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

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.

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 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.” The clan I was with at the time of UF1 did not end up signing up, but I watched from the sidelines. I regularly trolled the forums and was always hanging around in UF clans rooms. I mostly hung around with Cp* and ReD at the time, because those were the only people I really knew. That soon changed however, as I got to know more and more of the community and found how great this community truly was, even at it’s early stages.

Eventually, the clan I was with through all of Socom 1 and 2 disbanded during the first month of Socom 3. I got with some old ReD Cell friends and formed a clan called ST2, of which I was the co-leader. We were accepted into UF2 shortly after and I must say, I had an absolute blast. We allied with APC and were about 2 months in when tragedy struck. Unfortunately, some inside the clan stuff went down and my clan leader ended up disbanding the clan and going completely MIA. As ST2 was no more, I was free to join any clan I chose and still participate in UF2. Being that in UF1 and UF2 you could actually war with your allied clan and we strategized together a lot, I knew APC as well as I did my own clan. It really was an easy decision for me to make and the rest was history. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the community over the years and I can say without a doubt Urgent Fury is unrivaled in it’s community, integrity, honor, longevity, and atmosphere. There is no other tournament site that lives by honor and integrity like we do here at UF, which truly sets us apart from the others.

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.”

With a large network of clans that pride themselves on being respectful, finding a good clean game became much easier. For a member of Urgent Fury’s community you could now log in and if your clan wasn’t online, you could easily find a fellow UF community member’s room to play in with the knowledge that the game would be played with the mutual respect you were in search of.

Let’s take it upon ourselves to spread the Urgent Fury ideal throughout the entire gaming community. Let’s challenge ourselves to go out of our way to show respect for other players in public rooms. Let’s remember to tell the other team “good game” and respond to their hate with compliments. While some will still act the way they act because they don’t know any other way, others will take the opportunity to change their attitude and reply with common respect for one another. When a clan or player begins to verbally berate you or your team, don’t sink to their level, instead, respond with kindness and help to change the manner of competitive gaming. By doing this one gamer at a time, we can change a gamers mindset, and he will change someone else’s.

We have all witnessed the definition of a bad gamer and we have many times provided them with a better option. Every single night I run into at least one person/clan that speaks up about the way we carry ourselves. You really don’t even have to go out of your way to try this. Just carry yourself the way you would in a sanctioned UF war, and watch the results. By demonstration of Urgent Fury’s resolve to engage in online play within a respectful atmosphere we have provided a means to a path of respect and honor in online gaming.

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.

After leaving clan [>Z<] and joining the infamous clan Redcell which soon disbanded, I tried out for Undertow’s clan, APC.  Playing with APC was a lot of fun.  They were organized and knew what the hell was going on.  And to top it off, this was when I finally made it into the actual UF community!  I eventually left APC and continued my quest with DEAD CELL, which I’ve been a part of, on and off, for the past 6 years.  I am now the clan leader.

Jumping to the present, where this site is now owned by 3 new guys that are trying there damnedest to make this a better place for all.  If there was no Urgent Fury, I really don’t know what the hell I would be doing.

UF is a very important part of my life.  I’m a 43 year old gamer, business owner, father, and husband.  I work about 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, yet I find the time to dedicate myself to the growth of UF.  This is a home for me and for many others and there are always those who make the job a lot harder.

Maybe it’s because they’re not as serious as others?

I look at it this way:  Undertow, Sniper, and Demo built us a castle.  AC, Shane, and John bought the castle and now they’re decorating it.

The funny thing of it all is that they’re doing it for us…all the people who have, for years, called Urgent Fury our home.

Now, my question to you: Is Urgent Fury YOUR home or is this just a game?

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!

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.

So getting a game going with your friends is simple. ALL your friends are listed in a menu to the right. It tells you if they are on Madden or not and their online record. It will prompt you to challenge them if they are in fact on the game, so I chose the weakest opponent I could find and sent the challenge.

Opening kick off, I suffered lag, and pooched it out to Devin Hester who took it to the house. I was crushed and instantly gave it a failing grade. Mics were spot-free unlike most other EA games (Madden, baseball, etc.) and the game play was fluid.

What impressed me the most was the AI online. My opponent had a 21-3 lead going into the 3rd Quarter. He chose to try and run it up on me and I intercepted him 5 times! It almost MAKES you play like a real NFL team. If you don’t mix it up, you will get shut down. ALL in all I would give the online portion a 4 out of 5 with the kicking being the only issue. I wasn’t able to kick the ball 3 times total, but hey, I still managed to win so I won’t complain.

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.

While taking a look at the offline play, a Wide Receiver was made and advanced through the first 3 years. The A.I. improvements in Madden 2010 is improved and your Superstar benefits:
- If you practice, the plays you are successful at are run in the game. If you don’t practice, the ball isn’t being thrown to you.
- No longer do you have the option to be a ‘good’ guy; while you can be a brat fairly easily, just keep your head down and do your job to become a ‘positive’ influence on your team.
-You no longer have a house to upgrade and utilize. This feature was removed, and sorely missed by the initial reports by gamers. They chopped it up, rearranged it, and many feel they did an injustice to a good mode. 3 out of 5 stars on the Superstar mode, with it’s saving grace being the opponent A.I. that can be found throughout the game.

In Part II, we will discuss the online portion of Madden and decide whether the reinvention of the wheel was enough to bring back the hard core Maddenites out there.

Catch the Fever

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.

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

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