Socom 4 Private Multiplayer Beta Review

AHHHH! I’m glad to announce that I was invited to the Socom 4 Mulitplayer Private Beta  and have been playing it for the past couple of days. There is so much I have to tell you guys! So here is my review on the game thus far...

Gameplay

As you make your way around the map you find that everything is extremely fluent. Getting stuck on rocks or anything else that wouldn’t be realistic for you to get caught on are not present. The movement speed of the characters has been split up depending upon whether you are playing classic mode or re-spawn. In classic mode the movement speed is perfect. You can make your way around the map without wanting to sprint, but if you need to turn the pace up then it's there. Re-spawn movement is significantly slower and really needs to be set equivalent to classic, bouncing back and forth between the two throws your aim off. The cover system is present throughout the game.  Though most socomers are highly against a cover system, it seems to not be that much of an issue. The only problem I am having with it is trying to take cover behind a box without the cover system. When you tap triangle to crouch, the player does not immediately go fully into a crouch, but a “hunch” leaving your head sticking slightly above boxes. I have been killed several times because of this and it's annoying. Overall the gameplay is is exceptional (I get quite critical so don’t take it the wrong way). 

Game Modes

Re-Spawn Mode

-round and time depends on game mode

Classic Mode

-11 rounds total 

-5 minute rounds

-Tie breaker rounds are determined by objectives

Suppression- Best game mode by far. The objective is to simply eliminate the opposing team. There is a lot of camping on this game type in clan matches because the team with the most kills wins the round. So a team who gets 1 kill can sit back and hold victory. However, this is my favorite game mode under the right circumstances.

Bomb Squad- In this mode a “Bomb Defuser” is chosen for one team, who is equipped with a shotgun, grenade launcher, and a numerous amount of extra health. The defusing team tactically protects the defuser as they must defuse three determined points or kill all the opposing enemies to achieve victory. If the defuser is killed the opposing team automatically wins. Its a great game mode and is fun to play, but it is difficult to defuse all three bombs in classic mode because you are only limited to one life. The amount of health for the defuser is set at a perfect point though, because it takes a 2 clips or more to take him down. 

Port Authority: Bomb Squad

Uplink- Here you are either retrieving or defending data for your team. I have played uplink only a few times, and basically it is was it is. Most people were running around getting kills until they absolutely had to defend.

Last Defense- This is Zipper’s version of capture of the flag. Teams must take control of 3 check points on a map, and only then will a target be revealed where you must call an airstrike to win the round. I believe you have 2 minutes where the enemy must defend there base, and after the control points reset all over. I enjoy this game type quite a lot. There is madness going down everywhere trying to get these points in control and there are numerous gunfights that occur.

Maps

Assault and Battery 

This is a medium sized map that has a jungle setting to it. The map plays really well as each base has its own uniqueness and the center of the map holds a slightly walled battle zone where teams meet to duke it out above or below this where two small tunnels make each side in the middle accessible. 

Port Authority

This is a small-medium map that is split by a towering 3-level ship in which you can maneuver over, through down, or around. Also a 2-level warehouse lies besides the ship. This map has a lot to it, but a lot of the map is open, so it is tolerable. 

*Both maps play equal on both sides, I have yet to see an advantage from playing one side or the other, but that could change as players get better.

I am enjoying both of these maps greatly, just wish they would give us more maps for the beta! I’ve talked to a few people who have gotten the chance to play Abandoned and they are quite pleased with it.

Pre-order map Abandoned

Weapons/ Grenades/ Explosives

The weapon selection for the Spec-ops and Insurgents are completely different this round. No gun on either side is the same, but everything is balanced. There is really no need to go into description about each gun as they pretty much do what they are suppose to do to. Most guns take about 5-6 hits to kill an enemy, with the exception of shotguns and sniper rifles which can take 1-2. Most guns feel the same in your hands. You really do not get the feeling that each gun is its own like in Socom 1 and 2, but I cannot complain about what Zipper has given us.

PMN mines and Claymores are both triggered by enemy motion. No longer are claymores activated by remote like before. I personally am sad to see this go. It required more skill when you had to time your kill and pay attention when to detonate it. PMN mines are pretty much the same, they make a loud beeping noise when you stay around them and also now have a small blinking red light on them. As an enemy you really only hear the beeping noise when you are literally running over the mine so I see no point in it really. On both PMN and claymores, a friendly symbol is displayed over the  explosive so you are able to identify where they are set. This to me is straying away from the Socom basics of teamwork; calling mines out should be the players job, not the game.

Final Thoughts

There are several things that the beta community has been requesting for Zipper to take into consideration for change. Among the top concerns are the “too close” camera angle, no grenade arcs, crosshairs needing a central dot, no d-pad lean, classic style tiebreakers, and the ability to chat to your opponent in classic mode pre-match screens, just to name a few. 

Spec-Ops Team

In summary, I am enjoying the Socom 4 private beta. The game (like Zipper has already made clear) has definitely changed, but what they have created definitely has a lot of potential. Zipper is officially back in business for the Socom series! I give the game at this stage a 7/10.

I'll be back at the end of the public beta with a more in detail and final review of the beta!

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