PS3 rumor: SOCOM 4 at E3, God of War shaping up
by Christopher Grant 
{ Feb 17th 2006 at 10:45AM }
Not to be outdone, Computer and Video Games have their own PS3 inside man who gave them the scoop on some upcoming PlayStation 3 games. SOCOM 4 is not only "absolutely gorgeous looking" but is "confirmed" for E3, and is probably a launch title. A sequel to the award-winning God of War may not make it to E3 but--rest assured--is "well into development." They also revealed that (Ratchet and Clank creators) Insomiac's next-gen FPS, heretofore titled I-8, is now known as... Resistance. Really? Resistance?
Perhaps most interesting is the claim that both SOCOM 4 and God of War (2?) will also see current-gen releases: "...Both [God of War] and SOCOM 4 will also be appearing on PS2, underlining Sony's commitment to its favoured current-gen son for the next few years." Sure, there's almost 100 million of the things out there, but those games are sure to be system sellers. Unless the next-gen variants provide more than just prettier graphics, a $X00 dollar PS3 with the same games will be a tough sell. Please apply salt liberally.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Panadero @ Feb 17th 2006 11:02AM
Would people stop quoting that 100 million number as if they're 100 million unique units? Given the hardware failure rate and the multiple purchases related to it (as well as the release of the small version), the real number of unique consoles is likely half that at *most*.
That said, I'm really excited to hear that the God of War sequel is well under way. Not having it as a launch title wouldn't be that big a disappointment as long as the final result is as polished as the first one.
RS @ Feb 17th 2006 11:07AM
Looks like its gonna be a good E3 for Sony. I can't wait to see God of War 2.
Caleb @ Feb 17th 2006 11:10AM
According to your logic, one out of every two PS2s has been broken or trashed?
Yeah........right...
fwacce @ Feb 17th 2006 11:16AM
Panadero, I think you clicked the wrong page. This is www.joystiq.com. You apparently meant to go to www.xbox360fanboy.com.
Pyronite @ Feb 17th 2006 11:21AM
God of War 2!? Dear God no!
Am I the only one worried that, since its release is so close to that of the first (and Dave Jaffe is not involved), the game will be rushed and lackluster?
Fan @ Feb 17th 2006 11:22AM
God of war 2 on the PS3 is great news.
And i commend Sony for making them for the PS2 also. It shows they have a commitment to their earlier customers too. Ps3 is supposed to last for 6+ years and ps2 is making Sony money so its not a bad buisness decition. Good and unexpected news from Sony.
As MS does... @ Feb 17th 2006 11:25AM
I'm not saying it's great that Sony will release two versions of games, one on PS2 and one on PS3. But you have to understand that PS3's biggest competition is Xbox 360. And Xbox 360 has many games which are the same way.
Virtually all 360 games are available on other platforms, most of those on PS2 and Xbox.
So Sony will likely be able to get away with this. It's a bit of a sad thing for the industry in general though. We knew how much it would cost to develop games for the next generation and now we see that they don't comfortably feel that they can make their dev costs back with just the next gen sales.
Me @ Feb 17th 2006 11:26AM
"3. According to your logic, one out of every two PS2s has been broken or trashed?
Yeah........right... "
Yeah thats sounds exactly right!
benjamin @ Feb 17th 2006 11:31AM
I wonder if a certain unveiling might eclipse the release of a couple of sequels at E3...
Not to be incindiary or anything.
isuma @ Feb 17th 2006 11:36AM
SOCOM 4 makes sense if they want to promote and launch their HUB infrastructure. They will need to compete with Online Halo3 when that comes out.
What they should do is do a two in one BD-DVD God of War so that the user gets the full PS3 experience when they decide to upgrade.
C. Grant @ Feb 17th 2006 11:40AM
There's a lot of PS2s. Everyone, get over it.
Kamalot @ Feb 17th 2006 11:41AM
benjamin: I love your site. :D
I'm not too excited about this announcement. I remember hearing that Metal Gear Solid would launch with the PS2 only to have it pushed back a year.
Thinking back on it, the first year of the PS2 was prety much trash. I had way more fun with my Dreamcast!
Eric @ Feb 17th 2006 11:47AM
First, let me say that it's my opinion this story is largely bunk and is based off of existing knowledge. SOCOM 4 for PS3. Since Sony just inhoused the SOCOM developers, is anyone actually shocked that one of the PS2's most popular franchises is coming to the PS3? Likewise, the behind-the-scenes features in God of War essentially told us there would be a God of War for the PS3. Plus, does anyone really believe that these sites get their "ultra secret" sources to dish out information like this only after the HUB story? Come-on, if they really had these sources they would have broken this information long ago.
At any rate, one thing that's interesting is that assuming the story is authentic and SOCOM 4 is a launch title, then that should lead us to believe that the HUB system will be online at release.
Digit @ Feb 17th 2006 11:48AM
Yeah! SOCOM 4 Rendermovie ahead cause everybody knows about the Killzone 2 hoax.
The Letter Q @ Feb 17th 2006 11:49AM
panadero...
you do know that many of the "broken" ps2's with hardware failure's are actually easily refurbished.
Most of the time it takes less than 5 minutes to do so.
If you really want to nitpick over an issue involving a minority of systems, then you could also say to cut xbox's numbers in half from them being trashed by idiot modders, being used at bulletproof shields, catching on fire and burning houses down.
The ps2's hardware issues are the minority at this point in the game. People with hardware issues are just more vocal, as seen by the 360 drivel.
HumanKevlar 81 @ Feb 17th 2006 11:53AM
#10, How exactly would they do that?
BD will read DVD's, however, the PS2 will not be able to read any data off of a Blu Ray Disc.
Kamalot @ Feb 17th 2006 12:03PM
"What they should do is do a two in one BD-DVD God of War so that the user gets the full PS3 experience when they decide to upgrade."
Are you serious? This is SONY! They charge you more for a portable movie than for a DVD!
They want your money twice, three times if they can get away with it.
Nossy @ Feb 17th 2006 12:15PM
Cool, now show me those "absolute gorgeous" footage of SOCOM 4 please, not CGI render stuff, but gameplay footages. Just don't tell me, SHOW ME Dammnit.
COLD AS ICE @ Feb 17th 2006 12:19PM
Bring back the old maps!!!!!!! Old maps in next gen format, HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. It will be beautiful!
BadVermin @ Feb 17th 2006 12:26PM
The number of units sold isn't the best way to estimate the market, you need to factor in attach rates to get an idea of how large the current user base is.
For instance, the PS2 has sold over 100 million units, compared to the mere 30 million that the Xbox and GameCube have sold apiece. With that many more units in the market, one would expect a PS2 title to sell a minimum of at least three times more than the competition. But PS2 titles only sell twice as many units as Xbox. So what happened to the PS2 market? Could it be that there really only 60 million working PS2s in the world? Doubtful. Perhaps a few people bought their PS2s solely as a DVD player or decided they were happy with fewer games. It really doesn't matter. The numbers do not imply that half of the GameCubes or a third of the PS2s are broken, just they have a lower attach rate than the Xbox.
My point is, by looking at the sales numbers and attach rates developers could estimate the current market to be around 60 million PS2s, 30 million Xboxs, and 15 million GameCubes. There is however a caveat, being that sales for all last gen games have plummeted in the last year. The current gen market is shrinking, as it appears that gamers are waiting for the next-gen systems rather than buying what is considered to be old technology.
Unfortunately, with the next gen systems looming closer (and as 360 production ramps up), the number of current gen game sales will continue to taper off, shrinking market even more. I'm not sure if spending millions to make a AAA current gen game is advisable at this point in the game. But then I'm not an analyst, what do I know.
Chris @ Feb 17th 2006 12:28PM
I hope SOCOM doesn't get cold feet and make up fictional countries just to make the Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans happy. That was ridiculous. Why should they care if they piss off other people?
Ozymandias @ Feb 17th 2006 12:55PM
ASK and ye shall recieve
SOCOM 4 video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6463498293053567960&q=ghost+recon+xbox+360
just kidding if were lucky the ps3 will get this game too. who knows maybe there will be cross platform play one day.
dsub @ Feb 17th 2006 1:10PM
I agree, I think both of these games coming to PS3 was imminent. This would be like considering Halo 3 coming to XBOX 360 a breaking news story, but that's not what they are pointing out. They are pointing out that both games are well into development, and if both make the PS3 launch, it would certainly mean some quality titles are coming the PS3's way early on. That and neither of these titles were announced at last years E3. From the sound of it, Socom 4 may be playable at E3. I'm not a fan of Socom, but I know to alot of sony fans and socom fans this is a big deal.
I'm a big fan of god of war, but I am a much bigger fan of ninja gaiden on XBOX. Personally, I will pickup GOW2 when I get a PS3 (whenever they become less than $400) But the game I am waiting for news on is Ninja Gaiden 2 for 360, unfortunately, it sounds like it's a couple/few years off.
Darth Pixel @ Feb 17th 2006 1:19PM
I reckon Sony never experienced such level of hatred in the US.
Every move they make is an opportunity to bash them.
Every press release is a reason to belittle their credibility.
It must be hard to be in charge of PR at SCE.
Fanboys being true to themselves, they fail to wish for the best outcome: Incredible things from Sony.
If Sony produces an online service that surpasses Xbox Live, Microsoft will be compelled to make Xbox Live better, faster.
If Sony succeeds in making PlayStation 3 run cool and quiet, Microsoft will have to revise Xbox 360 to run cool and quiet.
If Sony makes PlayStation 3 a true media hub, Microsoft will have to re-consider their strategy involving Windows MCE.
If Sony is successful in delivering real backward compatibility, Microsoft will have to do a much better job at that too.
If Sony succeeds in making PSP a true location-free extension of PlayStation 3, Microsoft and Nintendo will be forced to take notice and improve their own offerings.
Brief, wishing for Sony to produce the best they can produce IS wishing the best interest of every gamer.
So, why be hateful?
Lee @ Feb 17th 2006 1:46PM
Darth Pixel,
Very well stated. I totally agree. This is nothing like 6 or 7 years ago. We need not worry about one console overcoming the rest and putting anyone out of business. These companies are in it for the long haul. They have much more money than they know what to do with and are not going to easily accept defeat. The only thing that is going to happen is improvement. I have been an Xbox-sided fan for a little while now, but I also know that in order for Microsoft to really move forward in the industry, it's going to to take Sony delivering some kind of ass whiping, whether it be user base, games and features, or all of the above. Same goes the other way. Xbox Live has already forced Sony to improve by releasing HUB. If Sony's answer to the Live service falls short of Live, you can bet they aren't going to give up on it. Similarly to what Darth Pixel stated, hoping that every system of this generation does as well as it possibly can will only make the market stronger, competition more fierce, and an overall better experience for the gamers who benefit from the added improvements.
Chiablo @ Feb 17th 2006 1:53PM
There is a typo in the Joystiq post.
You have "$X00"... it should read "$X000".
Devil's Advocate @ Feb 17th 2006 2:27PM
I am a fan of the SOCOM series, and whilst I am still enjoying the gameplay in SOCOM 3, I have already begun to wonder what will come next for the franchise. That being said, I am not looking forward to a unified pay online system for the PS3. It is my personal opinion that XBOX Live sucks (please note that I was a member of the service for 2 yrs). I do not enjoy having one gamertag for all of my games, I don't like having to pay for online service. And I have preferred most PS2 Online servers for each game that I have attempted to use online, granted some were not as good as Xbox Live).
During each of the recent discussions regarding PS3 having a unified service, I have been concerned that this appears to be a popular idea. I have come to the conclusion that I am in the minority when it comes to my opinion regarding online services, but I can only wish that the PS3 does not continue the trend of constant surveillance and updates and patches that the genre seems to be heading.
With "advergaming" (a word I distinctly despise) and points systems to purchase maps and new items for gameplay, am I the only one concerned that the industry is progressing towards a state that it is becoming exceedingly more complicated and costly to sit down and play a video game?
dsub @ Feb 17th 2006 2:27PM
thank god. I agree totally with both DarthPixel and Lee. This is how everyone should feel about gaming. Good competition is what is better for us, the gamers. Complete market domination by one company is NOT.
warning(choking hazard) @ Feb 17th 2006 4:57PM
to #27
I agree a non unified online service is better. I worry that developers that are making a game for the ps3 will rush it, then release patches. cough *xbox* cough. i mean im going to spend 60 bucks for a game i dont want to spend more to get all the extra stuff that should've been in the game in the first place.
to #20
there isn't 30 million xboxs out there only about 22 million. I think the reason games for the ps2 outsell the games for the xbox by only a margin of 2 to 1 is because the ps2 has a way bigger library of games so people have a wider variety of games to choose from. the xbox doesnt. so when a new game comes out for the xbox people were more likely to buy the newest xbox game because they didnt have a lot of new games being released for it. if you have a ps2 you dont have to buy it because you have the "luxury" of having a lot of different games to buy at your disposal.
kizza @ Feb 17th 2006 6:16PM
Its funny how people think its sad that sequels are being made for relatively new franchises on sony's system. One writer in here even said it was sad for the industry, yet this same guy is probably a nintendo fanboy that can't wait for mario kart 10, super mario 72 & all the rest of the sequels from the revolutionary nintendo (to fangirls only).
Face facts, socom is a must have next gen title for fans of the series & god of war is the same. I see none of you fangirls have mentioned insomniacs commitment to sony's hardware & providing players with something new in resistance, (yes its a fps, but its different to their former cutesy platformers & looks like one of the most promising fps console titles coming up).
Of course sony will have plenty of sequels (just like all top selling consoles through time have), but along with that sony again will have the strongest 1st party original properties, that are brimming with innovative ideas. Games like ico, shadow of the collosus, ghosthunter, primal, mark of kri, etc,etc.
I can't wait to see what the developers of ico can come up with on ps3.
100 million consoles........100million consoles.........over 100million consoles. Theres more room for faulty hardware when your shifting that much product little fangirls.
100million consoles.....
to the moron that tried to proclaim that over half of these sales numbers were attributed by faulty hardware..... Your on crack son, only a staunch sony fanboy would deny they've had their fair share of faulty machines...... But throwing out half as a number is absolutely idiotic & shows you are a ms extremist fanboy. Thats like a sony fanboy adding 80-90% fault ratio to the 360, when its really 5-10%.
If any of sony's rivals had the customer demand sony did with ps2, then they would have struggled to cope... especially MS, just look at the 360 balls up. If xbox1 was as high demand as ps2, ms would have struggled badly considering they had not been a manufacturer of hardware before. And also for sony's second console, the ps2's manufacturing numbers was very impressive at the least.
On a negative note, I was told by a gamestore employee the other day that the ps3 would launch here in australia for a $800-1000 price tag.
I will take his comments with a grain of salt though as most store employees would have been told to make the 360 look more enticing, for the simple reason that they have them in the stores ready to sell to customers. Gamestore employees in aus at least also don't really know shit, they look up stuff on internet sites similar to this & take all the stories & info they read as gospel.
On saying this, I could believe the oz pricetag....... But am more inclined to think that it will sell for the same oz price as the 360, or at most, $50-100 more, & thts with a hdd.
steven @ Apr 19th 2006 3:48PM
wtf?? socom 4 combat assualt? fix the socom 3 before you go to a new game... And sony usually lies for example the new maps still have not come out and they were supposed to be out in march.