Although it wasn't the first online multiplayer game on the system, 2002's SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALS helped to put the PlayStation 2 on the map. The game helped prove to people that Sony had a viable online system, and the fact that it was introduced shortly before Xbox Live launched helped to cement its place in online gaming. Subsequent titles have only improved upon the formula, but we had yet to see a full-fledged SOCOM title for the PlayStation 3... until a few weeks ago. Sterling had an opportunity to check out SOCOM: Confrontation at a recent event in the desert, but we were able to spend a little more quality time with it at E3.
One of the first things that Sony's representative informed us of was the fact that the game will be available as a disc in retail stores as well as being a downloadable title on PSN. For those gamers that decide to purchase the game in stores, they'll also receive the brand-new PlayStation-branded wireless headset, which looks like it should be pretty slick. Naturally, you'll need to pay a bit more if you want to get the included headset than you would if you were just downloading the game, but we weren't able to glean how much either version of Confrontation would cost.
We only got to check out one of the game's seven levels, but it looked like Urban Wasteland had plenty of variety and offered some interesting combat opportunities. We were playing the Control Point gametype, in which we were tasked with planting flares at five different points before the other team. However, rather than capturing and holding a point, the goal was to simply plant flares at all five before the other team (that is, both teams could have a flare at any given point). The third-person action was intense, particularly when it all boiled down to both teams fighting over a single control point.
As the Sony rep explained, Confrontation will feature a number of different game modes, including a Team Deathmatch-esque mode called Suppression, a hostage-saving gametype known as Extraction, and a VIP escort mode called Escort. One of the most interesting was called Breach, which sounded like you'll have to battle your way through several enemy-staffed checkpoints in order to plant a bomb. The gametypes all sound like they'll be a lot of fun, and you'll have a wide range of options for setting matches up just the way you want them.
Like the previous games in the series, Confrontation will feature a lot of character-customization options, from the ability to change your character's face to his loadout and armor. The game will also have a full stat-tracking system on Socom.com, although we don't really have much in the way of specifics. We'll have to spend some more time with the game before we can say if it's a worthwhile entry in the franchise, but what little we've seen looks promising.
