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SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 delayed one more time
News of yet another SOCOM delay should be unsurprising to those who have been following the franchise since Slant Six took the reigns from Zipper Interactive. Fans have only recently received the long-awaited SOCOM Confrontation 1.60 patch, one that fixed crucial game-crashing bugs; after months of suffering through bugs and game balance issues, Joystiq commenter Solace went so far as to call Confrontation a "glorified beta." For reasons not yet revealed by SCEA, the upcoming PSP installment, Fireteam Bravo 3, has been pushed back from its already-delayed January 12 release date. Considering Sony's admitted failure at marketing the upcoming tactical shooter, a later date will certainly give the publisher more time to prepare the title for retail. A new release date will be announced "in the coming weeks," according to an SCEA rep, but we wonder if SOCOM fans will have any patience left when that day comes.
SOCOM Confrontation 1.6 patch now available
Done with the MAG beta? Bored? Well, you could always jump back into SOCOM Confrontation, especially now that the long-teased 1.60 update is live. Highlights from 1.6 include the addition of new special forces: Dutch KCT and the Italian COMSUBIN Special Forces teams, each equipped with unique weapons, and four new weapons for all players: the 9mm Sub and M82A1A for the Mercenaries and the AK-74 and SR-25 for the Commandos. In addition to the new content, the 1.6 patch fixes a number of bugs ranging from serious "players were being booted out of the game to the XMB while loading into and during gameplay" to minute. The full patch notes can be seen on SOCOM.com. [Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
Stack 'em up and watch this Socom: Fire Team Bravo 3 dev diary
Hold on to your helmets, soldiers, because SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo 3 is breaching stores on January 12, 2010, and the game's dev team is excited. How excited? Excited enough to sit in front of a camera and talk about the PSP title's action-packed story and "authentic" gameplay. SOCOM: Fire Team Bravo 3 is set to continue the series' (sadly forgettable) storyline and includes online co-op and over 70 weapons to show terrorist scum who's boss.
SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 also joins the Q1 party
Just when you thought those Q1 delays were over, SCEA comes in with a surprise. The upcoming SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 for PSP will miss its original late November release, and will instead come out on January 12th, 2010, two weeks before Zipper deploys MAG on PS3.SCEA Senior Producer Mark Rogers says that developer Slant Six is not responsible for the delay and "development is on schedule." Instead, Rogers blames marketing, saying "some high value visual assets (screens and video) have only recently been made available to global marketing and we have decided to move the release and allow time to get the word out to everyone." So, although assets have been available since April, marketing hasn't received them until "recently." We're not entirely sure how this makes sense, but the end result is clear: you'll be waiting longer for this game, as someone gets their act together.%Gallery-50260%
Cold Front DLC sweeps across SOCOM: Confrontation
Listen up, soldiers -- we've got new intel from the PS Blog on the enemy and it appears your unique set of SOCOM: Confrontation skills are needed in the snow-covered lands of eastern Europe. If you've got the mettle, we'll be taking the fight to the enemy in five new warzones: Uprising; Entrapment; Blizzard; Night Stalker; and Vigilance -- two of which are brand new zones of conflict while the remaining three war zones are from previous SOCOM campaigns. We'll also be needing those of you brave enough to enlist to hit the books and gain intel on Arms Run, an all-new multiplayer mode where players must destroy or activate a series of dynamically placed missile silos.Considering we're tossing you out into these icy, blinding conditions, we're also providing you with more than the fancy white goose-down gear you see above (we pay extra for goose feather because we care): soldiers who enlist in the new Cold Front DLC pack will also gain access to a new thermal scope attachment, allowing you to spot the enemy much more effectively. You'll be dealing with the Russian Spetsnaz in these new areas, soldier -- so we're also going to give you some new weapons, ordinance and the option to choose primary and secondary specializations with unlockable equipment unique to the specific skill set you choose.Finally, the bad news: due to the current economic conditions affecting the country, you'll need to help us recoup some of the cost of keeping the war machine oiled up trying to make a better tomorrow. As such, all soldiers who sign up for Cold Front will be required to pay an initial fee of $14.99 -- however it'll only set back our most dedicated troops $9.99 if they sign up in the first 24 hours, the SOCOM Blog reports. The information on when Operation: Cold Front DLC will deploy is currently on a need-to-know basis and we'll be sure to let you know when you need to know.
SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 reporting for duty late Nov.
Atten-hut! Upcoming PSP title SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 has just been cleared for deployment. On November 24, several strategic retail locations will become targets of tactical invasions. These may include actual Targets. Once on the shelf, the title should be able to blend in amongst the other games. So, in preparation of Operation SOCOM Release, your orders are to form a squad and gear up. Your country needs you!And, if you want to be all you can be, note that SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 has some incentives for pre-ordering. If you purchase early at select retails or pick up the game via PSN during the first 30 days following release, you'll get access to some specialized troops: the Kommando Speizialkrafte and Special Air Service, the former being an operative "under the Special Operations Division" and the latter being an elite British soldier who is "the template by which other Special Forces are organized." Each comes armed with the F2000 assault rifle and AS-50 BMG sniper/anti-material rifle, respectively.
Uncharted, SOCOM Confrontation going Greatest Hits on August 16
According to a recent Sony press release, two more best-selling PS3 titles are getting the ol' "Red Box" treatment. Beginning Sunday, August 16, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation (sans headset) will reach "Greatest Hits" status, dropping their respective MSRPs down to a reasonable $29.99.Fans of the SOCOM series will likely be thrilled about Confrontation's markdown -- but every self-respecting PS3 owner needs to have Uncharted in their collection. Now that you can make that happen with just a Hamilton and a Jackson, you've really got no reason to go without.
SOCOM Confrontation bigger online than Killzone 2, Sony producer says
What's the biggest online game on the PS3? No, it's not Killzone 2. No, it's not even Resistance 2. According to SCEA senior producer Mark Rogers, SOCOM Confrontation stands above both of Sony's high-profile first-party FPS offerings by having the most simultaneous online connections on the PlayStation Network. He attributes Confrontation's success to the community's commitment to the franchise. Whereas other gamers may play an online game for a few weeks and move on, SOCOM fans have proven to be far more dedicated (despite the game's ... troubled launch). The devotion of the SOCOM community will be rewarded by an upcoming patch, Rogers promises. While the Slant Six team has been largely quiet about progress on the patch, he says the massive scale and scope of the patch has led to an extended testing cycle. With the promise of DLC in the future, it's clear that SOCOM addicts will find even more reason to avoid playing other games for a long time.
SOCOM: Confrontation DLC available later this summer
SOCOM: Confrontation will soon join the DLC fold, with new content scheduled to drop later this summer. While details on the new content are slim, the game's official site promises more information will be made available in the upcoming weeks. What we do know is the content will include a new area of operation, a new game mode, along with new maps (teased in the tiny image above), characters, weapons and attachments. Audiophiles will also be happy to hear the game's music will be updated and players can select a new voice-over when the content arrives. Now that SOCOM: Confrontation has evolved beyond its original feature-sparse retail release, we're excited for new ways to get tactical on our online enemies.%Gallery-3193%
SOCOM 1.60 patch gives players free DLC
With SOCOM's 1.50 patch finally "feature complete," the guys at Slant Six decided to announce plans for patch 1.60. The release will add new Special Forces to the game: the Dutch KCT and the Italian COMSUBIN. Each Force will include new heads, voices and outfits. Each of the Forces will also don special weapons: the 417 assault rifle for the Dutch KCT and the SPAS 15 shotgun for the Italian COMSUBIN Special Forces.Additionally, four new weapons will be available to all players with the 1.60 patch. These are the 9mm Sub Machine Gun, M82A1A, Ak-74 and SR-25. The patch will also include a number of weapon updates and adjustments to existing weapons.Beyond patch work, Slant Six has also been working on "a major content release/pack," which will be revealed later this month.[Thanks, Tim B.!]
SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 features four-player co-op campaign
It's true, the third installment in the SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo series will feature four-player co-op through the game's campaign, which is nice if you actually have three friends and don't just pay random strangers to stand around you sometimes. The feature will be available in both Ad Hoc and Infrastructure mode, so you can all hang on the couch and play, or you can use the wonders of the internets to get some people together online. Also, when playing co-op, all missions will be unlocked and available for selection, so you don't have to worry about that jerk Donny's lack of progression getting in the way of the group's fun.SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 is currently slated for a Winter 2009 release.%Gallery-50260%
SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 trailer: less tactics, more strike
PSP owners have been rather divided by Slant Six's previous PSP game, SOCOM Tactical Strike. Much to the dismay of series regulars, the military strategy game relied too heavily on "thinking" instead of "shooting." Looks like Slant Six is rectifying that for its upcoming Fireteam Bravo 3.The debut trailer for Fireteam Bravo 3 shows Slant Six's amazing PSP engine returning for a game that looks far more action-packed than the previous handheld outings. In addition to the standard multiplayer the franchise is known for, Fireteam Bravo 3 will expand the series by offering cooperative online play. This first trailer certainly has us excited. Check it out after the break.%Gallery-50260%
SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 coming to PSP
It's been a while since the PSP saw a real SOCOM game. Fireteam Bravo 2 released in 2006 and successfully delivered a 16-player online experience on-the-go. Fireteam Bravo 3 is being worked on by Slant Six, the same team behind the lackluster SOCOM Confrontation on PS3 and the sublime SOCOM Tactical Strike on PSP. The original SOCOM developers, Zipper Interactive, are undoubtedly too busy working on MAG to place their efforts on a handheld SOCOM.New to Fireteam Bravo 3 will be the ability to play missions with other players. The story will take operatives on a quest to find ex-KGB agent Alexander Gozorov, believed to be holding information on an upcoming attack with WMDs. In addition to the campaign, players will also be able to compete online, communicate via voice chat, battle for medals and earn ranks on the online leaderboards. A teaser trailer for the game will be released tomorrow, so stay tuned.%Gallery-50260%[Thanks, Oizu!]
SOCOM Confrontation gets 1.41 patch
Slant Six released a version 1.41 patch for SOCOM: Confrontation this morning. It's available for download right now and fixes some of the game's slowdown issues. It also adjusts some minor display settings and tweaks a bit of the gameplay.The last patch for Confrontation was the 1.30 update in January, which added Trophies. So, why are we now on 1.41 without a 1.40 update? Slant Six had this to say: "The 1.40 was intended to support the European release, we combined the 1.40 and the 1.41 together to speed the deployment of the above fixes." Check after the break for the full list of patch notes.
SOCOM: Confrontation 1.30 patch finally brings Trophies, Party system, bug fixes
If you've been putting off SOCOM: Confrontation until developer Slant Six worked out all the bugs (oh, and added a Quick Match/Party system ... and Trophies), then today's your lucky day, friend. The long anticipated 1.30 update was pushed out early this morning, bringing with it the aforementioned features and fixes. Will it be enough to restore Sony's once-proud franchise to the top of your multiplayer shooter-heap? We won't pretend to know the answer to that, so we'll ask you. Is SOCOM back in action?
SOCOM 1.30 patch brings Trophies and more tomorrow
SOCOM: Confrontation's highly-anticipated 1.30 update, which has been met with delay after delay, will finally be released on January 9th, at 5AM EST/2AM PST. Hey, that's in a couple of hours! The patch brings with it Trophies (a list of them can be viewed here), D-pad lean-in, a Quick Match/Party system, as well as key bug fixes and new features.The update will take an hour or two to happen, so the game will be down until approximately 7AM EST/4AM PST. And ouch -- this patch will also wipe out all player statistics. It's been a long time coming, Slant Six! Let's hope everything goes smoothly.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Quick match, party functionality coming to SOCOM: Confrontation in patch 1.30
Try and stay SOCALM as we relay this exciting news! Sony's frequently updated SOCOM: Confrontation blog has been firing off tons of posts over the past two weeks releasing details about the trophy-infused "patch 1.30" that will eventually be making its way to the game. A recent entry into the blog revealed the addition of two oft-requested matchmaking features that are SOCOMpletely overdue -- a "quick match" mode and a party system which allows you to join games with groups of friends with ease.The two features are actually linked -- selecting the quick match option will take you into a party lobby, where you and your PSN friend platoon can congregate. After your party is built, you can choose one of the three match types to join (16 v. 16 Ranked, Unranked and Respawn) and be automatically matched up against similarly skilled parties. However, no word has been given on a specific launch window for the much-anticipated patch -- SOCOMe on, Slant Six! The anticipation is killing us!
SOCOM: Confrontation 1.30 patch adds in D-pad lean-in
We've brought word previously that SOCOM: Confrontation was getting a 1.30 patch to fix a large set of bugs and add in tons of community-requested features, including Trophies. You can find a whole list of those changes here. However, the v1.30 patch will also be adding more than just the previously revealed content. The patch will also add in the ability to use the D-pad for the lean-in feature, instead of using the regular Sixaxis controls. Players can toggle between the two options in the middle of battle as seen in the clip above. Also featured in video (after the break), SCEA and Slant Six shows off the new transparent scoreboard. However, there's still no mention of a release date for the v1.30 patch. Fans have been waiting for the patch since news first came out nearly a month ago, and hopefully, they won't have to wait much longer.
SOCOM: Confrontation team working on next patch with Trophies
SOCOM: Confrontation didn't launch with Trophies; instead, it shipped with a lot of bugs. Slant Six even admits that "the launch was pretty rough on all of us." However, with patch 1.20 already out fixing a majority of the problem issues and a 1.30 patch coming soon, things are turning around.In fact, the much coveted Trophy support is said to arrive in the upcoming 1.30 patch, among other new features. You can find a list of all the new features and bug fixes for the new update after the break. The crew notes, however, "that some items listed may be delayed to a following update if additional development is required beyond what our schedule for the 1.30 update allows." That means, don't take it as a 100 percent guarantee.[Thanks Ryan and DeforMAKulizer!]
SOCOM: Confrontation Public Beta Manual is a bit late
It has been 10 days since the start of the SOCOM: Confrontation beta, but Slant Six has finally provided a manual for us. We are not sure why this wasn't provided on or before the day the public beta was released, but better late than never, we suppose. Check out the manual here.Those of you who are looking forward to another patch for the beta shouldn't have to wait much longer -- another patch is in the works and the focus of it will be to resolve the following issues: Abnormally long network synchronization issues when some users in a game have a poor network connection. This issue causes 4-7 minute (or longer) load times when late joining a game. An issue where respawn game late joiners were sometimes stuck in spectator mode and could not respawn into the game. Remove the latency detection network test which is causing some users with poor network connections to receive the network latency icon (red X). We'll provide you with an exact release date as soon as the information is available.[Via SOCOM.com]
