need that kind of cut down, btw MAG is a great game.
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    DonPixel

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    #4  Edited By DonPixel
    @Enigma777:   Yep the cover feels a little odd..  It´s a 3rd person shooter that behaves little to much like a 1st person one, you are to cloose to your toon compared to say Uncharted  
     
    My main multiplayer attm it´s Uncharted 2, but I hardly doubt ther´s something as good coming out any time soon other than well Uncharted 3.. animation and control in that game it´s unmatched..   
     
    still for sake of variety Im liking Socom so far, the most precise aproach to weapons make it less melee focused and unlike Uncharted you have 32 dudes in the meat grind.  Im stycking to UC2 until UC3 still socom is way better than I expected, might buy it to get military from time to time. 
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    DeShawn2ks

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    #5  Edited By DeShawn2ks
    @DonPixel:  I used to love the old Socom back in the PS2 days. I am getting pretty burned out from shooters lately and I wasn't going to pick it up. A buddy of mine told me though there is a special edition that you can get that comes with the PS3 Move, navigation controller, and the sharpshooter for around 150 bucks. I am not big on the whole motion control thing but if this is true that sounds like a pretty good deal. I also actually heard the sharpshooter is kinda good. Have you played it with this and if so how is it holding up?
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    DonPixel

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    #6  Edited By DonPixel
    @DeShawn2ks: I have move, it´s "functional" I guess.. I don´t really think it suit this kind of games mostly because you get your ass handdle in multiplayer..  besides after a long session your arm screams CARPAL TUNEL!..  I can´t talk abou the sharpshooter thou have yet to handle one myself..  
     
    That deal sounds decent mostly because of the move, I played some of the Kz3 campaign with the move and It was fun... but as I said it´s nothing I intend to use in multiplayer I´m much more proficient with the dualshock. 
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    Enigma777

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    #7  Edited By Enigma777
    @jayjonesjunior said:
    " @Enigma777: MAG is a 256 Multiplayer game, you don't expect a 32 player game to need that kind of cut down, btw MAG is a great game. "
    I realize why MAG looks bad. I was just pointing out that I'm surprised that Socom 4 looks as good as it does. The lighting and shadows are especially good. 
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    Barrock

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    #8  Edited By Barrock

    God I hope it's decent. I absolutely loved 1 and 2. Those were the first games I was addicted to. I'd act like I was going to sleep until my parents were asleep and then turn my PS2 on and join up with my clan. 3, not so much. The maps were too big in my opinion and the vehicles were eh.

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    THRICE

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    #9  Edited By THRICE

    Having fun with it but the camera is way to zoomed in and the aiming is incredibly awkward and after enough tinkering I finally had to just give up and get used to it. After maybe 5+ hours on it so far I'm really getting into it despite the initial goofy impressions with the controls. 
     
     And is anyone else annoyed by the fact Socom is still using made up names for most of the guns? Is FN Belgium going to drop its legal ninjas on Zipper for saying P90 instead of F90 when everyone else uses the real names.

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    pabsi9

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    #10  Edited By pabsi9

    I have a code if anyone wants it...ill be playing crysis 2 & wont have time to try the beta

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    frankxiv

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    #11  Edited By frankxiv

    I've only played like 3 games of socom 2 lan, so that's my socom background. I'm really liking it so far, I've only played a couple of rounds, but I was able to pick it up instantly, the controls felt really good and I liked the pacing of it. 
     
    The community also seems really good and relatively mature. Some guy on my team was the last alive, another guy ran up on him, he killed that guy, and right at that moment, someone sniped him. Instead of raging out and swearing up a storm he was like "wow, that was a really nice shot". Even the guys who are super good and high level seem really chill, which is nice for a new player, since they're usually more helpful and supportive rather than just yelling at you that you're doing it wrong.

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    falserelic

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    #12  Edited By falserelic

    I've played the beta of socom 4.The beta is pretty fun.It feels like an improved version of Mag.

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    Devil240Z

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    #13  Edited By Devil240Z
    I think the game will be great once they fix a few issues that the people have identified.  
     
    • Improve Touch to Talk/ Implement Push to talk
    • Pull back the camera
    • maybe remove cover from classic(i could go either way)
    • maybe mess with the guns stats, they all feel the same right now.
    • grenade arc would be nice but I dont see it happening. 
    Thats whats on my mind now. 
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    TheHBK

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    #14  Edited By TheHBK

    I would be excited for this game if the Co-Op features were better.  They seem to be kinda like Spec Ops in MW2, not part of the multiplayer or single player.  I love Co-Op tactical games and for them to be kinda limited on this, not letting you do the campaign co-op, is disappointing to say the least.

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    DonPixel

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    #15  Edited By DonPixel
    @Devil240Z: Im also having problems indentifying team mates.. the blue name would pop up late constantly and the models aren´t that distinctive 
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    Devil240Z

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    #16  Edited By Devil240Z
    @DonPixel said:

    " @Devil240Z: Im also having problems indentifying team mates.. the blue name would pop up late constantly and the models aren´t that distinctive  "

    oh yeah thats a big one. How hard is if a teammate is on your screen they have a blue diamond on their head? hopefully they will fix this.  
     
    @TheHBK said:
    " I would be excited for this game if the Co-Op features were better.  They seem to be kinda like Spec Ops in MW2, not part of the multiplayer or single player.  I love Co-Op tactical games and for them to be kinda limited on this, not letting you do the campaign co-op, is disappointing to say the least. "
    I personally think of the regular multiplayer to be co-op. since it requires so much teamwork.  
    anyway the actual co-op in S4 seem alot like what they had in Combined Assault. Which I never even played cause it looked kinda lame. 
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    jacdg

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    #17  Edited By jacdg

    Not gonna lie, it's quite fun, I suck but I'm enjoying myself right now, which is certainly not the case for many other shooters.  I think I played an hour of the domination like gamemode, where you have to hold all 3 points and then destroy the enemy headquarters. At first I had no idea at all about what I was doing, but at the end of the session I went 16-14 and felt pretty proud of that. The only things that annoyed me, was the opposing teams' snipers, and the Friendly Fire.

    I'm going to play some more over the weekend, but it seems pretty fun, had Mortal Kombat not come out a day before this, I probably might have bought it.    

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    gla55jAw

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    #18  Edited By gla55jAw

    I played about an hour so far. I have to play more, but so far it just doesn't feel that fun. The matches I've played so far consisted of me spawning, running around looking for someone to shoot for 3 minutes, getting shot and repeat.

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    Jackel2072

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    #19  Edited By Jackel2072

    im trying to find the energy to write up a long list as to why i think this game is shit... short list 
     
    Camera is shit 
     
    Bomb Mode needs some work 
     
    Voting system should be flat out removed (there should never be a map voting system in ANY game) 
     
    SOCOM was a fluke... there i said it. it came at a time when there was no online multiplayer on consoles 
     
    at this point you might as well just play Call Of Duty 
     
    and blah blah blah. in the end im sure it will find its cult community but its nothing you haven't seen before and in some cases feels backwards. MAG was a good idea lets a get a sequel to that instead please.

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    THRICE

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    #20  Edited By THRICE
    @gla55jAw said:
    " I played about an hour so far. I have to play more, but so far it just doesn't feel that fun. The matches I've played so far consisted of me spawning, running around looking for someone to shoot for 3 minutes, getting shot and repeat. "
    Really I never had a problem finding people to shoot or people to shoot me. The maps are not terribly big for 32 people. Especially after only a few matches you realize were people go. Socom on the PS2 was very focused on team work and communication, in the CoD generation that just flat out doesn't exists anymore. In CoD a group of randoms not using headsets can be just as effective as a clan, even Bad Company 2 doesn't the same level as co-operation as Socom does.
     
    I get the feeling from the beta Socom is a great game made 4 years past the point of being relevant for most modern gamer's tastes. I'm probably going to still get it at this point but I can totally see what turns people off.
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    President_Barackbar

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    @pabsi9 said:
    " I have a code if anyone wants it...ill be playing crysis 2 & wont have time to try the beta "
    I'll take it if you still have it.
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    Jackel2072

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    #22  Edited By Jackel2072
    @THRICE said:
    " @gla55jAw said:
    " I played about an hour so far. I have to play more, but so far it just doesn't feel that fun. The matches I've played so far consisted of me spawning, running around looking for someone to shoot for 3 minutes, getting shot and repeat. "
    Really I never had a problem finding people to shoot or people to shoot me. The maps are not terribly big for 32 people. Especially after only a few matches you realize were people go. Socom on the PS2 was very focused on team work and communication, in the CoD generation that just flat out doesn't exists anymore. In CoD a group of randoms not using headsets can be just as effective as a clan, even Bad Company 2 doesn't the same level as co-operation as Socom does. I get the feeling from the beta Socom is a great game made 4 years past the point of being relevant for most modern gamer's tastes. I'm probably going to still get it at this point but I can totally see what turns people off. "
    back in the day talking to someone you were playing with was a HUGE god damn deal. in this day and age most people who are even using mic's are ass holes. You can be effective without talking to your team. yes talking would be ideal and better, but as long as you have a few brain cells left you can kind of figure out where the hot spots on the map are, what needs to be done, and what no one is doing. 
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    iam3green

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    #23  Edited By iam3green

    nice read, i agree. i already made a thread on this but i think the knife is horrible. there were only a couple of times that my friend got a  kill with it. the bomb guys take 3 knifes to die, which i think is good.

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    DonPixel

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    #24  Edited By DonPixel
    @iam3green Yep i have 18 hrs in it so far.. loving it but the knife could use some work, perhaps distance is ok but the radious seems to be to short, you need the targets to be to center in order to detect the hit

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