SOCOM Confrontation bigger online than Killzone 2, Sony producer says

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 29th 2009 at 10:19AM }

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.

Tags: Mark-Rogers, playstation-network, psn, SCEA, Slant-Six, socom, socom-confrontation

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Jul 29th 2009 10:26AM

considering that each Region room holds 256 people....and damn near ALL 300(exaggerating a bit) are pretty much full all the time its no shock to me. SOCOM has ALWAYS been a VERY big Community game with REAL Soldiers....a shitty version at launch didnt sway too many diehard fans. Hell I know a number of people that got a PS3 JUST for SOCOM and play NOTHING else on it

Dave @ Jul 29th 2009 10:45AM

Heh, I'm one of those people who bought a ps3 just for socom!

It'd be great if Sony gave slant six a little more support..

phinnvr6 @ Jul 29th 2009 12:51PM

And it would have almost been worth it if Slant Six didn't nearly completely ruin the franchise with crappy graphics and an incomplete game. They PROMISED the 1.50 patch literately months ago then released NOTHING. The game has been out since October and its still the same 7 maps and the piss poor gun selection.

Sure the game is $40, or if you pay the full $60 you get that amazing Sony Bluetooth headset, but Slant Six is a terrible game company that has damn near ruined the franchise in terms of quality.

tails @ Jul 29th 2009 10:58PM

Phinnvr6, Slant Six never promised the patch before a certain date. They never even stated a release date for it.

They said it wouldn't be finished before the end of May, and it wasn't.

Bobs @ Jul 30th 2009 1:08AM

I bought a PS3 for SOCOM IV WHICH WILL COME OUT EVENTUALLY!

damn you Zipper for working on MAG!!!!!!!

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Jul 30th 2009 8:47AM

See what I mean....here are a few people that bought a PS3 for SOCOM....lol...are you guys in the Military?? I have a Few friends that are Marines and Army that play SOCOM HARD!!

Bradwart @ Jul 29th 2009 10:26AM

If the glitches are fixed I might play it. The only reason I bought it was that it was the same clearance price as the standalone headset at Circuit City earlier in the year.

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ Jul 29th 2009 10:31AM

lol....same with me...I got 3 copies of the Bundle for like $30 each

Bradwart @ Jul 29th 2009 10:46AM

They only had one left when I made my second trip. I spent WAY too much money at that sale. Soul Calibur IV, SOCOM, Devil May Cry 4, Xbox 360 60 Starter Pack, Guitar Hero: World Tour... The list goes on.

DamonTheMoney @ Jul 29th 2009 10:31AM

Well I'm happy with that. No matter what problems it had in the past, it doesn't detract from what a truly FANTASTIC game it is now.

Jack_Jackington @ Jul 29th 2009 12:51PM

I am going to assume you know everything about this game. Is it possible for 2 people to play using the same ps3? Sorry if this is a dumb question

phinnvr6 @ Jul 29th 2009 12:59PM

It's not fantastic, the game is crap. They promised patches MONTHS AND MONTHS ago and never released them. Nothing was added to the game or glitches fixed. If all this ever gets done fine, then it could be great, but there are so many better games out and coming out now they it's just too little, too late.

If if they fix all the problems it'll still be victim of mediocre graphics for PS3, and with no ability to have ranked respawn rooms its just boring to play if your new.

DamonTheMoney @ Jul 29th 2009 1:07PM

@ phinnvr6

First of all, I haven't had any glitches or any problems with the game since I got it in Feburary. So I don't know why you're hating on it without the correct knowledge. I guess you just missed the news, a patch has been and fixed all the issues (well all the gameplay ones anyway).

And since when did graphics define a game? Besides the graphics aren't bad at all, sure they're not Killzone 2 good, but they're still good. You need to stop basing your opinions on superficial visuals and hearsay about people's biased opinions.

& @ Jack
No you can't do that, I'm afraid.

Nick @ Jul 29th 2009 2:05PM

The ranked rooms not offering respawn really killed this game for me. I don't have a problem with one kill and you're out, but SOCOM is not a very fast-paced game so it takes a long time, usually, to get back in. It's especially harsh if you turn a corner and someone gets a lucky headshot.

DrunkRaba @ Jul 29th 2009 6:27PM

@Nick

SOCOM has NEVER had ranked respawn and it had better not ever have it. It is a different breed of game from the complete frag-fest sorts of games. That being said, this game has a long way to go till the SOCOM vets are pleased with it. Way too many features from previous games were taken out with little of substance to replace them.

j.howlett @ Jul 29th 2009 10:31AM

SOCOM players are dedicated.

Freak Mojo @ Jul 29th 2009 10:42AM

I originally passed this up due to a poor launch, but I'm thinking it might be time to give it a go. My online shooter fanboy was recently rekindled with Battlefield:1943... so I'm really digging into the nuances of these games and slowly getting better at them :)

Plus I like the idea of SOCOM being more team based than random asshat based :P

knuckles_006 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:50AM

Don't bother you'll just get voted out of every game, because the community is shitty.

Freak Mojo @ Jul 29th 2009 11:06AM

And there you go :P

I knew that SOCOM players were hardcore, but that would suck all the fun out of it for me.

Thanks for the heads up!

SpekOpz @ Jul 29th 2009 11:08AM

@knuckles, so, so true. It makes me angry whenever I join a room the first thing they do is look at my low rank and kick me. It takes me about half an hour just to get into a game. Bad community.

goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Jul 29th 2009 11:30AM

Woah, thanks for the heads up. Was actually thinking of getting this after reading the article, but if it's really like that I'll stick to Warhawk. I've never played a SOCOM game in my life so I guess it's no big loss.

greg (peevmyster) @ Jul 29th 2009 11:35AM

Some advice. Join a clan. Always play with your clan. Get a mic! If your on a side that's mostly one clan and they "ask" you to move over in the lobby, just do it. When we're playing we usually try to start outnumbered, becaus 3-4 people leave after the first round.

goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Jul 29th 2009 11:43AM

Greg, that's a lot of extra work just to be able to play a game you own. It would ultimately become an excercize in frustration here and I'd never bother with the game. You shouldn't have to deal with that kind of crap on a video game unless consumers are running their own private servers.

goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Jul 29th 2009 11:44AM

sp, exercise*

tk42one12 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:50AM

This was all caused by the removal of User Created Ranked Rooms.

That forced the clans into the preset official rooms, and lone players were left with no real place to go.

It is, in my opinon (someone who likes the game) the single greatest problem with the game.

greg (peevmyster) @ Jul 29th 2009 11:51AM

Not really a lot of extra work. I prefer playing with my clan because you really don't have to worry about the internet douch who teamkills the hole team, or kills the hostages your supposed to protect. I wouldn't be playing this game if i didn't have a clan to play with. Just hate it when some idiot won't move over bacause he doesn't want to play against a clan.

knuckles_006 @ Jul 29th 2009 12:45PM

@greg , clans are the worst, your in a room playing with nice people, then a clan joins and tries to take over the room. They won't green up because there clan isn't on the same side. Clans are a bunch of whiny bitches who ruin this game and hold up everyone else.

greg (peevmyster) @ Jul 29th 2009 2:07PM

@knuckles we mostly play quick match because it's the easiest way to get everyone in the same room. I have played in rooms with the kind of clans you speak of though. There were 4 of us in a room once and another clan came in and voted us out for no apparent reason, in that instance i can agree with you. However to put all clans in that catagory is not accurate. I have played with/against some very respectable clans.

Bill$ @ Jul 30th 2009 2:02AM

"Just hate it when some idiot won't move over bacause he doesn't want to play against a clan. " -Gregwell i guess im one of those "idiots" you speak of.. well heres my story.. i pop in socom.. a game i play less than 5times a month.. i go in a ranked room, hoping to be a mercenary(or commando, forgot which).. but yea i really wanted to use a specific character for my first time playing ranked game.. & the last thing i expected was to be ordered around by some douche(s) who think they run the game.. i never switched.. just waited till the game started & they kicked me obviously.. but i picked a couple off before i leftin conclusion.. i did not buy this game (full price) so i can be ordered around by some asshole(s).

JXCgunrunna @ Jul 29th 2009 10:44AM

I would really like to see how this holds up to the numbers of multiplatform games' online play time on the PS3. (CoD and RS:V2)

knuckles_006 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:47AM

Too bad this is the worst game of the three.

Boox @ Jul 29th 2009 11:08AM

That's because its not made by the same people who did the first 2... and the devs who made the first 2 are making MAG

KingOfGods @ Jul 29th 2009 11:09AM

I have to disagree. I never liked any of the other socoms but really like this one. the controls are a little dated and I just wish they would change the controls to be a little more like other shooters that got it right.

knuckles_006 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:34AM

@King ya the controls are awful, they make you put useless shit on the layout like orders n stuff. It'd be nice to not have my reload button not on my R3, I hate accidentally hitting it. But it's better then having orders on R3 which can just freeze your guy.

krztov @ Jul 29th 2009 10:50AM

apparently these producers dont read their own forums:
http://forums.socom.com/socom/board?board.id=confrontation

patch 1.5 has been talked about since MARCH and its still not out, its supposed to add features that were advertised since launch. as much as i love it, socom is a joke, slant six has a BBB rating of F now (not even kidding).

knuckles_006 @ Jul 29th 2009 10:52AM

I agree, for an online only game, these devs stink, can't even patch a game properly, SOCOM 2 had more DLC then Confrontation, and it's pathetic.

SimbaDogg @ Jul 29th 2009 3:49PM

shame shame shame. i remember hearing a lot time ago that they available at launch features, still weren't working. but its kinda pathetic that they're not fixed yet. maybe i'll get this in another 6 months or so when its much cheaper, and also bundled w/ the official ps3 headset. i really wanna ditch my old, official warhawk headset. give it to my mom or something for when she drives.

Tk42OnE @ Jul 29th 2009 10:51AM

They are very dedicated, and sometimes ornry. Just check out their forums.

http://forums.socom.com/socom/board?board.id=confrontation

Boox @ Jul 29th 2009 10:59AM

I tried this game, personally I'd much prefer Killzone 2 or Resistance 2 but a lot of my friends do play this game(why? I dunno IMO it sucks)... I only bought it cause it was cheap and it came with the headset, sold the game after a week

Maulok @ Jul 29th 2009 11:15AM

Note the wording: "bigger" not "better" Quality matters.

The lack of DLC and patch support for SOCOM has really made me hesitant to get excited for MAG

Scotty P @ Jul 29th 2009 11:35AM

Seeing as SOCOM is slant six, and MAG is zipper I don't know why you are comparing them.

knuckles_006 @ Jul 29th 2009 11:36AM

MAG and Socom are made by different devs. Zipper had DLC for socom 2 on the PS2. So I'm sure they'll make maps for MAG.

Storm Eagle::The Blood Edge @ Jul 29th 2009 11:57AM

That was one of the issues a lot of the diehard SOCOM fans that I talked to had. They attributed the game's troubles to the fact that development had changed hands from Zipper to Slant 6. I would too. It's also one of the reasons I passed on this SOCOM and am looking forward to MAG so much more.

Mr_Ahh @ Jul 29th 2009 11:17AM

I would have always thought warhawk would have held that title, considering to this day it's still packed with players.

Shimrra @ Jul 29th 2009 11:22AM

Socom is alright but I still prefer Battlefield.

Freak Mojo @ Jul 29th 2009 12:22PM

Yep... I'm right there now too. After getting into BF:1943 so much, I'm really looking forward to the Battlefield game... never tried them before, but I seem to be hooked.

Also.. after reading these posts, I have a hankering to get back into Warhawk and try the online part of Rainbow Six|V2 :)

Woohoo for choices!!!!