The basics: Sony’s immensely popular team-based online shooter returns with some hefty enhancements: 32-player matches, controllable vehicles, and a revamped matchmaking interface.
How was it? In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I’ve spent some serious time with SOCOM 3 (I wrote the Official PlayStation Magazine’s recent cover story on it), so when I recently got a second chance to play it, I wasn’t surprised to see the awesomely huge levels, the 32-player games, and the extensive use of vehicles. It was also no surprise to see control, the new game mode, with its capture-and-defend gameplay. What was surprising—no, perhaps “shocking” would be a better word—was how incredibly smoothly the game was running. For a series that’s been slammed for online lag, seeing a speedy 24-player game was a very big deal. And knowing that each one of those players was using a completely customized weapon (courtesy of the game’s new weapon-mod system) made it all the more impressive. But this was just one level, and getting one level into shape for a demo is one thing—getting 12 into shape for public consumption is another thing entirely. If nothing else, it proves that bigger levels, more players, and vehicles can be done without lag.
