E3 2006 First Look Preview
When you have a franchise like
the SOCOM titles, you have to take great care in not disappointing series fans,
while catering to new fans that may be drawn to the franchise.
Zipper Interactive has been
diligently listening to SOCOM fans and is building the next title in the series
to address some of the wants that fans have been asking for in the next
iteration of the series.
Combined Assault was available
on the show floor at the Sony PlayStation 2 area of E3 in Los Angeles and the
game sports several new features. There will be a four-player co-op mode
available, a customize mission editor, new weapons and vehicles, improved team
and enemy AI, and improved voice chat.
Non-linear gameplay allows
players to progress through the missions in the order they wish to, and like
Fire Team Bravo there will be an instant action option. A cooperative UI will
allow players to see what teammates have equipped, leading to a deeper strategy
aspect within the gameplay.
There will be 15-20 mission
maps in the single-player campaign and the game will ship with exclusive
multiplayer maps as well. Multiplayer will allow for tournaments with player
teams being able to compare scores with other teams. Non-lethal combat will also
be a part of the game.
The game shown on the floor of
E3 was only 50% complete, but still was showing off solid mechanics. The control
scheme should be familiar to fans of the series, but even those new will find it
easy to understand and jump in to and play. Graphically the game was sound,
built on the SOCOM 3 engine with some tweaking to improve elements within the
game.
SOCOM Combined Assault is
shaping up to take the series another several steps forward. Zipper has been
listening to fans and will be delivering on many of the elements of what they
will want.
