SOCOM: Confrontation

Posted June 8, 2012 by Speed - 0 comments

SOCOM has a large fan base on PlayStation 2 and a lot of people were looking forward to a version of the game on the PlayStation 3. SOCOM: Confrontation is the first SOCOM on the PS3, but many people were already disappointed in the beta.

SOCOM: Confrontation is an online shooter and pretty fast it becomes clear that it is a very traditional one at that. At the beginning of every game you have to choose between the Navy SEALs or the terrorists and will recognize the different game modes: rescue hostages, plant a bomb,… Only seven maps are present, of which typically three are played, but they’re available in all different modes. Some maps are already known from previous SOCOM-games, such as Crossroads. Besides the online mode, there is no single player campaign.

So there are a lot of elements you will recognize from other games in the same genre, but obviously there are also some thing typical to SOCOM. There’s a wide possibility to adapt your character to your wishes. If you choose to wear a lot of protection, you will notice that during a game. You will be damaged less, but forget to beat Usain Bolt as your speed will decrease. Also on your weapons you can place adjustments, such as scopes. Next to the range of changes for your guns, there are a lot trophies and medals to win. Most of them won’t be on your shirt after the first games as you have to kill 250 enemies before earning one.

SOCOM also differs from other games the way it is played. Running as a madman towards the enemy isn’t a good plan as enemies are hidden in the buildings or behind a wall. Patience and tactics are important during a game of SOCOM. This isn’t so self-evident the first times you play, but it is worth to persist. The microphone is very useful to improve the teamwork because most of the players have one. Finding a room with people that speak your own language is an easy job, as these are classified by region.

Until now, SOCOM: Confrontation seems to be a maybe not so original, but good game. But why were there so many people complaining during the beta? In that phase Confrontation struggled a lot with bugs and problems to start a game. Even in the release version of the game these problems were still present. Fortunately some patches have been released and most of the issues are solved by now. The little problems that remain, such as a black screen during the first round for a few seconds, are not as bad, but the loading times could have been shorter.

Because SOCOM is running smoothly most of the time, it is fun to play. You get what you expect from an online shooter and the different maps are varied, though some more wouldn’t have hurt. At some moments, such as placing and searching the bomb, it can be pretty exciting but do not act too fast, as tactics prevail.

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