SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs for PlayStation 3 Reviews by Gamers

SOCOM 4 brings back some of the SOCOM feel that Confrontation seemed to let go. However; with that said it is not perfect and a bit frustrating.

SOCOM 4 does not allow any customization of your character - Confrontation did.

SOCOM 4 does not have pistols / handguns.. Instead you get two primary weapons (Assault Rifle / SMG / Machine Gun / Shotgun / Sniper) I dont like this. You should always have a handgun for a last resort.

SOCOM 4 also does not give massive weapon customization - You unlock attachments then choose what you want for a scope and if you want a silencer or not - Which seems very limited..

One thing SOCOM 4 did get right tho it does have co-op online and a solo campaign. The campaign story was decent but not something that amazing..

I have yet to play the multi-player game modes so I will not review that; but I was told it does run a lot smoother then Confrontation..

So to put it short; SOCOM 4 was okay but not perfect. Hopefully some of the features will be added via patch to make it get a better rating.

My score: 6.5 out of 10

If you like online multiplayer or co-op, then you should like this game. There are alot of people that are upset that Socom 4 isn't similar enough to Socom 1 or 2, and that's unfortunate, but the game is still extremely fun to play in multiplayer. All of the multiplayer modes give you the option of playing classic mode, or the new style where you respawn. That means that there's something for the die-hard fans, but the game can still be fun and approachable to newcomers, and people that just like to respawn. There is only one type of airstrike and they're not handed out that often, so the only spamming you're going to get is by grenades or bullets from actual players. Personally, i find it very refreshing and alot more realistic that there's not killstreaks handed out left and right, and to get your kills you have to actually earn them. This game is more technical and tactical than most 3rd person shooters, which I think is great. The campaign is fun, 14 missions in all, and the graphics and music are very good quality. At times during the campaign I was reminded of the cinematic experience of the Uncharted series. So many people will try to diss on this game, but in the end they're all just crybabies and n00bz. Do yourself a favor and try something that's not a Call of Duty clone for once.

The game is a farce its not the same socom that I've been playing for the last five years the developers really ruined the game. The movement and overall gameplay should have been more in line with the previous editions of the game and included enhanced maps from all of the games luckily I have gameFly and didn't buy the game......very disappointed!!!!!

First things first: You already know to ignore the morons with horrible grammar. If they can't string a sentence together, who knows where their minds are when it comes to judging a game (much less anything else).

Okay, now for the "nitty-gritty". I purchased the SOCOM 4 bundle. I love playing this game with the SHARPSHOOTER gun using the MOVE & NAVIGATION controllers. You just need to make sure you read (and understand) the settings for the different sensitivities, etcetera. I don't recall which option it is at the moment (the PSN is down, so I haven't played lately), but there are 3 options for this particular setting: FOCAL, MODAL, and QUICK. Choosing QUICK allows you utilization of the L2 button to, basically, make you the Right Analog stick. The game is much easier this way for ME (assuredly not everyone will enjoy this method).
I prefer C.O.D. to SOCOM because I prefer the 1st person aspect. I prefer to run-n-gun, but I also love chess (which means I am comfortable with strategies and tactics, which is needed for SOCOM).
I also want to address the issue of graphics. The graphics in this game are great, anyone in disagreement is likely spoiled by technology (or younger than 25), and obviously not familiar with the graphics of previous installments.

Bottom Line: SOCOM 4 is a great comeback for ZIPPER from CONFRONTATION (which was a disgrace). If you are a fan of the SOCOM series, you will definitely want to purchase this one. If you are a fan of 3rd person shooters, you will definitely want to at least rent this game. If you like 1st person shooters, then this game will just frustrate you. If you just like shooters in general, definitely give this a go. I also think everyone should try to play with the SHARPSHOOTER, as it adds a different element of FUN. Just remember to set the sensitivities for the controllers, and if you aren't sure of what does what, GOOGLE it (that is exactly how I figured it out).

I've been a fan since Socom 1. For me, this socom is nothing like socom 1 n 2. But it is pretty good! There are some things that can be changed but nothing that will make you stop playing it. Most of you are trying this game out for the multiplayer. Reminder, this is not COD. You do not just run and gun. There are objectives that need to be achieved. Socom is about teamwork so please cooperate!!!. If not then just stick to COD. just wished you were able to get into a party then join a game with your friends!... i recommend buying it because its an online game and addicting too!!!...you yall out there!!!

I am a fan of SOCOM..since they released last version of SOCOM it was awesome but allot of glitches. This SOCOM 4 game just sucks nothing about it is tactical, nothing can be customized. Its just plain boring game nothing about it is worth spending time on. I have had it for a day and already bored so im sending it back.

i was reading the reviews from this game and had mixed feelings about playing it. i was expecting a tactical , stealthy game but was highly disappointed. navy seals don't go break the door down and blast everyone they are stealthy and no matter how stealthy you are in this game it always alerts the AI in the game. i tried ten different ways to silently take out enemies only to start a full out gun fight. if i wanted that type of game play i would play COD. i was very disappointed in this game. guns weren't that great and found my self running low on ammo a few times. i was expecting greatness and got lameness . HOODWINKED

The first SOCOM was a game worth playing and owning. This version is like so many games that cater to on line players. This game has been stripped down to make it a better game play for on line gamers.
Gone is your ability to out fit your team, the ability to pack a silenced side arm. Gone is the ability to order your team to various way point and perform silent kills.
I read so on line gamer comment that he only plays 1st person games and 3 rd games seem lame. Here lies the problem, too many games are made for the on line gamer. So games are being dumbed down for the average user. Instead of being outfit with your proper T.O.E ( tactical operation equipment) You have to earn mods. SOCOM isn't DEAD SPACE. I should'nt have to earn weapon mods.

This version of SOCOM isn't anything special. The good it's 3rd person, which all REAL SHOOTER gamers should be. 3rd person allows you to pick up targets and move like you were really on a mission.

1st person shooter are just for kids wanting to go up against their buddies on line. The bad, EVERYTHING I mention above. Too many options taken out of the gamers hands, just to cater to on line players.

I bought this game instead of waiting to Gamefly it. It's not that bad of a game, it really isn't. Definitely better than Confrontation. What makes this game so good is actually the single player and co-op. But when I buy a shooter game, I expect the replay value to be in multiplayer. The mp in Socom 4 isn't horrible, but it isn't good either, in my opinion. You don't have to play on just hardcore in mp anymore, which should be a good thing, but when you get into a game online, and the other team is just spawn camping you as soon as you get into the map, it gets very frustrating. Even Confrontation wasn't like this. The aiming isn't that great either, but you can get used to it. Overall it's a fun game. And ever since I bought it new, they've had double xp, but trust me, it still takes time to rank up, since u only get 5 xp per kill. I just think this game is probably a better rent than buy, but to each his own. I'd still give it a solid 7 outta 10.

This game is anything but a Socom game. A very sad mix of uncharted and call of duty is more like it. You will find difficulty finding people to play with at times because it seems so little people are playing this due to the fans being disgusted at the direction zipper interactive have take this long beloved title. My advice is that if you are looking for a casual shooter in which even a 4 year old can land a head shot on then this is your game, if you want more of a challenge and are looking for a classic Socom feel I would recommend Socom confrontation instead.

I've never played a SOCOM game until now and I really enjoyed this one. The game is fun but there were a few things that brought it down for me.

First the AI is buggy. I could walk into a room and walk around an AI and he would never fire at me. I had to kill a commander on the 2nd floor of a building and the only way up is the stairs but there were 2 AI soilders stuck in some chairs that never moved or that were affected by a flash bang. When I made it to the top right as I reached the last step they blew me away with shotguns. It sucks because you can't get to them first before they shoot so its a death trap. Plus I don't know if its just me but the AI with shotguns seem way overpowering even from a distance.

Also AI with LMG and Snipers never seem to stop shooting. They just go on and on and on never reloading. Not fun when your trying to get out of cover and take them out. Even worse when your teammates just stand there and get ripped apart. The only good thing about that is at least they are distracting them!

The main thing I hated about custom campaign mode is that when you die you have to start back at the beginning. The reason why this ticks me off is when you finish an area and go to the next area the next set of AI will just spawn out of no where and if your in the open then your dead! Plus the map doesn't always show enemies. The best thing to do is to wait for your teammates to say "All clear" or close to that. it usually happens but not always. The only other thing is the camera. Its at a really bad angle and sometimes it zooms into your head and takes a while to re-adjust into place.

Also why can't your teammates revive you? You can revive them anytime they are down but when you go down your dead. Plus on top of that the death sequence when you die gets annoying after a while. I don't need to see myself dying for 10 seconds which you can't skip. I just want to get back into it.

These are my only issues with the game but fun!

I've been waitng for a decent 3rd person shooter and am done waiting. The graphics are great along with voice acting. I love that u have 2 different types of tac teams to use. There is blue team which specializes in support mid to long range LMG's); and gold team which specializes in stealth (silenced SMG's and snipers)Although linear you can choose how to get through levels. Either guns blazing up the gut going from cover to cover or stick to the foliage unseen and set your team up to take out targets. I'll admit the storyline lacks, you don't really care what is happening but the gameplay makes up for it. There are also several breaks in the game that let you play as one of your squad mates whose name is 45. These are splinter cell moments in the game where you must go from point to point without being seen hiding in shadows or behind cover, stealth kills, and hiding bodies. Another cool thing is you upgarde your guns by killing with them. There is a progression bar that lets you know how far you are from leveling your gun up and unlocking a mod which can be various things such as faster reloading, different scopes, silencencer etc. Every mod you unlock transfers to multiplayer so choose your loadout carefully. I hated Socom:Confrontation, a lot of people may diasgree but i like being able to die and respawn and thats not your lot you can play classic mode where you just have your health which doesn't regenerate and no respawns. The shooting genre is changing so get use to franchises changing things up otherwise you may as well have the same game which constantly seems like an expansion pack has come out. For anyone disappointed theres Ghost Recon Future Solier coming soon.

This is a good game nothing like MW2 so dont compare it. It is really simple and kind of short but overall a solid 3rd person shooter. The online mode is awesome and that is all there is to be said.

I liked the game. Ive been a fan of previous Socom's, but my biggest question is....in what crazy backwards reverse universe does the tactic "just run out and try to charge them" work? This isnt WWII era Russia...I was more frustrated at how poor the AI quality was than anything else in the game. Not just enemy AI, but my own team mates too. Somehow the command "get behind that cover" turns into "no its ok, just stand there and die." Thats my biggest complaint. The graphics werent the greatest and I cant say anything about sound, seeing as how my speakers are blown on my tv. However, there was a mission where I was playing a chick, and my teammates kept saying "moving SIR." I've only been in the army for four years, but Im pretty sure a lady officer is a ma'am. Just sayin. I really liked the multiplayer, the online co-op was pretty fun. I played that more than I did the campaign, which took me something like 6 or so hours, maybe. I also liked the weapon mod system that they did. Overall, yeah, Im glad I have gamefly. Sometimes I wanted to punch someone in the throat while I played it, but I had fun. It seemed over-hyped and a little rushed.

SOCOM 4 is for fans and noobs alike. Anyone can pick it up and enjoy the multiplayer immediately! The graphics are beautiful, the gunplay is fun, the tactics are there at your disposal and classic mode is there for the vets. With that said, Ill move onto what believe too be the bread and butter of SOCOM 4:

The Campaign modes.

WOW! I was blown away at how well done the campaign was developed. It has all the tactics, stealth, balls to the all action I could ask for. The two team system is fantastic and although it requires a bit of practice and patience, once you get a hold of it, you are in full beast mode when the OPFOR are really cramping your style. The 45 missions are fun as well for the AI is very good at the higher difficulty settings and will wreck you on sight! COOP online is intense at higher difficulties and the missions are no joke and no place for lone wolfs. Team work is a must, or you will be watching that spectator cam A LOT!

The story line is good if you like twists and turns, the only thing I wish was not there is the "Childish ambience" the OpsCom gives off sometimes. I dont what it is, but he annoys me. Anyways SOCOM 4 is a solid Buy, no questions asked.

I did not give it a ten for the little reasons of no shoulder switch or customizable characters. Whilst I creep through a jungle I see myself in the proper camo and face paint, not a tshirt over some long johns! Ya dig? Sometimes, the enemy looked more like a true Spec Ops Soldiers and that made me feel a little upset. All the gripes aside, I am very happy with my purchase. Feels good to be tactical again.

this is one of the beter games i have played in a long time. the missions are fun and challenging even on the normal level. i found the hard setting pretty tough which i like. graphics are good and there is a lot of stuff to blow up and enemies to kill. the on line games are full of players that destroy me pretty quickly. havent gotten good enough to really compete, but i am only a part timer. i will actually go to bed before 4 am. would definately recommend this game. good job!

HAHA! wow! so when did everyone at zipper interactive get replaced with manitees? this is by far the worst installment in the socom franchise, and thats saying alot. after playing this game for thirty minutes i had enough and popped in socom II. how does an early ps2 game have better level design, a.i., and weapon feel than a modern ps3 game? this game must be an experiment in what people are willing to tolerate in a "next-gen" title.

At first i didnt like it Im more of a COD player as its fast paced. Since PSN is down i was able to play the offline. The gameplay i must say is alot better then all the COD series. More Maps and longer levels then COD. Played the Beta online so overall this is a really good game. Great story line as well.

I have enjoyed playing the SOCOM franchise since the beginning, when you would get the bundle with the headset so you could talk to your teammates. I love tactical shooters more than anything, however, SOCOM has let me down in a way.

First, the PlayStation Move and Sharpshooter are amazing. I give how well they integrated into gameplay a 10. Playing with the Sharpshooter changes the experience of the game and gives it more realism. I was able to pull off headshots like spreading butter on bread once I got used to it. It takes a while to get used to it as well as calibarate it, but be patient, it is worth it.

However, the campaign has let me down. It has nothing to do with Navy SEALs, except that your two teammates are SEALs. The main character is ISF(International Security Forces). You don't get to choose what custom loadout you want on your weapon like in the previous installments, instead you rank up your weapon to unlock the preset modifications. It's fun, but at the same time I would rather be able to choose what I want on my weapons. To make matters worse, there are no pistols.

I don't know when a Special Ops unit would ever be outdone by the enemy. I mean, how is the enemy better equipped than the SEALs? And since when do SEALs fight on all out wars? It is ridiculous, every time you spawn a checkpoint the enemy rushes at you. It gets too repetitive. Helicopters take more than one rocket to bring them down. You regenarate health because you will get shot at a lot.

Stealth is gone, except for when the game calls for its so called stealth missions. However, the enemy can stilll see you regardless of how well you hide. If they spot a fallen comrade, somehow they know where you are hiding and will rush you. And watch out, because they can fire their weapon and throw a grenade at you at the same time.

I don't like the direction the developers took for this game. They should have left the game on how it was previously.

Let me start by saying I have always been a big SOCOM franchise fan, although I do admit I like Call of Duty a whole lot better. When I picked up SOCOM 4, I was expecting a great game -- something to satisfy the fantasies I'd been having about the next installment in the great franchise. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed.

SOCOM 4 is a good game, but it surely isn't great. The graphics, to start, are above average, but definitely not worthy of a title 1 game developed in 2011. It looks like this game was made in 2008 or '09, not now. There's no great physics system for the entire game, and the setting (the game takes place in Asia) looks untextured and unpolished, almost as if this game's production was rushed.

The story is cheesy, uneventful, and totally insensible. Granted, there is some good die-hard action present in some of the cutscenes, but the fact that most of the good action takes place IN cutscenes is bad. The player hardly gets to interact, and the cutscenes are completely undynamic and just a cruddy movie.

Combat is fairly decent, and throwing grenades is a real treat. Shooting is easy, but the fact that the game is third-person makes shooting feel a bit awkward. Both the enemy and friendly AI is somewhat smart, though repetitive. Squad-based combat is interesting, but not enough to make you have the time of your life.

All in all, rent (from your friendly GameFly), but definitely do NOT buy. Multiplayer is decent, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and CoD: Black Ops both put it to shame. There's virtually to replay value in SOCOM 3.

Shooting: 8
Melee: 6
Graphics: 6
Characters: 8
Story: 6
Multiplayer: 8
AI: 8
OVERALL: 7

I was looking forward to getting this game when it came out. However, now I'm glad I rented it before spending 60 bucks for a big disappointment. Bad camera angles, AI that when shot roll over like they tripped on a rock but don't die until you empty your clip into them, enemies that appear out of thin air that always seem to know exactly which rock or tree you're hiding behind and a team that really seems to be of no use except to get shot and yell for help. All in all this is a rental only (in my opinion) and it will be on it's way back to gamefly with the next mail pickup.

This game has it's moments, but if you are looking for a Socom game then just go back to confrontation, trust me it's worth dealing with all of the bugs of it. Zipper said that they were going to make it "team tactical" but most people don't even use a mic. It's not even the slightest bit realistic, it's pretty much COD in 3rd person. You can land a headshot from 150 yards away no matter what gun you have. The mic system (if anyone is using it) is horrible and everyone just plays it like a bunch of COD 3 year olds just concerned with there "k/d" and not winning the match. And there is NO party system or lobbies. So if you planned on playing with your friends or finding a nice room to go into, forget about it. Instead you will have to deal with the stupid quick match system and hope that your friends are fast enough to get into your game. You can't adjust your class until you are dead, you can't even do it in the main menu. And the campaign is god awful. I don't know why they got rid of the guys from the first four games, but these new ones aren't even Seals, yet they still say US Navy Seals on the cover. Zipper tried reaching out to the "broader audience" and fell flat on their faces. If you can actually get your clan together or find a lobby with good communication, it can be fun, but other than that, Slant Six did a better job with confrontation, and they had never made a major Socom title ever.

First of all, the graphics were great. Second, the stealth missions were incredibly hard; I died about 11 times each stealth mission. Third, there are all sorts of twists,so you never know what happens next. I have to say, well done.

Overview
===================
The campaign is solid. The storyline is okay. You play shooter style missions and stealth style missions which at least give some variety.

The multiplayer is good too. It emphasizes teamwork more than a game like COD. The problem for me was the 3rd person view just feels awkward. I've played other 3rd person games that felt better to control.

Worth a rent before you choose to buy (was not a buy for me).

Pros
===================
1) solid, team oriented online play (lag free too)
2) graphics are solid (not great, but good)

Cons
===================
1) substandard 3rd person view