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The unfortunate case of Socom 4

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Underfunded, nontraditional, and an unnecessary amount of accessory features seems to be the reasons for why Socom 4 isn't the socom game it was meant to be. Sure the idea of the sharp shooter and playstation move sounds fun and all, but the duel shock original was worthy of an HD sequal without that nonsense. I just spent the last few hours wondering to myself why the hell this game isn't available on PSN. I wanted to buy it for my console. But it's just not available in the US or the EU. And it doesn't even make any damn sense being absent, as a first party title sony is leaving money on the table.

There is one issue with patching on socom 4 that's repetitively written about to this day. Allegedly, the 1.05 patch fails to install on Fat systems, or systems with the DLC installed and freezes at %99. The fix is trying again until it works after deleting the game data.

It seems like Socom Confrontations might have been the been the better socom experience. But recently during a server migration effort some new issues have been introduced to the game this October. Slant Six is actually still actively supporting and discussing things with their community as well. Discussing possibilities of Confrontations 2/Socom HD remake or update. As well as repairing the issues brought onto the game.

And Zipper Interactive is no more so even if they wanted too, those developers can no longer raise their baby. And I can't help but think, that releasing Socom 4 on PSN discounted and updated could have probably left the company afloat a little longer. Instead only 2 DLC packs were released and they're not peaces of compelling continent. Now I know MAG probably wasn't a sucess, but that's an MMO shooter. Its ambitions enough on its own. Should have been released on PC via SOE.

Damn it sony, before Call of Duty was huge. Socom was the shit, and they released 8 titles on current gen, you've done 1/8th of that. I think i'm still going to buy this game in a store tomorrow.
 
SOCOM was always a middling tier franchise and only gained a foothold due to the lack of online software on the PS2.

It's not unsurprising that once other developers came along and started providing better products it went the way of the Dodo bird.

I would love for some developer to have the gigantic balls it would take to make a truly realistic shooter, but that will never happen because console kiddies believe they can run around and plug dudes in the chest with a sniper rifle all day for free.
 

Izick

Member
SOCOM was great fun back on the PS2. I think it was the first game I ever really played online now that I think about it. It was really something to play a video game with other people over the internet; I mean we take it for granted now, but back then it was pretty awesome.

The game itself probably wasn't as good as my mind makes it out to be, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a hell of a time with that first game.
 

GQman2121

Banned
I've seen Socom 4 for a little at $8 new. It's not hard to find.

This is the only thing that can make the series relevant again, but I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.

i9V7ioEDhsgko.png
 

Lkr

Member
I've seen Socom 4 for a little at $8 new. It's not hard to find.

This is the only thing that can make the series relevant again, but I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.

i9V7ioEDhsgko.png

and even then it would lack a lot of players due to CoD
 

GQman2121

Banned
and even then it would lack a lot of players due to CoD

I honestly think the numbers that the game would be able to retain would be pretty respectable. People are ready for something new. And there's nothing like taking something old and making it new again.
 

iamvin22

Industry Verified
I've seen Socom 4 for a little at $8 new. It's not hard to find.

This is the only thing that can make the series relevant again, but I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.

i9V7ioEDhsgko.png


this this this. THIS!!!! i miss this game so damn bad. sujo as a terrorist is all about skill. pretty much the only game online that had good splash damage with grenades, awesome pmn mines, hiding in tall brush.
 

demolitio

Member
I love it when people say SOCOM was only a success due to the lack of online competition and not because it's different than every other game out there. You know, an actual game that requires teamwork, voice chat, doing the objective? SOCOM 4 tried to please other crowds and pissed off their own fanbase and ended up pleasing no one by being too hardcore for the COD people and too softcore for SOCOM people...If it was only a success because it had no competition, then a lot of us didn't get the memo back then that new online games were coming out because we mysteriously stuck with the SOCOM games for some reason. Not because we liked it or anything...

Would it have sold less with online competition? Of course. But don't discredit the game and say it was all about the lack of competition as the only excuse. COD and SOCOM could coexist because they're completely different games. Sure, they both involve guns, but the gameplay is entirely different and the way people work together blows away COD where people just play TDM even in the objective playlists.

The old "let's dumb the game down to get more dudes to buy it" philosophy was its downfall and everything else just contributed to it.
 

Ploid 3.0

Member
I've seen Socom 4 for a little at $8 new. It's not hard to find.

This is the only thing that can make the series relevant again, but I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.

[ttp://i2.minus.com/i9V7ioEDhsgko.png[/img]

Don't do this to me. I thought for a bit, as I read your post, that there was a Socom 1 and 2 collection. I'm not sure if I would have went and bought it but I would have looked into getting it. I think one of the biggest factors in me really enjoying Socom 2 was the gaf regulars that played it. I remember when a guy named Tenchir joined the gaf clan and he would always clean house (he was a silent monster. Thankfully, our monster).

Re-Ha-LA!!!

Edit: At the above poster, yeah man, I haven't experienced teamwork play like Socom 2 (I didn't play Socom 1) outside of a game Socom 2 lead me to play (FFXI a mmorpg for PS2). The only reason I got that game is because Socom 2's HDD came with a trial lol.
 

Darknight

Member
Sony left this IP go to waste like Demon's Souls. They dont care. Could of been PSN's Warhawk/successful if they just had remade or release Socom II in HD.
 

rdrr gnr

Member
I don't understand this irrational attachment to Socom II. I was there -- I'm nostalgic -- an HD release would do nothing. The gaming world outgrew Socom and Zipper simply could not keep up. Socom 4's only redeeming quality was that it looked very good in motion. That's about it. There is more potential in MAG 2 than there is in Socom 5. A strong marketing push may have kept the company afloat but the product itself fell short.
I actually really enjoyed SOCOM 4.

Does that make me a bad person?
Somewhat.
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
I honestly think the numbers that the game would be able to retain would be pretty respectable. People are ready for something new. And there's nothing like taking something old and making it new again.

Yes, but being kicked for every little thing isn't "new."

TTOB nails it, kinda. But he's missing the major point: Socom's community sucks because of the "hardcores" having to run people off. It's the same as any asshole nerd convention (tabletop, FPS, Fighting Games, Racers) but has a higher concentration of assholes that take the game wayyyy too seriously for what it is versus people willing to play casually and get newer players in and FOSTER a community even if that means not having so many "clan battles."
 

Greg

Member
Confrontation was indeed the superior SOCOM game of this gen, and it ended up much closer to S2 (and better in most cases) than a lot of people realized. And the Cold Front DLC was a steal with all the content it included.

I think S4 would've had a bit more success had PSN not gone down days after it released. Any of the patches that were in QA were delayed months, and it really killed any chance the game had of pulling in the new crowd it was trying to cater to when bigger releases were coming out right around when PSN went back up.

SOCOM was always a middling tier franchise and only gained a foothold due to the lack of online software on the PS2.

It's not unsurprising that once other developers came along and started providing better products it went the way of the Dodo bird.

I would love for some developer to have the gigantic balls it would take to make a truly realistic shooter, but that will never happen because console kiddies believe they can run around and plug dudes in the chest with a sniper rifle all day for free.
hahaha

I don't understand this irrational attachment to Socom II. I was there -- I'm nostalgic -- an HD release would do nothing. The gaming world outgrew Socom and Zipper simply could not keep up. Socom 4's only redeeming quality was that it looked very good in motion. That's about it. There is more potential in MAG 2 than there is in Socom 5. A strong marketing push may have kept the company afloat but the product itself fell short.
The gaming world didn't outgrow SOCOM - Zipper just lost touch of what the community wanted and tried to appeal to a crowd that was never interested.

Anyone that stuck around with Confrontation knows the online player count was still huge 2 years after release - that's unheard of with console games these days when people bounce from title to title every few months.
 
Yes, but being kicked for every little thing isn't "new."

TTOB nails it, kinda. But he's missing the major point: Socom's community sucks because of the "hardcores" having to run people off. It's the same as any asshole nerd convention (tabletop, FPS, Fighting Games, Racers) but has a higher concentration of assholes that take the game wayyyy too seriously for what it is versus people willing to play casually and get newer players in and FOSTER a community even if that means not having so many "clan battles."

It's not exclusive to SOCOM.

I've pretty much stopped playing games online. Even ones I loved like Warhawk because of random assholes. Not the say that in the past I haven't been that asshole, in terms of getting on the mic and instructing the team how to play the game; but it's just gotten to be too much fucking noise from random idiots I do not want to deal with (which is one of the BEST features of XBL - blocking communication from anybody not on your friends list).

As much as I enjoy fighting games I refuse to play online with randoms because of the moronic messages you receive - win or lose after a match. It's particularly grating since I gravitate toward character designs I like, and not tiers - so getting shit from somebody using a top tier character to stomp in my mudhole. Yeah, you just ran laps around a kid at the special olympics - WHAT A BADASS U R BRO!

So SOCOM isn't the only online community that runs players off. Every online game suffers from this.
 
Socom 2 > Socom >Socom Confrontation > Socom 4 > Socom 3

IMO, of course.



Socom 4 was pretty fun. But it did feel like it had many disparate parts put there because they were on a checklist. Zipper's gunplay was solid and the map design wasn't quite Socom 2 standards but it was better than most stuff around today. It didn't deserve to die like it did... and the hack didn't help.


Socom 2 HD would be amazing but Sony hates doing things that people want.


MAG is the best console shooter this gen. It's by far the most skill based and hardcore. The game is EXTREMELY unpleasant for newbs, so it was a dismal failure, but for those that stuck with it... WOW, those 256 player battles were nuts.


I miss zipper, warts and all.
 

Card Boy

Banned
Released during PSN hack

This has nothing to do with anything. Portal 2 also released acouple days the PSN hack and that went well.

The SOCOM 4 beta was a mess from what i played. The framerate was sub 30FPS, matchmaking, no lobbies, mediocre gameplay, killstreaks, votekicking galore, laggy menus, a extremly souless product.
 
SOCOM's this gen have been a massive whiff. Confrontation had so many issues, many of which still exist. However, it still went on to sell a million units and I venture to bet it still has a more active online community than other Sony 1st party games. SOCOM 4 is a complete travesty, and a perfect example of what happens when you betray your fanbase to chase the tail of Call of Duty.

Confrontation proves there is a thirsty community out there, and if they could nail a SOCOM 2 remake or a new game in that vein, believe me people would come out of the woods for that.
 
This has nothing to do with anything. Portal 2 also released acouple days the PSN hack and that went well.

The SOCOM 4 beta was a mess from what i played. The framerate was sub 30FPS, matchmaking, no lobbies, mediocre gameplay, killstreaks, votekicking galore, laggy menus, a extremly souless product.
Portal 2's main selling point was the singleplayer, the multiplayer was also just a co-op that you can play in splitscreen, and it was released on 360 and PC that didn't have the downtime.

SOCOM 4's main selling point was the multiplayer that required online to play, and since it is a PS3 exclusive there was no way at all to play the main part of the game for a month.

From what I played during the beta it was pretty good, but I have no real further comment on the quality. All I'm saying is the network hack definitely had something to do with it, in my opinion.
 

TriniTrin

war of titties grampa
This has nothing to do with anything. Portal 2 also released acouple days the PSN hack and that went well.

The SOCOM 4 beta was a mess from what i played. The framerate was sub 30FPS, matchmaking, no lobbies, mediocre gameplay, killstreaks, votekicking galore, laggy menus, a extremly souless product.
If you don't think that psn being down hurt the game then you are crazy. Portal 2 was not a game known for its online....... I would assume most of the people who bought socom wanted the online aspects and when the game finally got online, the community was damaged... Too bad really, I liked socom..
 

Yopis

Member
When they took real seals off of the cover (combined assault). The series changed, no more terrorist vs seals (changed name). Series just went downhill. Socom 4 was garbage to the max.

Team looked like a bad csi episode cast. Multi was like rainbow/ghost/any other shooter that sold. Really sad fate to a great series. Socom 4 what a joke.
 
Socom 4 beta pissed off the long time Socom fans that would have turned it into at least a million seller, so while the PSN hack certainly didn't help Socom 4 was dead in the water the moment they made respawn the focus and added a bunch of unlocks for everything.

Socom fans want a round based, no respawn, tactical shooter. Focus on great maps and modes that made the series popular and make it so everyone is on level playing field no matter when they join. May the best team win. I miss Breach so much.
 

mr stroke

Member
Socom 4 was average at best. Confrontation was fantastic post patch.


Does anyone still play confrontation or is the community dead?
 

demolitio

Member
Breach is the best mode in all of gaming thanks to it forcing the SEALs to coordinate or die horribly basically. It was harder on SEALs, sure...But when you did win as a SEAL, it made you prouder than any other online game could possibly do. I remember coordinating with my clan as to WHEN to strike so each breach was brought down at the exact same time so the enemy had no time to regroup and reinforce those areas. You literally HAD to use teamwork to win and that's what made it feel REAL compared to other shooters out there.

For a TPS to feel real and cause real emotions says a lot. My favorite gaming memories will always lie with SOCOM I fear, because nothing has topped it teamwork wise yet.

Our clan used to take that shit so seriously and were always in the top 10 on GB and the such, but I grew to hate that place too much to continue on with it in the later games...lol
 
Is it sad that you fans have to put faith in Slant Six?

I really hope they can give you guys what they want, I want to jump into the game, but the game I see you guys rave about, not the watered down me-too shooter it ended up being.
 
SOCOM 4 should have been Sony's Gears. I know a lot of SOCOM players won't like to hear that but I mean really the game should have had a solidly written campaign with 4 player co-op as well as an accessible MP. The lack of 4 player co-op completely eliminated any interest I had in the game as the beta was pretty lacklustre.

They still could have had a hardcore mode in MP for the SOCOM fans with all the trappings of SOCOM II.

I think this is the problem with not having oversight or the people who have oversight not really having a good grasp on what could boost the franchise.
 

LUKENBACHER

Neo Member
It sure is nice to see SOCOM still being discussed on different websites. If you are looking for more discussions of this nature, be sure to check out http://TheRealSOCOM.com.

It is the world's largest SOCOM fan site with a robust forums, podcasts & videos, and articles offering the latest news on SOCOM developments & rumors. Seeing as SOCOM.com has turned into a trolling ghost town, TRS is about the only SOCOM community left out there that is still fighting to convince Sony to bring SOCOM back to it's former glory.

@TheRealSOCOM
 

brettreyu

Member
Some of the maps from the first SOCOM are burned into my memory. Picking that game up, with the headset, and network adapter day one was a watershed moment.
 

W1SSY

Member
Why in the hell is the gradient reversed on "SOCOM" and "II". That always bugged me when I saw the case.

The argument that Socom caught on because it had no competition is unfounded. I could careless about other shooters because nothing else was like Socom at the time. I was disappointed by Confrontation because to me the shooting never felt quite right. Then 4 came out and it focused on respawn and didn't capture the feeling of previous games. I would love to see a new Socom that plays like the old ones but the only way that happens is if they just make a downloadable game and focus on that.
 

EverydayBeast

ChatGPT 0.001
Gamers have asked for a new socom game for years, confrontation on PS3 was a big deal at the time (next gen), socom 4 is considered essentially a failure—battlefield has had incredible support since than, they go through eras, there’s pubg, I’m comfortable saying there isn’t a SOCOM type game out there. You got gears, rainbow six, ghost recon—so package a nice campaign, crew based gameplay, really good maps and next thing you know you have a good game.
 
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