Socom 4 is Zipper Interactive’s latest outing in their tactical third person shooter simulation and provides an actual single player campaign as well as multiplayer and coop modes after the online-only MAG. For Socom 4 Zipper took the reins back over from Slant Six after a sub-par entry into the series with ‘Confrontation’. Socom 4 is supposed to please the hardcore fanbase by developing an engaging single player campaign along with the expected solid multiplayer experience. While Zipper managed to design a game with all of the elements put together, can Socom 4 pull of a headshot?
Socom Confrontation was not a good step forward for the franchise and disappointed many gamers with a scarce and often broken multiplayer offering. After Zipper developed and released the large scale combat title MAG, they went back to the franchise that dominated multiplayer games in the PS2 era and defined the studio. In order to convince fans that Socom remains relevant in a Gears of War and Call of Duty world, Zipper needed to create a solid game, build on competent mechanics and systems with this fourth title.
The Socom franchise stands for tactical squad based action with team orders and stealth elements packed into a convincing story line. For the most part Zipper managed to pull this off. Socom’s story starts out well and does a decent job throughout, while it also provides good characters that don’t scream: “Bro-Shooter” at the top of their lungs. I didn’t know what to expect from the new control elements but the 5 squad member based team controls worked as designed and were easy to get a hold of after a short introductory period. The one thing holding back the team work style level progression was the spotty ally AI which ran into my line of fire or alerted the enemy, even though I carefully placed markers when approaching each conflict instance.
The story was certainly enjoyable and I wouldn’t really knock it if it weren’t for the tedious last few missions when my frustration levels were going on high alert. Overall, though I would still recommend the story mode to gamers and Socom hardcore fans alike as I had fun playing through each of the scenarios which included some fun stealth missions as well. The shooting and movement controls are definitely solid and make playing the game easy and intuitive, shooting felt as a Socom game should. I was a bit surprised however, how the game looked, while Socom 4 does not look bad by any means and has a solid frame rate, it could have stepped up it’s visuals a bit to match today’s standards.
While I am glad that Socom has returned with a decent single player campaign, I am more excited for the multiplayer and coop modes of the title. Fans of the franchise should feel pretty good about what they have been provided with. Socom 4 has a solid multiplayer offering with modes ranging from the classic objective and competitive modes to new flavors like ‘Bombsquad’.
Bomsquad has to be one of the highlights in the latest Socom because it adds some much needed creativity and variety to online multiplayer shooters. The new mode tasks a team with disarming of explosives, while the opposition needs to make sure that does not happen. The ‘bomb-technician’ needs to be escorted to the location of the explosives to take action. Playing Bombsquad felt very reminiscent of the movie The hurt Locker and must be one of the most interesting parts in the new Socom. As if often happens with multiplayer games in general, spawn camping was an issue on Socom 4 and with 32 player matches, this could become a bit frustrating. Other than that Zipper did what they promised, Socom style mutiplayer that should feel familiar to the fan-base.
Another element in Socom 4 is the coop mode which puts five players against enemy AI in some of the single player levels. This is where the squad based gameplay can shine because human players are simply better and more fun to work with than then the ally AI from the campaign. The mode in itself is simple but exciting, the team is tasked with clearing areas and complete minor objectives. Each of the missions can be customized but the variety could be expanded to allow for added creativity.
The Socom franchise has an incredibly tough stand in today’s shooter market since it has the burden of expectation to live up to. The Socom name, first and foremost, stands for competitive multiplayer excellence and the Zipper’s latest entry does a decent job to live up to its name. Socom 4 has a solid single player campaign with a flush control system that is only let down by some frustrating final missions and lacking ally AI. Where the game really shines however, is in the multiplayer and coop modes. Zipper has crafted a solid base for future iterations in the series and fans should be satisfied with Socom 4 but there certainly is room for improvement all around.
Socre: 7.5 / 10
SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals was developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony for PS3 on April 19th. A copy of the game was provided to us by Sony for reviewing purposes.
[Editor’s Note: The Review was held back until PSN’s online capabilities were re-established]
