Socom 4 Beta Impressions

After about a week and a half with the beta all I have to say is zipper is back. Zipper interactive worked on the original SOCOM games for the PS2 and more recently MAG for the PS3. Don't get it wrong however, this is not the old SOCOM, it has been updated to keep up with all the facets of popular online shooters. It has a leveling up system that unlocks new guns, grenades, mines, claymores, and character models. Inside this system is one for each specific gun. This means that the more you use a gun the more attachments you unlock for it.

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Over the past week they have been rotating game modes which use both the old SOCOM rules, and updated rules to keep on par with new school shooters. This is a pleasant surprise because it offers a change of pace if needed and will please old and new fans of the franchise. One of the modes I am looking forward to that's not available in the beta is the cooperative mode, judging from the impressions of websites that have had access to this mode it is a lot of fun. You team up with some buddies and run through a variety of missions trying to complete objectives. No two missions are the same however, you can change the difficulty and enemies will not spawn in the same place to keep you on your toes.

Another impression I have is that the graphics are no slouch. Don't go in expecting to get Crysis or Killzone type graphics but it definitely works with the style of game. Lots of colour and good lighting provide you with a tense environment where you have to survey you location very well or you might get popped as you turn the corner.

A pleasant surprise from playing the beta is how well the PS Move Sharpshooter works with it. From playing Killzone 3 with the Sharpshooter I noticed a lot of lag and cursor drift, especially when the Move Wand would vibrate the target would bounce right off the screen. In SOCOM however you can tell that a lot of love was given to making sure that it not only works but is comfortable and enjoyable to use. Don't expect to pick up the Sharpshooter and start to pick off headshots left and right though. Inside the options you will find a variety of tweaking options to make sure it works the way you want. You can adjust the dead zone depending on how you are aiming (I.e zoomed in, down the sights) and you can also adjust how fast you turn and how sensitive the cursor is.

If I am having this much fun with beta I can't wait to try out the full game. If you have the chance to get into the beta it is highly reccomended and I look forward to playing with you. If you have any questions sound off in the comments below and I will answer. Thanks for reading

JF