SOCOM 4 Beta Impressions

This article was pitched and submitted by Phillip Costigan (nemesisND1derboy).

For those of you who haven’t heard, SOCOM 4, or SOCOM: Special Forces in Europe, is the fourth main entry in Zipper Interactive’s third-person shooter series and is exclusive to the PlayStation 3. It features a new single-player campaign, 5 player co-op and 32 player online multiplayer, with PlayStation Move and 3D support as the icing on the cake. An enticing package to be sure, and it’s the 32 player multiplayer that is available for sampling right now.

Free to download now for all PlayStation Plus subscribers in Europe and to selected players across the pond, the SOCOM 4 multiplayer beta features a rotating set of game modes, depending on which day you are playing. These game modes are available to play on two maps, Port Authority and Assault & Battery.

[drop]The first thing that players of Zipper’s previous PlayStation 3 outing, MAG, will notice is how similar the two games look and that, for the most part, is a good thing. Everything is very functional and minimalist, sleek yet somewhat lacking in originality and flamboyance. SOCOM is clearly a more aesthetically pleasing game than MAG, however, and the game looks great. The environments are very well designed and pretty, with some great textures and scenery and Zipper seem to have done a great job in this regard.

However, as fans of the series will no doubt agree, the beauty of SOCOM lies in its stellar third person action gameplay. The game feels great, the controls good if not somewhat floaty.  It’s certainly not as twitchy as Call of Duty or as heavy as Killzone but it feels good to control. Action is fast-paced, with plenty of options for tactical gameplay which fans of the series will no doubt be happy to see. This, combined with great map design (with regards to the two maps available), means action is relentless, tactical and hugely satisfying.

SOCOM seems to follow in MAG’s footsteps with regards to the sheer amount of customization options available. Touted as having over 40 guns to unlock, combined with multiple attachments and equipment means that players will have no shortage of toys to play with. Players have a global ranking system through which they progress, unlocking more guns along the way. Each gun also has its own ranking system, with each “mod” you progress towards unlocking a new attachment for use with that gun. Players progress through the various “mod” levels by using a gun and earning kills with it.

The usual in-game medals, ever-present in modern-day shooters, are all here, which, along with the game’s trophies, should keep the player coming back for more. Persistent stat-tracking and leaderboards are present for comparison with your PSN friends.

[drop2]As mentioned earlier, SOCOM supports PlayStation Move and 3D also. I have tried out the move implementation for a while and, while clearly well implemented, doesn’t feel entirely suited to multiplayer. It takes a bit of getting used to and it’s been clear to me from playing it myself and with others that players using the regular Dualshock controller will certainly have the advantage. It feels decidedly different to Killzone’s fantastic Move implementation, however having played some of the single-player campaign using Move at the PlayStation Hub event in Dublin last year, it may be more suited to that aspect of the game.

Overall, SOCOM: Special Forces is shaping up to be one of the finest multiplayer shooters this year, with great controls and visuals. It is a pity that the Move implementation is slightly lacking, however. Of course, this is all “beta” gameplay, but with the game fast approaching its April release, one would assume it is a fairly decent representation of the game’s multiplayer component, which is most definitely positive. I must admit, SOCOM had definitely dropped off my radar until the beta was announced, but it’s now firmly set to be one of my many day-one purchases in 2011.  Let’s hope the single-player lives up to the great precedent the multiplayer is on course to set!