Post by: Ryu on May 24, 2002, 11:00:17 PM
For the fourth time in the past week or so, I went to see Episode II, however, the three previous times were on a mundane standard projection with subpar sound and abysmal seating arrangements. This time, Digital Projection would be the medium, and the Sony Metreon would be the destination. As me and my girlfriend arrived at the Playstation store in the Metreon, neither of us knew what to expect. Generally, we don\'t venture inside mainly because I know what\'s out and I know what\'s in there, but just out of morbid curiosity, especially since there was so many SOCOM posters all over the place, we finally decided to take a stroll down washout lane.
http://www.scea.com/e3/socom/movies/socomtrailer-hi.wmv (Direct Feed Socom Trailer)
Much to my surprise, SOCOM was the big thing on display on four of the flat panel monitor\\PS2 units there. Additionaly, not only were these units networked together via the BB connection and the Metreon\'s custom T1 line, these units were connected with those at the E3 Expo and the journalists were the enemies of those playing at the Metreon! Hungry journalists were ravaging the the kiosks on the show floor, and suddenly, without even setting foot out of the Bay Area, I was a part of it all. Now, read on for full impressions.
The way SOCOM is controlled is a bit like Halo using both analog sticks on the PS2 controller, the left stick for strafing left and right respectively, the right stick for looking up, down, and turning right or left respectively. R1 is used to fire and that\'s pretty much all you needed for this demo, especially since the game was fairly fast paced already. I wish I could spend more time with it testing out all the buttons, but that was pretty much all I needed. The camera is placed a little bit above and behind your player with a rather large crosshair in front of him. In fact, it looks a little bit like the third person spectator mode in Counter-Strike and Soldier of Fortune II, only completely playable. There was a jump button, a reload button, and secondary weapon buttons, but I didn\'t have a chance to explore the controller for them. I\'m also sure there\'s a prone button, but just as above, I didn\'t have time to look around for them.
The main level I played was one in the jungle full of lush trees and what looks like ruins from some ancient civilization. Each team starts off on opposite ends of the maps and the maps are big enough not to place the two teams too close together, but also small enough to make sure the teams do run into eachother fairly quickly. The jungle itself was quite nice showcasing a level that definitely takes advantage of the camoflauge gear the Seal team (E3 attendees) was equiped with. The other level was a loading dock at night time full of large crates and plenty of places to hide. While the forest level felt far more open, the dock level felt very claustrophobic and the terrorists and seals were dressed appropriately for night time combat with black fatigues.
Although I the aspects of gameplay for Socom aren\'t too different from those present in most other FPS and TPS games on the market, it\'s great to be able to play online. For the first time since Sega Net, I got to reach out and frag someone by popping them in the head with my M4A1 rifle and my desert eagle secure from any cheating, living only by my wits. The gun sounds are wonderful, but that\'s all i could really hear over the roar of the crowds when kills were achieved. I left the game with a 4-0 record after 2 rounds, but it was plenty enough to get a feel for the game and how great it will be online.
If Socom offers a wide variety of missions, a great assortment of levels, and flawless broadband connectivity I experienced today, then the game should be wonderful when it\'s released this August. I personally can\'t wait for it. This is the game the online community here at Central was truly meant for. My hats off to Sony for introducing this online only game as a testament to the greatness of your network. It will truly be great come August, sign me up!
Post by: mm on May 24, 2002, 11:04:29 PM
may i bear yer children!
Post by: Bobs_Hardware on May 24, 2002, 11:07:46 PM
i cant wait to get it.. i hope i can get my broadband connection ($400 here!!! :mad: ) and a GCN in time for all the online stuff
your going down Ryu.. sounds awesome
Post by: Ryu on May 24, 2002, 11:13:07 PM
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may i bear yer children!
My gf would kill you, then me, so no. ;)
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your going down Ryu.
Everytime I go to these Metreon events, it always seems like I\'m up against a bunch of lamers. Either my team was great, or the people at E3 were terrible. In either case, I kicked mucho ass, so bring it bobby. ;)
Quick note: This game is supposed to come with a headset and if the online aspect and the community remains mature and serious about the game, the implications in its required use will be grand. Socom will actually come packaged with the headset so I can\'t wait to try that out. Sadly, that was not part of the display at the Metreon.
Post by: Kimahri on May 25, 2002, 12:03:13 AM
The headset really excites me, It sounds like it would be used to talk to the other members of your team...talk about interactivity.:bounce:
Post by: fastson on May 25, 2002, 12:08:48 AM
Thanks for the impressions!
Post by: ooseven on May 25, 2002, 12:18:29 AM
:D
nice read.. and i cant wait to get online an WOOP Fastsons @ss with my Trusty P90 :D
Ruy... me a Love you long time..ma a so horny :D
Post by: Ginko on May 25, 2002, 05:04:51 AM
Post by: Bozco on May 25, 2002, 05:18:26 AM
Post by: nataku on May 25, 2002, 06:36:33 AM
Oh, and another piece of information for you:
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Another surprise--the game was running in progressive-scan mode, making it compatible with high-definition displays (SOCOM is the second PS2 game with progressive-scan support; the first is Namco\'s Tekken 4). With progressive scan kicked on, SOCOM looks amazingly crisp on Sony\'s high-definition monoitors. The game hits in late August with the rollout of Sony\'s network adapter, so it won\'t be too much longer before you can see this thing in action for yourselves.
Source: Gamers.com
EDIT: Ok... maybe I\'ll play... I really wanna play this game...
Post by: Ryu on May 25, 2002, 08:36:09 AM
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 09:16:51 AM
Post by: Bozco on May 25, 2002, 09:19:29 AM
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Originally posted by mm
*cough* 60 fps? right?
I think so, from what I\'ve heard it is.
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 09:29:58 AM
![]("http://www.psx2central.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif")
Post by: Ryu on May 25, 2002, 09:36:51 AM
Post by: The Stapler on May 25, 2002, 10:19:15 AM
:D
Post by: Riku on May 25, 2002, 10:20:35 AM
Post by: clowd on May 25, 2002, 10:22:30 AM
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Originally posted by Rikku
...what are all these rumblings about it being broadband only? Is that true?
Its true. Wonder why they did it though
Post by: Riku on May 25, 2002, 10:26:34 AM
When is the game due out? Maybe I can convince my parents to get bb...
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 10:26:48 AM
socom comes a headset (tell the xbox fans to suck it)
Post by: Riku on May 25, 2002, 10:29:34 AM
Post by: nataku on May 25, 2002, 10:38:42 AM
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Originally posted by Rikku
That stinks...are they going to charge to play online also?
When is the game due out? Maybe I can convince my parents to get bb...
It\'s free to play, minus your ISP charge of course.
Comes out in August.
Post by: Riku on May 25, 2002, 10:40:22 AM
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 11:17:13 AM
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Originally posted by Rikku
Will all PS2 online games utilize it (headset) like the Xbox?
the devs of socom posted the technology on thier website for other devs who want to use it, so its up to thr devs themselves
but i dont see any 56k games supporting this
not all xbox titles will have voice
they have to be specifically programmed for this feature
i see the headset being a gimmick in the long run, just like ripping yer own audio tracks when only 3-4 titles allow it
Post by: nonamer on May 25, 2002, 11:19:56 AM
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 11:29:37 AM
pfffft
Post by: AlteredBeast on May 25, 2002, 12:03:59 PM
(cue double standards post)
This game sounds enjoyable, I will probably play it a bunch when it comes out if it is as good as it sounds. Good impressions, lucky guy.
Eric Jacob
Post by: Samwise on May 25, 2002, 12:13:26 PM
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 12:15:38 PM
here, lemme remove some of the steam, ffx1 will be broadband only
read the other post about online numbers
anything else?
Post by: Ryu on May 25, 2002, 12:59:09 PM
The headset technology for socom will elliminate the need for a keyboard. Headsets and microphones in counter-strike GREATLY improve the experience allowing you to send instant updates rather then stoping you from playing to type a message. As long as the game is played with people who are mature about its usage, it will be great. How clans will get together to play is somewhat of a mystery to me. Perhaps your BB connection for your ps2 in conjunction with chat rooms on your PC will allow you to set all that up. I couldn\'t imagine chatting together to play the game, that\'d be horrid. People are bad enough as it is in chat rooms with text.
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Have you played Rogue Spear for PC? Is it similar? Do you get to pick different weapons/teams before each game? How does each game last?
It\'s actually a lot more like Counter-Strike. Rogue Spear and other Tom Clancy games are hell bent on realism. One shot to anywhere and you\'re pretty much over. Socom leaves a little bit open in that regard. You do get to pick and choose the weapons you carry, like I saw a desert eagle, the m4, a saw m249, an ak-47 and several other weapons. There were also secondary weapons and grenades as well. When you run in Socom, the first few shots are stable, but if you hold down the fire button, you\'ll just spray everywhere. The weapons are authenticate, the M4 has a grenade launcher I believe, so it\'s a bit more liberal in the amount of damage taken kind of like how Soldier of Fortune II is. It\'s not all that violent, your limbs dont blow off, but there is a fair amount of blood when you do get shot. A funny quirk was when you shot your teammates, no damage was incured, but there was blood anyways. That definitely needs to be fixed. Bodies do remain on the ground once you kill someone, and their real models that you actually step on if you walk over them, not through them.
As far as I can tell, TPS is the only perspective you can play, but that\'s fine because the game feels better with the DS2 in that view. If it was a FPS, I\'m sure we\'d get lots of KB\\M complaints. This evens the playing field. So like as the KB\\M option remains absent from the game, the playing field will always be even where skill and wit alone determine who is great and who sucks. Even playing fields are great in games. :)
Post by: nataku on May 25, 2002, 01:29:05 PM
Post by: The Stapler on May 25, 2002, 01:57:39 PM
Post by: mm on May 25, 2002, 02:41:53 PM
:)
Post by: ajoh432 on May 25, 2002, 03:53:40 PM
Post by: Rya on May 25, 2002, 06:46:21 PM
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may i bear yer children!
You better hide, punk!:vader:
j/k
About SOCOM, coming from a person who probably will never play Counterstrike in her life...this looks like something I MIGHT just pick up. That\'s my impression since that\'s all I can really contribute.
*Note: Ryu, I said I MIGHT*. Not going to promise you anything. ;)
Post by: ajoh432 on May 25, 2002, 11:01:35 PM
Am I wrong? Or totally wrong? Just checking. Cause I really wanna get this, but no way in hell I can play it online...
Post by: Ryu on May 25, 2002, 11:28:18 PM
-- Weapons will be specific to your terrain and mission in the single player game.
-- You must work with a 4-man team at all times in order to accomplish your missions and running and gunning will get you wiped out fast.
-- Your team of four will be split into two-man teams. It will be up to you to issue orders and make the best use of everyone. The multitasking is extremely challenging, especially when all hell is breaking loose around you, but it pays off.
-- You\'ll also find that ordering your teammates around will be much easier when you use the headset that comes with the game. While the headset is primarily used to talk to other players when playing online, the unit can also be useful in a single-player game thanks to some impressive speech recognition. If you choose to use the headset in a single-player game, it will relay radio messages to you and allow you to command your team using simple voice commands. The voice recognition technology Zipper is incorporating into SOCOM is truly impressive, and it worked quite well as we were playing.
-- Each level will be introduced by a CG sequence that moves the story along and a real-time fly-through that shows you your objectives. For the most part, stealth and efficiency are prized above insane bloodbaths. The multiplayer mode offers several game types and lets you play as a SEAL or a terrorist. Winning conditions will include things like rescuing hostages or wiping out everyone. While such things may be old hat on the PC, they\'re a welcome new experience on the PS2.
-- So far, SOCOM is looking cool. The headset adds a level of depth to the game, and it works well with the team aspect. We found the game to be playable and very fun with a group of people online. SOCOM: US Navy Seals is slated to release this August exclusively for the PlayStation 2.
Sounds pretty damn good to me. I can\'t wait.
Post by: ajoh432 on May 25, 2002, 11:47:56 PM
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Originally posted by RyuSo it is offline too! I\'m glad you cleared that up... For a second, I thought I was online only.
Actually, almost the entire impressions from gamespot are of the offline portion of the game, and the offline portion has plenty of good solid elements to keep your senses honed and trailed. Here are a couple of interesting points from gamespots offline impressions.
Sounds pretty damn good to me. I can\'t wait.
Thanks again. Now I know I will be getting it.