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SOCOM Confrontation PS3 Review - www.impulsegamer.com -

Gameplay 7.9
Graphics 8.0
Sound 7.9
Value 7.9
Distributor: Sony
Classification:
MA15+
Review Date:
October 2008
Reviewer:
Tyrone Williams

7.9


SOCOM Confrontation

It’s good to see the SOCOM franchise finally arriving on the PlayStation 3 that once again offers gamers an in-depth online first person shooter. Unlike the single player incarnations of this franchise, SOCOM Confrontation is thoroughly focused on online play with two distinct sides for gamers to play, either the militaristic commando’s or the materialistic mercenaries.

Features:

  • Ultimate 32-player online combat experience featuring stunning high-definition visuals, advanced physics, ballistics, impact and destruction modeling
  • Full support of the SIXAXIS wireless controller, offering greater control
  • Advanced player matching, players can form a team with their friends and easily join an online game
  • Rich interactive and destructible environments supporting multiple game types
  • Choice of playing as various International Special Forces
  • Advanced voice communication systems and immersive audio
  • Comprehensive player customization including fully featured load out, encumbrance and unique uniforms
  • Up to seven different game modes are available on each map
  • Regional combat or challenge teams from around the world

The gameplay modes online are quite diverse and different. Each of the modes are dependent on a number of variables such as destroying military points or just good old fashioned team Deathmatch. The game boasts seven maps that are extremely large, however these can be downscaled for those smaller gamers, ensuring that you do encounter one another. As this is an online game, there are some patches available for the game which does improve the gaming. This is the price of online gaming.

Before embarking on a multiplayer game, players must select their preferred team, their character and also what items they need on their missions. The attention to detail in terms of equipment and weaponry is truly quite impressive, however if you suit yourself up too much, your character will pay in terms of mobility and speed. With that said, customising your character is a careful balance in order to meet your needs. The choices of weapons are extremely diverse that include everything from shotguns to assault rifles. Some of the weapons can also have attachments added such as scopes and silencers that is dependent on your personal preferences. Of course, what game would be complete without a variety of different grenades and of course some heavy duty claymores that are ideal for laying waste to your enemies. Just be careful, because friendly fire hurts!

Another interesting feature which is generally a standard feature these days is the ability to create or join clans that allows you to play in tournament and ladder matches. For the casual gamer, there are still plenty of servers where you can just join in for a few hours or days if the need arises. However, Clans are quite cool and truly gives the genre a sense of community and entertainment. For those online junkies, the developers have also added a game calendar so you know when your clans are meeting for important games.

Although Confrontation is your classic first person shooter, SOCOM has always been a strong believer of realism which means you cannot just run around like a Hollywood action hero. You need to plan your attacks and moves and thankfully the control system is perfectly mapped on the Sony controller with dualshock also being available. Each of the weapons handle differently from each other, whether it’s the close ranged shotgun or an assault rifle. The only trick aspect of SOCOM is the SixAxis control system that when you tilt the controller, your character will then lean in that direction. I’ve never been a huge fan of SixAxis but it’s good to see that Sony is still attempting to implement this interesting yet at times failed technology advance in the gaming world.  

Graphically, SOCOM Confrontation is a little lackluster when compared to games such as Killzone, however it still looks like a next generation console game, it’s just missing some of the bells and whistles. The gaming environments are quite big and at times detailed, however the stars of the game are the characters themselves who interact well with the gaming environment and the special effects such as gun flare or lighting. There are also some destructible objects in the game which look quite impressive when you blow them to Kingdom Come.  The sound effects of the game are quite professional and realistic, especially the sounds of the weapons and the game also supports a Blue Tooth headset if you wish to speak with other players. For the gaming experience, I would strong recommend a headset as it does make the game more enjoyable.

In conclusion, SOCOM Confrontation is a decent online multiplayer game set in a realistic universe with sturdy gameplay, good graphics and some great online moments. There are some nuisances for Australian users some lag or dropouts, however Sony are addressing a variety of these issues with patches and fixes. At the end of the day, SOCOM Confrontation is aimed in the right direction!





 

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