Review: is SOCOM 4 any better with the PlayStation Move

By: Moses Abaortae

  |   September 26th, 2012   |  

Uncategorized

Zipper Interactive’s SOCOM 4 received mixed reviews when it was released but that a majority of the reviews were based on the controller setup, however, is it any better with the Move or does it still leave a lot to be desired.

SOCOM 4 may have been slated by the core fans of the series but for some it was an ok shooter with simple gameplay which made it accessible to a number of gamers who were not used to shooters. The game, however, did not hold the interest of thorough bred shooter fans, but there may be a solid reason behind it.

Story

The story is pretty much the same military band-of-brothers, only we can save the world cliché. There really isn’t a story per se but a bunch of cut scenes put together that try to connect the player with the characters and the situation. The animations are pretty solid but apart from that gamers will find themselves skipping the cinematic every chance they get.

The ending is a nice touch though as the player is given a choice on how they wish to end the game, both endings feel strangely satisfying but nothing of the same calibre of other titles.

Ultimately the story is weak with a few twists and turns but nothing memorable, expect to be skipping cut scenes and focusing more on the gameplay itself.

6/10

Visuals

It seems as if Zipper Interactive took inspiration from their earlier PlayStation 3 exclusive title, MAG. The environments in SOCOM 4 seem almost identical to the rainforest, Mayan ruin ones that could be found in the massive online first person shooter battles.

This isn’t a bad thing, as it will often remind players of Uncharted, albeit not as good as Naughty Dog’s game. Visually the game is nothing special but it is well above average.

The cut scenes are well captured with facial animations bringing out the character’s emotions but the poor script and lack of sucker punch dialogue means that players will find a lack of substance in the overall story.

Character animations are fluid and enemy soldiers tend to writhe on the ground after being shot. The latter, though, is not a plus point as it seems that those particular animations were simply brought over from the multiplayer component of the game. i.e. when a player goes down he stays in purgatory for a few seconds before respawning.

8/10

Read on to find out about the sound, gameplay and most importantly, the Move factor of the game, on which this entire re-look into the game depends.

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the editorial policy of Wishfree.com in any way.