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SOCOM 4 U.S. Navy SEALs

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SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs
North American cover art
Developer(s)Zipper Interactive
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Composer(s)Bear McCreary
SeriesSOCOM
EngineModified MAG Engine; Havok
Platform(s)PlayStation 3
Release
  • NA: April 19, 2011
  • EU: April 20, 2011
  • AU: April 21, 2011
  • NZ: April 21, 2011
  • UK: April 21, 2011
  • JP: April 21, 2011
  • BRA: April 29, 2011
Genre(s)Third-person shooter, tactical shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs (also known as SOCOM: Special Forces in PAL regions), is a 2011 third-person tactical shooter video game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 3 and is a sequel to Zipper's SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault.

Plot

SOCOM 4 is set in Malaysia. The player controls Cullen Gray, unofficially called the "Ops Commander," the leader of a 5-man NATO special forces squad deployed near the Strait of Malacca. He is accompanied by two operatives, American, British or Australian depending on game region, named Schweitzer and Wells as well as two South Korean operatives, Chung and Forty-Five. In some missions, the player will be in control of Forty-Five, performing various recon, sabotage, and stealth objectives. The plot stretches over a six-day period. The squad will fight both native rebels, known as "Naga", and the mercenary group known as "ClawHammer", the same mercenary group who funded and trained paramilitary soldiers in SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2. The game opens with a cutscene showing a well-developed NATO base. Grey walks into the command tent. Forty-Five and chief NATO commander, James Gorman, arguing over a supply point. Grey is then told that the local revolutionaries are called Naga. Grey and his team is then shown leading Schwietzer and Wells in protecting their country's embassy while the staff evacuate.After the embassy transport is shot down, it becomes clear that Naga is attacking the port. Grey and his team battle their way across the port to Gorman's HQ, the HQ is then shot to pieces by a pair if BMP-2 IFVs. After destroying the BMPs with artillery support from a battered fleet, Oracle (Grey's link with the fleet) mentions that an artillery gun is firing from inside the city. Grey and his team destroy the gun, with Oracle's help. They then commandeer a taxi for extraction from the port, now in Naga's hands.

Gameplay

SOCOM 4 is a third-person squad-based tactical shooter. Players are able to order squad members to waypoints, designate targets, attack on command, and various other actions. At times, the action will be a full-on firefight while other times require the player to infiltrate locations silently and undetected by enemy forces. The game uses a health regeneration system for both the Ops Commander and squad members. When a squad member is downed, the player has a limited amount of time to heal that member before they are KIA (killed in action). Other squad members can also heal the wounded character if they are not engaged with the enemy. Players will be receiving intel on the battlefield and will also be able to call in air strikes and strafing runs on enemy targets in the battlefield. The "SOCOM" 4 single-player campaign is built around 14 missions. Before each mission, the player can choose a primary and secondary weapon, modify them, and choose two items for accessories such as fragmentation and flashbang grenades. Players can unlock more guns for their collection by simply picking them up during a mission and then keeping that weapon until they extract. The gun will then be available for the next mission, where the player can gain experience with the weapon and unlock various modifications such as Reflex and ACOG sights, extended magazines, suppressors, and grenade launchers. Apart from the single-player mode, the game will also feature an online mode which supports up to 32 players and has been described as "an all new experience" by lead designer Travis Steiner. It was also announced that there will be no in-game lobby's or pistols. The game also features a cover system which differs from previous games. On March 10, 2010, at the Sony GDC press conference it was revealed that SOCOM 4 will be playable with the PlayStation Move controller.

Development

SOCOM 4 was officially announced on the U.S. PlayStation Blog on March 4, 2010 by Jeremy Dunham, Sr. Community Manager of Zipper Interactive.[1] With the release of the SOCOM series website, it was announced that the game is scheduled to be released fall 2010.

GameTrailers TV and Spike TV revealed SOCOM 4's debut trailer on March 5, 2010 during its air after 12:30 a.m. EST.[2]

On Jun 14, 2010 at the E3 2010 convention, it revealed a new single player level that takes place in a destroyed city. It was shown with players who attended E3 playing with the Sony PlayStation Move and the DualShock 3 controllers.

SOCOM 4 was also shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 and the Eurogamer Expo in London, it featured the same single player level as in the E3 2010 Demo with only a few gameplay tweaks.

The music for SOCOM 4 is being composed by Bear McCreary.

On January 28, According to the PlayStation Blog, it has been confirmed that SOCOM 4 will come out in North America on April 19. On March 11, the PlayStation EU blog confirmed the release dates for Mainland Europe as 20 April, Australia and New Zealand as 21 April and the UK as 22 April. The game will contain 39 different weapons to use.

File:SOCOM 4 Screenshot.jpg
Squad gameplay involving cover and suppressing fire in-game

Beta

On January 19, 2011, the PlayStation Blog announced that North American buyers of specially marked copies of Killzone 3 will include access to the multiplayer beta (and also US PlayStation Plus users). While in Europe only PlayStation Plus members will have access to the beta.[3]

The multiplayer beta came in four forms—according to a post on the PlayStation Blog. The first wave hit on March 15 but was only opened to the selected few that developer Zipper Interactive is contacting. On March 22, PlayStation Plus members was able to get into the action. If you acquired the promotional code included with Killzone 3 you were be able to participate in the beta starting on March 29, otherwise public access will be available April 5.

The beta ran until April 13. Servers closed until SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs released on April 19, 2011.

Multiplayer

One of the main features of this game is the ability to play the co-op mode, replacing the AI Special Ops team with players via online play. Players can play instant action missions. Players can also unlock "Character Skins" for online play. SOCOM 4 doesn't have lobbies like previous SOCOMs instead SOCOM 4 has a Quick Match system along with a yet to be implemented Party System to meet up with your friends. The Party System will be implemented in upcoming patch 1.03. SOCOM 4's Online Multiplayer comes in three separate forms; Standard, Classic, and Custom.

Standard Mode:

  • Best out of 3 Rounds.
  • 30 Minute Time Limit for each round.
  • Respawn
  • Air Strikes
  • Blood Splatter

Classic Mode:

  • Best out of 11 Rounds.
  • 5 Minute Time Limit for each Round.
  • No Respawn
  • No Blood Splatter
  • Faster Movements

Custom Mode:

  • Zipper Created Ranked Rooms
  • User Created Clan/Friends list only Joinable Unranked Rooms

Game modes

Unlike previous SOCOMs, SOCOM 4 doesn't include the classic; Breach, Demolition, Escort, Extraction, Control, and Convoy game modes. Instead, it features all new game modes.

  • Last Defense: An objective based game that requires you to capture all the neutral sectors placed in the middle of the map to find the opposing team’s Head Quarters. It takes 12 seconds to fully capture a sector, and if you die in your attempt, the capture bar will remain at the same point, you will only have to fill from the point where you died. In order to re-capture a captured sector, you will have to fill the capture bar twice. First you will to remove their capture bar and then fill your own.
  • Uplink: Uplink is similar to old school capture the flag mode. One team attacks while other defends in this game mode. Attacking team is given the task to steal the defending team’s data by downloading it off random data locations set throughout the map. These data locations are shown on both team’s HUD.
  • Suppression: Fight to the death. Suppression is your regular team death match. Find and kill as many enemies you can to win.
  • Bomb Squad: Bomb Squad is similar to search and destroy mode but, with more than one bomb sites. One team must protect the bomb sites while other team must disarm them. The team that disarms the random bomb sites need to choose one player as their Bomb Technician. Who will become the bomb technician is random, but the guy is heavily protected and armed with two unique weapons.
  • SCRUM (Custom): A Suppression mod that offers a “Classic” rules-inspired list of features that includes no respawn, no Sniper Rifles, no Concussion, Poison Gas, or Frag Grenades, higher damage and faster character movement
  • Sniper Alley (Custom): Another 8-vs-8 variation on “Classic” Suppression that boasts higher damage values and weapon restrictions that allow players access to only Smoke and Poison Gas Grenades, Shotguns, and of course, Sniper Rifles
  • Last Defense Run ‘n Gun (Custom): Incredibly fast-paced deviation from the Last Defense gametype that includes speedier player movement, reduced weapon damage, and limitations to sub-machine guns and shotguns only
  • Community Day Classic (Custom): Suggested by members of Zipper Community Day 2011, Community Day Classic offers a medley of different maps that support 8-vs-8 “Classic” variations on Suppression, Uplink, Last Defense and Bomb Squad with faster movement and no ranged explosives of any kind

Downloadable content

The pre-order bonus for SOCOM 4 includes a shotgun for both the Spec Ops and the Insurgents. Pre-ordering at Gamestop also includes the code to download the classic SOCOM map "Abandoned" from the original SOCOM game. Zipper stated, the SOCOM 4 version of Abandoned will be the day-time version like SOCOM 1 and unlike SOCOM 2's night-time version of Abandoned.[4]

On April 15, 2011, Zipper announced the "SOCOM Pro DLC" SOCOM Pro shows its benefits immediately on launch day, April 19, as any player who purchases a new copy of SOCOM 4 receives exclusive access to all “Pro” Custom Game queues. Not only will these queues be ranked, but they’ll also be updated regularly over the entire lifespan of SOCOM 4. Moreover, the first set of “Pro” Custom Game types will be the same fantastic rule sets that the SOCOM fans tested during the SOCOM 4 beta period. Another incentive for SOCOM Pro players is an exclusive pair of weapons that SOCOM fans have been clamoring for: The M16A4 (for Spec-Ops) and the AK-47 (for the Insurgents) assault rifles. Expected to be available within the first 30 days of SOCOM 4’s release.

But Zipper claimed these additions are just the beginning – Zipper has plenty more planned for SOCOM Pro down the road including access to exclusive multiplayer maps, various co-op additions, dedicated leaderboards, and lots more. If you don't get SOCOM 4 new, you can still gain access to SOCOM Pro by purchasing it from the PlayStation Store for a one-time fee of $14.99 (US) starting April 26. The SOCOM Pro membership is available for free as a pack-in voucher entitlement in all new retail copies of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs in North America, Japan, and Asia. Purchasing the SOCOM Pro membership from the PlayStation Store for use with borrowed, rented, or used copies of the game will be an option in North American and Asian territories as well as Japan starting April 26.

Reception

SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALS has receive mix reviews, scoring 90% from Metacritic based on 45 reviews. Although SOCOM 4 was released between April 19 and April 21, the PlayStation Network went offline on April 20 due to a security breach. Consumers have been unable to play the game's online modes because of the ongoing 2011 PlayStation Network outages.

References

  1. ^ Jeremy Dunham (2010-03-04). "Sony announces SOCOM 4 for PS3". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  2. ^ Geoff Keighley (2010-03-04). "Geoff Keighley 's Tweets: Reveal trailer for SOCOM 4". Twitter. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  3. ^ "Socom 4-beta til Playstation Plus". Gamereactor - Norway. 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2011-21-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ "SOCOM 4 with Bonus". Gamestop. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  5. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/socom-4-us-navy-seals
  6. ^ http://www.1up.com/reviews/socom-4-review
  7. ^ http://www.g4tv.com/games/ps3/63342/SOCOM-4-US-Navy-SEALs/review/
  8. ^ http://www.gameinformer.com/games/socom_4_us_navy_seals/b/ps3/archive/2011/04/12/new-innovations-and-old-problems-arise-in-socom-4.aspx
  9. ^ http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/socom-4/review.html
  10. ^ http://ps3.ign.com/objects/019/019332.html
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