Searching for the Next Socom Part IV

Searching for the Next Socom Part IV

Foreword:

I began this year with the highest hopes that my Search for a game that gave me back the excitement, the all night gaming marathons, the anticipation felt when I was driving home from work on a night in which my clan and I were scheduled to play a major war against another clan in a battle for territorial control in a Urgent Fury tack-map tournament was back. A feeling which I haven’t felt since Socom II and a percentage of Socom III/CA. Would at long last my search be over?

How long had it been? How long have I been searching for the next Socom? Part I of this series was written back in Nov of 2007. Has it been that long? Have I been searching for two years? The word Socom in these series has taken on the role of a metaphor. It no longer equates to a specific title, I use the word to describe what was once the best in online shooter gaming. Today that notion seems to be lost. There is no “best” just a haphazard array of offerings that provide a tidbit of the qualities that make up my metamorphic ideal of Socom.

This was to be the year, the time was finally upon us. Slant Six’s Socom Confrontation was finally due to be released and I along with my clan, friends and the community of urgent fury were on pins and needles in anticipation. I played the beta for hours upon hours going over Crossroads until I knew every square inch of the map. There were problems, sure but it was a beta and I like a lot of my mates chalked it up as a part of what a beta was all about. Surely they would fix these things before releasing the game.

It’s finally here

I stood in line to get my pre-ordered copy. It was pre-ordered so I didn’t really have to stand in line, yet there I was. I was so excited that it didn’t matter I wanted my game and I wanted it as soon as possible. I rushed home reading the box at every stop light going over the features listed with an exhilaration. This is it! this is what I’ve been searching for. Its finally here and tonight is my night bro! For the first couple of weeks I tried in earnest to convince myself that I had found my holy grail. But something was wrong there was a tiny voice in my head that kept repeating “something isn’t right” in my mind. I refused to listen, I tried to convince myself that I was just being picky, that this title was the end all be all. I was like a kid at a candy store trying to persuade myself that the prize in my box of cracker jacks made up for the staleness of the caramel popcorn. In the end I realized the prize was just a worthless cheap whistle. A roll of duck tape wouldn’t keep the whistle from breaking sooner or later.

Holy Patch Batman:

If it isn’t broke fix it anyway. If it is broke than duck tape it. If the duck tape tears apply more duck tape. That seemed to be the general thought the game developers had. Each patch seemed to only slow down the leak on one side of the boat only to spring a new one on the other side of the hull. Socom seemed to need constant bailing in order to stay afloat. For me the boat sank.. even the Socom life preserver didn’t save me from the sharks. The game now sits on the shelf collecting dust next to other titles I no longer play. For those that continue to play it and enjoy the release I am however delighted that they are able to do so. I wish I could say the same, but I simply can’t: Confrontation is not the Socom I was searching for.

What does the future hold?

My hopes are that Sony puts more effort into their franchise title. That they give me the Socom of my dreams. That they follow the format which made the title so successful in the past. That they develop and release a Socom title free of defects. Part of me knows this is wishful thinking, that I should just try to make the best of what is available. Believe me I have tried. I can’t help it.. if when it comes to Socom I have high standards. I realize this leave me sitting on the sidelines waiting to see if a future game release gives me back the all night gaming Socom addiction I once had. Knowing the odds of getting the silver whistle in my box of cracker jacks are extremely rare won’t stop me from buying a box. Is it too much to ask that the popcorn at least not be stale even if the prize is a piece of junk? Still searching for the next Socom.

Searching for the next Socom
Searching for the Next Socom Part II
Searching for the Next Socom Part III
Searching for the Next Socom Part IV

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My path to online gaming.

The first tournament site I was on was Socombattles.com (now gamebattles). That community was a pretty cool one (it’s now terrible lol), but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for or my clan was looking for. During Socom 2 I found a site called Socomzone.com. It had a real tight knit community filled with mostly honorable clans, but with Socom 2 most of the clans and the site dissolved. During that site’s downfall I heard from a friend in that community about this upcoming tournament site called “Urgent Fury.”

Really it’s a funny thing how I got into online gaming. When I was younger, all I did during hunting off-seasons was play hunting video games on the CPU. Sometime during the year 2000, I bought a title that offered an online multiplayer. To me it was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I sat there day in and day out. It was really fun talking to fellow hunters and networking through a video game. I’ve even hunted with some of the guys I met after hanging out with them in the online world. Eventually, this online experience led me to purchase a network adapter for my PS2 and I started playing online games via the PS2. For some reason I was instantly attracted to SOCOM and fell in love the first time I popped it in. My love for it grew and eventually I made my way into structured clan gaming.

Continue reading “My path to online gaming.”

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Being Respectful in Online Gaming:

– “a deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: “

The word “respect” is often thrown about with little regard for it’s true meaning. These days, an increasing amount of gamers expect it from everyone they come into contact with. However, many seem to have forgotten what the word actually means. Webster’s defines Respect as:

–  “a deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment: “

Too many times we log into our favorite gaming servers to have a nice friendly match, only to be bombarded with screaming, fighting, arguments, and a string of racial slurs hurled at anyone disagreeing with the offender. More often than not, we leave that room in search for a better one. It shouldn’t be this way. A player should be able to log on, find a match and play without all the extra exertion.. For a time this was virtually impossible until a small group of players got together and created “Urgent Fury.”

Continue reading “Being Respectful in Online Gaming:”

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Urgent Fury: What Is It To You?

There wasn’t really anywhere to actually go and have a regulated game, so this site was awesome! Of course, there was the usual this and that among clans but it was squashed in a fast and furious manner.

A long time ago, during my time in a clan call Zion [>Z<], we were always looking for places to play Socom.  That’s when we stumbled upon a gaming website.  It looked really cool and there was a lot going on.  It’s name…Urgent Fury.

At the time, it was owned by Undertow, Sniper , Demo. And we met clans like APC, SOTG, and 503, to name a few…

There wasn’t really anywhere to actually go and have a regulated game, so this site was awesome!  Of course, there was the usual this and that among clans but it was squashed in a fast and furious manner.

Continue reading “Urgent Fury: What Is It To You?”

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Gaming – A Woman’s Perspective

So, I’m asked, “Hey, can we get a woman’s perspective on gaming?” Okay, but I haven’t gamed in quite a few months. (Well, except for the map and a half last Friday on Socom, but that was because my brother finally bought the game and I wanted to play with him.)

So, I’m asked, “Hey, can we get a woman’s perspective on gaming?” Okay, but I haven’t gamed in quite a few months. (Well, except for the map and a half last Friday on Socom, but that was because my brother finally bought the game and I wanted to play with him.)

Anyways, life as a mother and wife has kept me too busy to actually log on and play…unless you count the time I do spend gaming with my 7 year old on Little Big Planet, which is a couple of times every two to three weeks.  So I’m thinking I don’t really have any perspective to impart here due to my lack of gaming…and then it hits me!  Of course I do!  It’s the same perspective that almost all women gamers share!  Most of us work, raise children (and sometimes our husbands), fulfill our wifely duties (which can actually be even more tedious for us because most likely our husbands are gamers, wink, wink), and ONLY then do we have time to sit down and enjoy a little bit of our favorite game.  The only problem there, we’re usually too tired to play and we need to catch some zzz’s before it’s time to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.

It’s tough being a woman gamer!  So for now, I’ll keep doing as I have been.  I’ll keep myself “in the loop” through great gaming communities like Urgent Fury.  (Somehow I find time to visit these forums.  Go figure!)  And then when I do have little moments of time for myself, I’ll log on to Socom and fail miserably due to my being out of practice.  But hey, at least I’ll have fun doing it!

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MADDEN 2010 Part II

Madden 2010:

Online Play

So I got a chance to buckle in, strap ‘em up, and test my mettle against others in a ranked match. I gotta say, I was actually NERVOUS! It’s been years since I’ve played Madden online and I used to fair pretty well. I didn’t want to come back here all down trodden to report that I hadn’t been able to finish due to me throwing a hissy fit.

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Gamer Fever – Madden 2010

Gamer Fever

Madden 2010 Part I

Superstar mode review:

Madden 2010 hit the shelves recently unveiling the latest line in what was becoming a flailing franchise. The developers spent a lot of time adding features and removing others to try and rekindle the spark Madden once had.

Madden began offering the Superstar mode a few years ago and it was a nice bonus to an already large game. For this release they have revamped the Superstar mode, however it lacks the punch the former titles offered. No longer are you in ‘control’ of your stats and how they upgrade which leaves you feeling like…well, out of control! The book offers no explanation as to how you grow as a Superstar, only that you will advance further in the first few years and decline with age.

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Gamer Fever – An inside look from UF Gamers

Gamer Fever

The gaming world is an ever changing environment as new games are released and new patches and fixes for current titles become available Urgent Fury will be there in the trenches reporting the trends and developments that you the online gamer are interested in.

We will cross all genres and platforms and bring you, the Urgent Fury community the latest news and reviews of all things gaming in the gaming world.

Catch the fever.

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Urgent Fury Welcomes KontrolFreek

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Great news!  We just partnered with KontrolFreek (makers of the popular FPS Freek) and they’re sponsoring a weekly contest for our community. Just stay connected to UF and you could win a pair of FPS Freek’s each week!

 In the meantime, get a 10% Discount on any KontrolFreek order by using our Promo Code: URGENTFURY

Visit their site at www.kontrolfreek.com

 Play well

These are for both XBox and Playstation 3

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