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[Syphon Filter]

Socom 2 released November 4 2003 on PS2. It was Sony's biggest online game at the time and the main title to give xbox live competition. This game took a lot of skills and strategy especially for a console game, it was unique in it's kind. Post your thoughts and memories on this game on it's 20 year anniversary.

 

[Represent.]

The only game that needs a full blown remake more than Bioshock 1.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

One of my all time favorites

 

[Unknown?]

My memories were mainly with the first one but I remember being amazed as a kid with voice commands. Online was cool too! Also this one was better in every way than the first game.

 

[SenkiDala]

I was given from Sony a HDD adapter, a beta version of this game and a tank game, also a destruction derby game if I recall. I played the game like 10 minutes. I was a bad bad bad beta tester.

 

[ulantan]

I remember playing the psp game constantly online. Feels so long ago.

 

[Tomeru]

We want a new socom game sony.

Nay

We NEED a new socom game sony!

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

MP master piece.

Why can't they release a PUBG like Socom game with the best Socom I/II/III/CA maps???

Ah yes I forgot Sony sucks at developing additive MP games these days.

 

[Salmon Snake]

First contact with this game was at my cousins house and I was shocked that you could play online and speak on a microphone on a console. Had done it on PC but this was something new which you played with a controller.
Then I bought it myself and loved it, but my friends laughed at the game who had a PC.

A bit later I got a PC and Counter-Strike so I forgot Socom.

 

[Represent.]

In all things serious though, this IP should have been Sony's COD or Halo. They didn't treat it right.

Reboot this thing with a talented studio and give it a 15 hour campaign that shows the true horrors of war. Not the super action-y, explosions every minute Micheal Bay style COD games. But a Gritty. Dark. Brutal. Raw. Realistic. Graphically impressive SP War campaign. It would sell itself

Then make the MP fun and addictive, no battle royal trash, but squad based and tactical.

Someone put me in charge, jesus. Sony just sleeping on IP's like fools.

 

[Sub_Level]

Desert Glory. Home.

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

Desert Glory. Home.

Desert Glory, Frostfire, Crossroads, Fish Hook, best mp maps.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

The four SOCOM games on PS2 were incredible, they don't get enough credit for essentially launching competitive shooters as a thing on consoles. GameBattles and MLG came from the SOCOM clan scene, old SOCOMBattles.com

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

RA HE LAAAAAA

Still the best MP game ever, imho. A shame Sears left after II, because 3/CA/4 really sucked imho. Man what a shitshow SOCOM 4 was. We had Zipper devs post here and confirm Sony forced them to make a more casual CoD shooter type clone and man it was a disaster.

Launched with 22 maps and I would say 19 of them were not just good but were amazing.

 

[Krappadizzle]

I remember going into a job interview at a movie theater and I had already had a job working at Gamestop and the manager I was interviewing with kept talking about Socom, which I think by that time I no longer had a PS2 and had pretty much been only on the Xbox at the time. We had some fun jabs at each other over that and then the interview went well and I got that job.

I never did get to play it though. The closest at the time I would have touched would have been Ghost Recon. Bummer it didn't stay around, I can't believe that we've come back around to where I want a modern military shooter.

 

[Rhazkul]

Hey, i remember this game. Played a ton of it. Maybe i should revisit it and drown in nostalgia.

 

[Dynasty8]

This was my first introduction to addiction. Loved every second of it.

 

[deriks]

Game was the shit back in the day

 

[OverHeat]

Man so many hours played on socom 1-2 Canada east for life.

 

[mave198]

Waited for UPS to drop the game off at my local game store by Fordham Rd, played that game non stop thru the night until I couldn't feel my hands the next day.

Good times LOL

 

[simpatico]

I used the included mic to give commands to my AI squadmates. Great game back in the day. I bought it when it first came out. Never tried the multiplayer, but wore the mic every time I played it. Good gaming memory. Anyone know why Sony hates the franchise?

 

[Evolved1]

One of my all time favorites

I actually preferred the original Socom, but generally agree with this sentiment.

 

[Arsic]

Truly mind fucked in the age of games like rainbow six siege, cs2, and valorant being popular competitive titles with long legs, that Sony didn’t reinvest in this franchise and go the e sports route.

It was poised for just that. I know for me it would be my go to competitive shooter if it existed.

 

[Roufianos]

My favourite MP game ever. I used to play it obsessively, I think my peak was 700th in the world.

Best memory was a clan match, me vs 4 people in the final round and I clutched it.

 

[Syphon Filter]

My favourite MP game ever. I used to play it obsessively, I think my peak was 700th in the world.

Best memory was a clan match, me vs 4 people in the final round and I clutched it.

the clan battles were nice. and there was a website called gamebattles where you can see where your clan is ranked. when you beat another clan it felt so satisfying.

 

[CamHostage]

I remember playing the psp game constantly online. Feels so long ago.

Loved the experience on PSP. The console game for me always felt like it just didn't have the firepower to compete against some of the PC shooters of the time (although I did envy how much the community engaged in it when other games didn't really foster teamwork well and chat was hard to come by.) However, I finally got the SOCOM phenomenon with SOCOM FTB1+2 on PSP (I also liked 3 and Tactics but those for some reason I mostly player SP, even though FTB3 had co-op.) Working out a gameplan on mics and seeing the flow of battle across maps on 16-player wars that you could fight outside in the yard or under the stars with a little portable, it was incredible and I miss that experience.

 

[Dice]

I remember one time I was playing and there was some really good player who kept killing our team members no matter how careful they were being. I was playing sniper so I crawled out of the whole compound all the way to the back of the map, slowly crawling through mud and grass to get up a slope where I could see. I scanned and scanned and eventually it was just down to me and one guy who was pinned down. I saw the faint outline of the enemy in the fog across the map. The team was anxious over the headset (an innovation at the time) as we had been trying to work together to figure out where he was. When I saw him I lined up my shot and just said "I got him" and fired for the win. One of the most satisfying wins in a game ever.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Crazy... This and Metal Gear Online (with Subsistence) pulled me away from PC gaming for a decent length of time.

 

[REDRZA MWS]

Best online shooter ever made. Period.

 

[Chronicle]

The GOAT of 3rd person shooters.

 

[T-0800]

The community was pretty brutal though. The amount of times I would be the last alive in the squad only to be kicked out by team for who knows what reason.

 

[Shadowstar39]

I remember playing the psp game constantly online. Feels so long ago.

The psp fireteam bravo 2 and 3 were awesome. Also socom tactics was great strategy game. Sucks that vita never got those style games. I really miss the psp's dedicated games.

Rip zipper interactive. Unit 13 on vita was from them too and was great. Don't know why they got shuttered. They could really thrive today.

Socom 4 didn't get a chance to shine. It came out in the hear of psn hack and got thrown to the wolves. Really could of thrived and the studio stated together.

And socom confrontation was not as bad as the haters said. Made by a different team it was the ps3s first online only shooter. I liked it. I haven't found another game like socom since.

I never played the ps2 games, how were they single player?

 

[Shadowstar39]

I used the included mic to give commands to my AI squadmates. Great game back in the day. I bought it when it first came out. Never tried the multiplayer, but wore the mic every time I played it. Good gaming memory. Anyone know why Sony hates the franchise?

Too masculine and anti what they are into now? They killed it because socom 4 didn't hit big. Problem is that was due to the psn hack happening the same day it was launched. Can't have a multiplayer game with no network. That wasn't the devs faught.

 

[EDMIX]

In all things serious though, this IP should have been Sony's COD or Halo. They didn't treat it right.

Reboot this thing with a talented studio and give it a 15 hour campaign that shows the true horrors of war. Not the super action-y, explosions every minute Micheal Bay style COD games. But a Gritty. Dark. Brutal. Raw. Realistic. Graphically impressive SP War campaign. It would sell itself

Then make the MP fun and addictive, no battle royal trash, but squad based and tactical.

Someone put me in charge, jesus. Sony just sleeping on IP's like fools.

lol for all you know, that is one of the online games they are working on right now.

BIg question, which team would be best fit to tackle this IP? A lot has changed in 20 years...

Bungie?

Those ex-COD developers Sony hired?

Who knows really.

edit. This is needed to remind many that Sony and Online was never some new thing, they have been supporting such concepts for decades.

Sony fully embraces open world games last gen....no Getaway remake or Getaway 3 lol

Sony fully embraces online games this gen.....we out here waiting on a Socom, Warhawk reboot lol

 

[bender]

R3 to reload lead to every firefight for me being:

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

RA HE LAAAAAA

Still the best MP game ever, imho. A shame Sears left after II, because 3/CA/4 really sucked imho. Man what a shitshow SOCOM 4 was. We had Zipper devs post here and confirm Sony forced them to make a more casual CoD shooter type clone and man it was a disaster.

Launched with 22 maps and I would say 19 of them were not just good but were amazing.

3 and Combined Assault were still really good, at least playing the smaller modes and the DLC maps. Loved whenever games were set up of Snipe-No-X on Devil's Road.

I did enjoy Convoy a lot though too.

And 3/CA did the whole "expansion turned into full game" thing right where MWIII fails, by letting owners of both games play together on the common maps.


Confrontation was okay.

 

[iamvin22]

Loved working on this game. Worked on all 3.

 

[Antwix]

Big memories with Socom. Socom 2 especially. I remember doing Gamebattles clan matches almost every day and fighting for the crown on the ladders. Such good times.

A thought just crossed my mind.... you don't really see any clans or matches or anything anymore in multiplayer games. Outside of the pro or semi-pro leagues and such, there's no games out there (that I know of at least) that have a clan feature.

This is probably the only game that would get me to buy a PS5.

 

[diffusionx]

Just bizarre to me that Sony is wasting time with junk like FairGame$ when this is sitting right there, in a world where games like Siege exist and are extremely popular.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Just bizarre to me that Sony is wasting time with junk like FairGame$ when this is sitting right there, in a world where games like Siege exist and are extremely popular.

Lets be real here, Sony wont bring it back the correct way so its better off being dead.

 

[Unknown?]

Lets be real here, Sony wont bring it back the correct way so its better off being dead.

They can't. If they make it like the old games just with better graphics and modern controls, everyone will claim it plays outdated and no new people will try it. If they change it up to play more modern, none of the old fans will like it.

 

[Porticus]

Nostalgia is one hell of a drug.

 

[Syphon Filter]

Nostalgia is one hell of a drug.

I can play it right now and there is nothing better right now that can compete with it. The only games I can think of would be older games as well.

 

[CamHostage]

I can play it right now and there is nothing better right now that can compete with it. The only games I can think of would be older games as well.

By yourself? SOCOM was never a great single-player game (or "game" in general IMO, mechanically, though Zipper did do some innovative and complicated things with it; good but never great even in its glory days for me.)

You can I guess play the PS2/PSP games in fan-run servers online servers. but how many people are actually doing that? Maybe during a special commemorative weekend it might be fun, but just catching a 20-year-old game with people who have hacked or dusty ways to play seems like more work than its worth.

It was the community which made SOCOM an unforgettable experience, and I don't know how Sony could ever get that back?

They can't. If they make it like the old games just with better graphics and modern controls, everyone will claim it plays outdated and no new people will try it. If they change it up to play more modern, none of the old fans will like it.

That's my feeling, though sometimes old becomes new again?
Maybe kids today want a game where one kill puts them out of competition (nobody thought that mechanic was any fun in the CoD heyday until Battle Royale came along...) and where you have to turn off Party Chat or whatever with your friends so you can collaborate with the people you're actually playing with?

Sometimes gamers surprise you... but I wouldn't personally bet on it happening.

 

[trikster40]

Had a dedicated fireteam, played minimum 4 hours online together at least 4 days per week. Back then, it just felt like there was more community around online games.

 

[CamHostage]

BTW. there are SOCOM "spiritual successors" out there, though because it's a military genre and because the fanbase is really jonzing, there seems to be a lot of weird unscrupulousness and animosity involved in a lot of these (plus it's deceptively difficult to do the TPS style SOCOM did well, and even the guys who once made SOCOM couldn't duplicate it.) Check them out at your own discretion.


(Might have ripped off a lot of SOCOM elements or used fan maps, but this came out early access a few weeks ago. F2P, has cosmetic MTX.)


(Out of early access recently, but this is more of a 4v4 team-of-operators game than big SOCOM maps so it's specific what you get out of it.)


(In Alpha Testing. Called a "SOCOM Lite", with some R6 elements plus fact action. Maybe it'll turn into something as it comes along?)


(The classic "Is this the next SOCOM?!" that wasn't, it actually was de-released just a month ago after coming out in 2015 to shaky results. They were trying to revamp it and relaunch it, they also had console plans, but it never really worked out as hoped.)

 

[UltimaKilo]

The only game that needs a full blown remake more than Bioshock 1.

Just remaster it in 4K60 and I'll buy a PS5 tomorrow!

 

[UltimaKilo]

It was the community which made SOCOM an unforgettable experience, and I don't know how Sony could ever get that back?




That's my feeling, though sometimes old becomes new again?
Maybe kids today want a game where one kill puts them out of competition (nobody thought that mechanic was any fun in the CoD heyday until Battle Royale came along...) and where you have to turn off Party Chat or whatever with your friends so you can collaborate with the people you're actually playing with?

Sometimes gamers surprise you... but I wouldn't personally bet on it happening.

It wasn't the "community", it was the game. Gameplay is everything.

PUBG has been an incredible success, so SOCOM would still thrive.

 

[Salmon Snake]

If Sony would decide to make a new Socom game would you like it to be 3rd or First person shooter?

 

[Hypereides]

I used the included mic to give commands to my AI squadmates. Great game back in the day. I bought it when it first came out. Never tried the multiplayer, but wore the mic every time I played it. Good gaming memory. Anyone know why Sony hates the franchise?

Sony has abandoned its own established philosophy that made them what they were to begin with. They're more about chasing trends and current happenings now than imagination and thinking out of the box at the forefront. Heck, we even had the PS3 Warhawk game which trounces many modern multiplayers and yet some Sony "fans" are now clamoring for them to do GAAS instead. We truly didn't deserve how good we had it.

Seeing where modern Sony stands creatively is a sad sight as a Sony fan...