Commander Fury

Codemasters has announced a release date for its military sim, Operation Flashpoint: Red River. It will land in the US on April 21 in Europe and April 26 in the US for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, according to Gamespot. According to Codemasters, the game will contain a 10-mission campaign which is playable for up to four players in co-op, and a new Fireteam Engagements mode will allow for skirmishes qith up to four players. One will allow you to face waves of enemies, and another one has you trying to save marines from a downed helicopter under heavy fire. Watch a video below from Gamespot telling the story of auto-rifleman Ryan Balletto. There’s a lot of new gameplay footage in it. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

In the unlikely event that you don’t already have Sonic The Hedgehog in a dozen other forms, you’ll soon have one more option to play Sega Genesis classics. Sega’s bringing its 16-bit hits to the PlayStation Network piecemeal. The best part? PlayStation Plus subscribers will get those games for free—with a limited download window and while your PS+ subscription is active—this spring and summer. And they’ll get them early than non-members. Sega’s plan, as of right now, is to bring Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Altered Beast, Golden Axe 2, Streets of Rage 2 and Comix Zone to the PlayStation 3. Price per game is five bucks, which means you may find Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the PS3 and Xbox 360 a much better deal. Unless you’re a PlayStation Plus member, which makes pricing moot. Dates for PS+ members and non-members at the official PlayStation.blog. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

New Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer is aiming for a “bug free” first outing in the COD franchise. The standard is set in a job listing advertising for a quality assurance tester, which also sets a goal for review scores above 95 percent. The ad reads: “The candidate will help Sledgehammer Games deliver a 95+ rated Call of Duty game ‘bug free’ meeting the high expectations of gamers today.” This comes after PlayStation 3 Black Ops players found their online experience littered with bugs, so much so in fact that Activision suffered the wrath of a pressure group claiming the publisher was using PS3 players “like game testers”. PS3 owners themselves petitioned Activision for a refund back in November. They got a series of patches instead. Sledgehammer was revealed as the developer assigned to the “next Call of Duty game” in another job listing last month. Reports last month suggested that Sledgehammer is working alongside Infinity Ward on Modern Warfare 3. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

You’ve waited 14 years for the game to come out; why not splurge a little? 2K Games punctuates the May release of Duke Nukem Forever with a special edition that’s as over-the-top and obnoxious as the game’s star himself. The Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel Edition for the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 is a $99 (according to GameStop) box filled with enough swag to keep even the most hardcore Duke Nukem fan happy for another 14 years. The Duke Nukem bust alone is worth the price. Having that loveable mug staring down at you 24/7 will keep Duke in your thoughts even if he slips into another decade and a half of development hell. Along with the bust fans will score a collectible comic book, paper craft, postcards, a 100-page hardcover history book; you know what? Here’s a list. Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time Numbered, limited-edition certificate of authenticity 100-page hardcover book: The History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault Duke Nukem Forever postcard series Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker Duke Nukem Forever collectible comic book Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft Duke Nukem Forever poker chips Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice Would you pay $100 for this massive piece of Duke Nukem history, or do you prefer your balls on the softer side? Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Halo Waypoint’s released the first trailer for the second Halo Reach DLC pack, the Defiant Map Pack. The content was first leaked last week. The video contains three new maps for Reach’s multiplayer: Highlands, Condemned and Unearthed. Highlands is a “a Spartan training facility nestled in the mountains of Reach,†with Condemned being aâ€mangled communications hub high above the planet.†For Unearthed, which is the first piece of DLC ever for the game’s Firefight mode, you’ll be “defending the entrance to a key titanium mine.†The content releases in March for 800 MS points. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Despite a previous report which seemed to suggest it was in the game in some form, Rocksteady has confirmed that multiplayer will not feature in Batman: Arkham City. Studio boss Sefton Hill confirmed that the game was a “a “‘single-player only’ experience.†“Our thought process behind this was fairly simple: when we investigated adding multiplayer we asked, ‘If we use all of the energy that is required to create multiplayer and instead focus this on the single player, would that deliver a better overall game?’,†Hill told IGN. “With the game now coming to the final stages, I can honestly say it would not have been possible to deliver Arkham City the way we wanted to if we’d have added multiplayer. “So it might not be the fashionable choice, it might not get us an extra tick on the box, but we are convinced, and we hope that gamers will agree when they get to play the finished game, that we have made the right decision. †Batman: Arkham City releases this fall for PS3, 360 and PC. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Zipper Interactive is modernizing the tactical shooter with SOCOM 4. Designer Ben Jones summed up the accessibility-oriented changes — which include regenerating health and a cover system — as “the evolution of the SOCOM franchise.” Of course, change can be scary for longtime fans; many SOCOM die-hards are already dismissing this game as a dumbed-down “SOCoD” (for Call of Duty). But fear not: the multiplayer component of SOCOM 4 will offer two ways to play. Gamers who are new to the series will likely stick with the “standard” setup, which includes the changes that Zipper has made to the way SOCOM plays. And for old-timers, “classic” gameplay is also available. There’s no regenerating health and no cover — the game plays just like the PS2 SOCOM titles. Depending on the gametype, matches can be as small as four-on-four or as large as 16-on-16. In fact, your SOCOM 4 multiplayer experience will be fully customizable. There’s a wide array of options to mess with in custom private games, which reminds me of good ol’ “Slappers Only” matches in Perfect Dark. And Zipper will be tracking all of the games that people play, so if the developers notice that a particular setup is popular among custom games, they have the ability to turn those custom games into ranked games, which will allow players to earn experience points in them. I guess this is part of the reason why Jones called SOCOM 4 “the real first SOCOM on the PS3.” If you want to try it yourself, the game comes out on April 19th, but you can gain access to the upcoming multiplayer beta by buying specially marked copies of Killzone 3. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

It's time for the latest and greatest episode of Zipline, the official Zipper Interactive podcast, and we've got a special one on tap this week. SOCOM 4's lead designer, Travis Steiner, and its lead multiplayer designer, Kevin Schmitt, return to the show to discuss the feedback that we've received on the game since its multiplayer debut at the end of January. We also hint at what's next for MAG. It's an info-packed show, so get listening! Zipline Podcast, Episode 30 46.5MB | 50m:53s Subscribe to Zipline on iTunes | Subscribe via RSS You can discuss this episode by clicking this link. More...

Twisted Metal‘s PlayStation.com profile still lists a Spring 2011 release date, but a Sony spokesperson has confirmed to Warp Zoned that the game will be released this Fall. The release date confusion is the latest bit of secrecy surrounding Twisted Metal after it was initially unveiled in the special features of Twisted Metal: Head-On. For several years after that, David Jaffe denied that the game was even in development until its splashy “reveal†at E3 2010. So while it looks like we won’t get a chance to play Twisted Metal in the next few months, at least Sony isn’t pretending it doesn’t exist anymore. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

New video shows of some interesting features form the Crysis 2 multiplayer as well as some some stunning visuals. The world has been ravaged by a series of climatic disasters and society is on the verge of total breakdown. Now the aliens have returned, with a full invasion force bent on nothing less than the total annihilation of mankind, starting by trying to rip the heart out of Earth’s most iconic city. In New York, terrifying alien invaders stalk the streets and a nightmare plague strikes down the city’s myriad inhabitants with brutal epidemic speed. The city’s systems are in chaos, its streets and skyline are smashed and in flaming ruin. This is New York City like you’ve never seen it before. Neither paramilitary law enforcement nor the might of the US military machine can stand against the invaders, and all who choose not to flee are dead men walking. Just to survive in this maelstrom of death will require technology beyond anything any modern soldier has ever seen. One man will inherit that means to survive. One supersoldier, wielding the combat enhancement technology of the future with Nanosuit 2, will make the last stand to save humanity from destruction in the urban jungle that is New York City. New York New York: Crysis® set the visual benchmark for PC games that still stands today. Crysis 2 will redefine the benchmark on console and PC platforms, shifting their attention to the rich urban jungle of New York City. Amazing Aliens and AI: Challenging best-in-class AI with unique group coordination and group behaviour systems which give realistic responses to your actions. Nanosuit 2: Adapt your combat tactics by customising your Nanosuit and weapons in real time with revised modes, unlocking a variety of supersoldier abilities. Multiplayer*: World-renowned multi-player shooter studio Crytek UK is going to reinvent multiplayer with the dynamic intensity of Nanosuit 2. By using Nanosuit technology the player has nearly unlimited ways to approach the dynamic combat environment. Crysis 2 will be released on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, & the PC on March 22, 2011. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

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With all of the questions that surround the next title in the SOCOM:U.S. Navy SEALs franchise, Urgent Fury decided to do some forward RECON to get some real answers regarding what some are saying, is the most important release in the franchise’s long history. After being invited to participate in ZIPPER INTERACTIVE’S SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs “MEDIA DAY“ event in Redmond, WA…..Urgent Fury immediately deployed UFreq correspondent Brian “Inadub” Carey, and he joins Commander Fury with a full report which includes the official SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs press conference. All that…plus UF gets a new “home”. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

When Modern Combat: Domination was released on the PSN it received some warm praise from many people. Unfortunately, some were put off by the hackers who managed to break in to the game pretty quickly. Luckily, Gameloft has been monitoring the situation and today they responded with the announcement of a patch to fix many of the issues we’ve been hearing about. Chief among those fixes is the addition of “Anti-Hacking Protection†which should make the game a little bit more fair. There will also be fixes for the collision detection, money accumulation and some other minor improvements. We are always happy to see a developer address issues which arise after a game’s release. We applaud anyone who takes the time and makes the financial commitment to get their product as tightly tuned as possible. That being said, will gamers be quick to forgive and jump into the online world of Modern Combat with Killzone 3 so close to release? Gameloft are clearly hoping there’s room in your lives for more than one online FPS! Here’s the full fix list, due to roll out over the next few weeks, as per the press release: Anti-Hacking protection Invisible collision*amendments to some maps. Respawn: prevent face-to-face respawns. Default time for a game in objective mode set to 3 minutes. Modification of the range of the knife (distance and angle). Possibility to change the range of the ping display. Money accumulates from $2400 instead of $0 in all modes featuring respawn. Quick fix of ‘death on respawn’ problems caused by connection issues. Adjusting of controls sensitivity. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

The last week of January was big for everyone here at Zipper Interactive as we finally revealed details about SOCOM 4 and its extensive competitive multiplayer modes. To help us celebrate the occasion, we flew in a group of diehard SOCOM community members to our headquarters in Redmond, WA to try out SOCOM 4's multiplayer firsthand, while also giving them the opportunity to grill us with their burning questions. The day began with “The 18†-- as the SOCOM community has since begun to call them – being led on a tour of the entire Zipper Interactive studio. They met artists and sound people, QA testers and producers, and even had the opportunity to say hello to our executive staff and our designers. Following the tour was a brief presentation that included a look at one of SOCOM 4's never-before-seen single-player levels, Onslaught, which they were also able to play for themselves later on during the event. We also formally announced 3D support and the game's official North American release date of April 19th! Of course, what the community really came to get were the first details about the game’s multiplayer features, as well as some personal time on the controller. We had four maps to try out, including the classic map Abandoned that you can receive free for pre-ordering SOCOM 4 from GameStop, and two (of four) different modes for play, Suppression and the brand-new Last Defense. As an added bonus, we also let everyone get a taste of SOCOM 4's “Classic†game-type which melds an old-school rule set (no respawn, no health regeneration, etc.) with all of our current maps and game mechanics. At the end of our event, a number of SOCOM 4 development leaders sat down for a one-hour roundtable where the fans could ask them questions and provide feedback regarding what they just played. This was important to us not only because we wanted to be able to give something back to the community, but because their feedback is incredibly valuable in making SOCOM 4 everything it can be. Want to try out SOCOM 4 for yourself? We recently announced that a beta is on its way with specially-marked copies of Killzone 3 (your first of many ways in). We'll have more details on other ways to access the beta soon, but in the meantime, check out the official SOCOM 4 website for the latest info and don’t forget to download the February 11 episode of the official Zipper Interactive podcast, Zipline, when we sit down with Lead Designer Travis Steiner and Multiplayer Lead Designer Kevin Schmitt – it’ll be a good one! More...

Battlefield 3 allows you to feel the full impact of battle like never before.* Powered by Frostbite 2, the next generation of DICE’s cutting-edge gaming engine, Battlefield 3 delivers spectacular visuals, earth-shattering destruction and real as hell combat gameplay providing a dramatic immersive First Person Shooter experience. One moment you may be marching down a hilltop listening to the hypnotic sound of a firefight in the distance or admiring the way the light reflects off the smoke plumes of ground to air missiles rising from the city you’re about to engage.* The next you’re on an urban street, surrounded, claustrophobic, fighting for your life and looking eight ways at once with all your senses on high alert, chilled at the knowledge that the building you’re hiding behind can be your best friend or your worst enemy.* Welcome to Battlefield 3. Battlefield 3 ships Fall 2011 — includes jets, prone, and 64 player multiplayer! Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Killzone fans! We know you are eager to join the Killzone 3 Multiplayer Open Beta and the team at Guerrilla Games has been hard at work finalizing the content. The good news is that the beta is looking better than ever and we can’t wait for you to try for yourself. Unfortunately, we’re here to report that we will have a slight delay on the beta availability. The open beta was originally set to begin on Wednesday, February 2nd, but will now be available on Thursday, February 3rd at 10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time. To make it up to you, we will be giving away 60 Killzone 3 Limited Helghast Editions (not sold in stores) to players who participate in the Open Beta this weekend. The Limited Helghast Edition contains all the same elements as the retail version of the Helghast Edition, but features a Helghast Helmet replica with illuminated LED eyes, simulating Helghasts’ glowing mask. What makes this truly “Limited†is that we’ve only made 1000 of them. Keep your eyes on the PlayStation.Blog to see how else we’ll be giving these away. So, log on and play the Killzone 3 Multiplayer Open Beta from Friday, February 4th through Sunday, February 6th. We will be randomly selecting 20 participants each day who are playing in the Open Beta and notify winners via the email address associated with each entrant’s PSN account between February 10th, 2011 and February 18th, 2011. Check out the full rules below. Good luck this weekend! KILLZONE 3 MULTIPLAYER OPEN BETA SWEEPSTAKES OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. By participating in the Killzone® 3 Multiplayer Open Beta Sweepstakes (the “Promotionâ€), each entrant (or his or her parent or legal guardian if the entrant is under the age of majority in his or her state of residence) unconditionally accepts and agrees to comply with and abide by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (“Sponsorâ€), which shall be final and binding in all respects. Sponsor is responsible for the collection and scoring of entries and the overall administration of the Promotion. Entrants should look solely to Sponsor with any questions, comments or problems related to the Promotion. 1. ELIGIBILITY: Killzone 3 Multiplayer Open Beta Sweepstakes (the “Promotionâ€) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees of Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, and related companies, and agencies (collectively, the “Promotion Entitiesâ€) and immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those living in the same household, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter or win. Void in all U.S. territories and possessions and overseas military installations and where prohibited or restricted by law. 2. TIMING: The Promotion begins February 4, 2011 at 9:00AM Pacific Standard Time (“PSTâ€) and ends on February 6, 2011 at 8:00PM PST (the “Promotion Periodâ€). 3. HOW TO ENTER: Internet access, a PlayStation®Network account and a PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system is required to enter this Promotion. To create an account go to the PlayStation®Network menu from a PS3â„¢ XMB and choose “Sign up for PlayStation®Networkâ€. Create an account by entering the required information. Once an account has been created, Entrants should log on to the PlayStation®Network and go to the PlayStation Store, sign in with your PlayStation Network ID and download and play the Killzone 3 Multiplayer Open Beta to your PS3â„¢ system. Each time you play the Killzone 3 Mulitplayer Open Beta you are automatically entered into the drawing. 4. ENTRY CONDITIONS: Entrants may play the Killzone 3 Mulitplayer Open Beta as many times as they like during the Promotion Period but may only win once. Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email address. If there is a dispute regarding registration, the authorized account holder of the email address used to register will be deemed to be the entrant. The “authorized account holder†is the natural person assigned to an email address by an internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. 5. PRIZE: Twenty (20) winning Entrants will be selected each day for a total of 60 winning Entrants in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received for each day during the Promotion Period to each receive a copy of the Killzone 3 Limited Helghast Edition game. Entries are good only for the day of entry and will not carry over to any remaining days. Approximate retail value is (“ARVâ€) $199.99. Please allow 6-8 weeks for prize delivery. Taxes on prize, if any, are solely the responsibility of the winner. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. Sponsor may disqualify a winner and select an alternate winner if any prize is returned undeliverable. Prizes are non-transferable. Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on the winner’s request. 6. ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning depend on the total number of eligible entries received. 7. WINNER SELECTION: 7.1. Winner Notification: Drawings for all three days will be held at approximately 12:00P.M. (noon) PST on February 10, 2011. Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor will notify each winning Entrant via the email address given when they signed up for their PSN account. Each potential winning Entrant must respond to Sponsor’s notification within 7 days to claim their prize. If a potential winning Entrant does not respond within this time period, Sponsor may select an alternate winning Entrant from a daily pool of 20 back-up entries and notify those potential winning Entrants per the process described above. Prizes will only be awarded to those back-up Entrants who have responded to Sponsor’s notification within 7 days to claim their prize. All prizes not claimed from the back-up Entrants will not be awarded. 7.2. Required Documentation: The potential winning entrant must complete an Affidavit of Eligibility and Release (“Affidavitâ€) in accordance with the instructions listed in the notification correspondence. Sponsor must receive the completed Affidavit within 7 days of the date stated on the notification correspondence or Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, disqualify entrant. Any entrant who fails or refuses to sign and return the required documentation within the time period as specified by Sponsor will be disqualified. If a potential winning entrant is considered a minor in the legal jurisdiction in which the entrant resides, then that entrant’s parent or legal guardian will be required to execute and return the Affidavit. Non-compliance with these Official Rules or failure to return all required documentation by the stated deadline or Sponsor’s inability to contact an entrant (using the contact information provided in his or her registration) within a reasonable time period, as determined by Sponsor’s sole discretion may result in disqualification and the forfeiture of the prize. 8. PUBLICITY: Except where prohibited, participation in the Promotion constitutes entrant’s consent to Sponsor’s and its agent’s use of the entrant’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and hometown and state for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or compensation. 9. GENERAL CONDITIONS: Potential winning entrants are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with the Official Rules, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should viruses, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to entrant’s contact information. Sponsor has the sole discretion to disqualify entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Promotion or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Promotion or any other entrant. 10. RELEASE: As a condition of participating in the Promotion, entrants release the Promotion Entities from liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including property damage, personal injury and death that may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance or use of prizes or participation in any Promotion-related activities and claims based on publicity rights, copyright or trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery. 11. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY: Sponsor and its respective affiliates, subsidiaries, parent corporations, advertising and promotional agencies, and all of their officers, directors, shareholders, employees, and agents are not responsible for: any incorrect or inaccurate entry information; human errors; technical malfunctions; failures, omissions, interruptions, deletions, or defects of any telephone network, computer online system, computer equipment, servers, providers, or software, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer relating to participation or inability to participate in the Promotion; inability to access the Site or upload information or data; theft, tampering, destruction, or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries; data that is processed late or incorrectly or is incomplete or lost due to telephone, computer, or electronic malfunction or traffic congestion on telephone lines or the Internet or any website (including the Site) or for any other reason whatsoever; printing or other errors; or any combination thereof. Proof of uploading information or data or entering information at the Site is not considered proof of delivery or receipt. Illegible, duplicate and incomplete entries will be disqualified. False, fraudulent, or deceptive entries or acts shall render entrants ineligible and all associated entries will be void. 12. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION: Information collected in connection with the Promotion will be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, available at http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PrivacyPolicy. By participating in the Promotion, each entrant agrees to the terms of Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. 13. GOVERNING LAW: All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules or the rights and obligations of entrants or Sponsor in connection with this Promotion shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of California or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of any other state’s laws. Each of the parties hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the Federal and State Courts in San Mateo, California and waives any claim that is not subject personally to the jurisdiction of said courts or that any such suit or other proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum or improper venue. 14. WINNER LIST: To obtain a winner list by mail, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to “Killzone® 3 Multiplayer Open Beta Helghast Edition Sweepstakesâ€, Attn: SCEA-PSN, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404. Sponsor will send requested winner lists within 4-6 weeks after all prizes are awarded. Requests for the winner list must be received by April 15, 2011. 15. SPONSOR: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

The new SOCOM is like a lot of other sequels these days. It’s changed just enough to worry fans of the older games, changed just enough to take a crack at a more popular competitor. SOCOM, meet Call of Duty. You could mistake SOCOM 4 for being something other than a true sequel to the most popular PlayStation-exclusive shooter series of all time. I saw the game today in an office in midtown Manhattan and walked out with a notebook marked with non-SOCOM details: -No voice commands in this game -Regenerative health in the campaign; lots of ammo -Has a cover system That’s not the whole story, though. There are SOCOM-style features to this game: -Player controls one character and can command two other fire-teams (four other characters overall) for careful, tactical gameplay. -Significant offering of multiplayer modes -No regenerative health; no cover in multiplayer (optional) Ben Jones, a designer on SOCOM 4 at development studio Zipper Interactive, never said the words “Call of Duty” to me when he showed me the game today. He did talk about “modern games” and about making the game “more accessible.” Those are CoD codewords. They’re consistent with what Zipper people have said before about SOCOM 4. They want people to experience a more dramatic campaign that is spiked with moments of bigger action. Call of Duty sells multi-millions; of course people making a shooter of their own might think there’s a thing or two to imitate. What I played today, however, was not exactly SOCoD. And the details Jones shared with me about the game’s online modes further suggest that SOCOM 4 could be stepping into CoD terrain with maybe just one foot, not two. I played part of SOCOM 4′s second campaign mission, a tutorial mission set in Malaysia that introduced me to the game’s second fire team and the concept of issuing commands to two teams. The Call of Duty games don’t do this kind of thing. It’s a SOCOM staple. I was controlling the game with the PlayStation Move, the motion controller and its companion Navigation controller cradled in Sony’s new Sharpshooter rifle shell (more about these controls later on Kotaku). I used the d-pad to command the teams: d-pad left to send the two-man blue team toward whatever point my gun was pointed at when I pressed the button, d-pad right to send the two-person gold team. Blue is armed for close-quarters combat and overall mayhem. Gold is good for sniping and suppression. Blue is aligned with the player’s character, whose nationality will match the region-specific special forces units of the country where the game is sold (U.S. Navy Seals for those who buy this game in America, for example; SAS for British consumers). The gold team is South Korean and led by a woman, another twist — and an accurate one, a PlayStation rep told me — for the SOCOM series. The SOCOM 4 player can issue many commands. They can issue too many in the game’s more frantic later stages for voice control to continue to be an efficient means of control, Jones told me. What was a classic feature of older SOCOMs — the games came bundled with headsets — is gone. The player uses the Move controller or their DualShock’s analog sticks to mark waypoints and targets. The build I saw allowed for an unlimited number of commands, though it wasn’t clear if that will be capped prior to the game’s April release. what is currently an unlimited number of. Players can send their fireteams from cover point to cover point, and then in an attack that has them sequentially attacking enemy fighters. In the level I played, I led the two fireteams in an assault on an enemy military based in a jungle. The assault involved hiding in tall weeds, which are so-called soft cover that allow a prone or slow-moving player to be undetectable. From there I commanded the gold team to creep in from the right, thinning out. From the left, I made the blue team rumble in. Briefly, enemies were alerted and grenades were tossed. To say I did this smoothly and perfectly on my first try would be to lie to you readers. The early levels aren’t that busy with enemies. On a second try, I’d bet mission two would be easy. Jones said that a player just starting the game could test SOCOM 4′s advanced buddy artificial intelligence and freely send the fireteams toward the enemy. The fire teams are smart enough to clear the enemies pretty much on their own, reviving each other if there are problems. Later in the game, and at higher difficulty levels, he added, you can’t do that. Careful play is required. That’s SOCOM. Health does regenerate. Ammo is more readily available. In multiplayer, though, all that can be turned off. Jones didn’t show me multiplayer, but explained that the game’s online competitive matches can be played in a classic mode that reverts to a SOCOM-style health-pack and no-cover system. Players will be able to toggle elements like those or just jump into the new multiplayer format — all the same modes — with the campaign’s changed systems. In single-player and multiplayer gamers will also be filling a progress bar for each weapon with which they score a kill, unlocking upgrades. Sound CoD-ish? Players will see point tallies fly from those kills, but only in multiplayer. In solo play, the point tallies don’t appear and the totals are kept separate from multiplayer accomplishment. I’m not a longtime SOCOM player, so I have to work with the facts I’ve been given. I was told, though, that longtime SOCOM fans were recently welcomed into Zipper’s studio to try the game’s “classic” multiplayer on a GameStop-exclusive map called Abandoned. That map is from an older SOCOM game and has been upgraded for SOCOM 4. The PlayStation reps at today’s meeting say the SOCOM fans were pleased. Of course they’d say that, but I didn’t see a game today that would have made them completely angry. There’s still SOCOM in SOCOM 4; it’s not exactly hiding. Look for more on the game — including further details on its five-player campaign-based co-op — as we approach its April release on the PlayStation 3. [source: Kotaku.com] Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Despite being a franchise that’s all about sneaking, it comes as no surprise that the first three Splinter Cell games are getting HD facelifts for PS3 — after all, the Prince of Persia trilogy already has (on PSN, at least). Ubisoft has announced today that both “remastered” series will hit retail on Blu-ray disc March 22 for $40 apiece. Splinter Cell Classic Trilogy HD will include the original Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, all three offering 3D modes for compatible televisions. The Prince of Persia Classic Trilogy HD disc contains Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. While the games run at a higher resolution, they’re identical to their original releases underneath the HD sheen, meaning any bugs that plagued them are present, too. The Splinter Cell collection will also be released on March 22 on PSN for the same $40 price tag, along with a digital Prince of Persia trilogy “bundle” for the same price. Currently, the three PoP classics are going for $15 a pop as separate downloads on the PlayStation Store. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Gamestop has listed up a Collector’s Edition for THQ’s Homefront. The SKU is exclusive to*the retailer and includes a Propaganda Booklet, Shotgun DLC, Concept Art Card, Cloth Patch and Multiplayer Unlock Pack. There is currently no word if this edition or a similar edition will release in Europe. Homefront releases on March 8 in the US and March 11 in the UK for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. The Australian edition releases on March 10. Below is a better look at whats inside the Multiplayer Unlock Pack: Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

There are only a few days until Call of Duty: Black Ops’ first DLC map pack will hit the Xbox LIVE marketplace and if you’re one of the many waiting patiently for the release then you’ll be happy to know that a double XP weekend has been confirmed. The weekend will run through February 4th through to February 6th and will be*available*on all platforms. The weekend was confirmed by Major Nelson during an interview with David Vonderhaar &*Josh Olin on the latest episode of his podcast. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Up until now we haven’t seen more than a few fleeting glances of Ascension, the new Zombies map for Call of Duty: Black Ops which will launch as part of the First Strike DLC.* Well that is all about to change as Inside XBox now have available a four minute video of gameplay footage from the new map which is set in an old Russian cosmodrome.* The video also features commentary from Treyarh’s Josh Olin who reveals some of the twists and turns we can expect such as the introduction of the Space Monkey enemy and Russian Doll bomb! Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

Fans of Bethesda will be relived to hear that Brink is destined to be released on May 17th 2011 in America, and May 20th 2011 in Europe. This comes as very welcome news as many people (including myself) have been eagerly awaiting this game ever since we saw those first gameplay trailers long ago. For those unfamiliar with Brink, here’s the basics. Brink is set in a post-apocalyptic Utopian city known as the “Arkâ€. The city is embroiled in a war between two sides, the “Resistance†and the “Securityâ€. Both sides are playable and each side has their own, unique storyline. Brink offers extreme customization of both your character, and whatever weapon you decide to use. The weapons and costumes reflect each faction: the Resistance uses scavenged*weapon parts and cobbled together armor, while the Security forces uses high-tech weaponry and body-armor. Despite what seems to be a vast technological rift between them, both sides are evenly matched when it comes to fighting it out in the city. Brink’s combat system is itself, rather unique. While it is an FPS, there are many elements to it that go*beyond*standard FPS gameplay. With Splash Damage’s new SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain) movement during combat is smooth, fluid, and intense. The SMART system allows you to jump over railings, leap between buildings, and move over obstacles without you having to pay attention to different buttons, it just does it for you. *However your characters weapons and armor have a combined weight which will restrict your movement. So you can either be a heavily armored tank of a soldier with a massive gun, or a lightly armored stealth class that can move like a ninja, at the cost of firepower, and anywhere in-between. This does not make some classes deadlier than others, it just all depends on how you play them. But each class has a much different role than the other, going beyond simply how they move and fight. The heavier classes assault and secure objectives, while the lighter classes are able to hack equipment, while even having the ability to disguise themselves as the enemy player and move about unnoticed. Needless to say, this game is long-awaited by fans. And now with a definite release date we can all breathe a sigh of relief. With a Developer like Slash Damage and Bethesda, Brink is surely going to be a hit. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

According to a recent report from Kotaku, unnamed sources in the game development community have received notifications from Sony telling of a feature which will be incorporated into PS3 firmware update 3.60: Cloud storage for saved games. According to the report, the feature (called “Online Saving”) gives developers the opportunity to let players set up their save files on a remote server, preserving the precious, precious space on their own hard drives, and allowing players to access save data from multiple consoles. These developers also reportedly explained that the feature will only be made available to PlayStation Plus subscribers, or, as they’ll henceforth be called, the “Save File Insured.” This report sounds fairly believable — remote storage was one of the rumored features of PlayStation Plus before its reveal, and there was also that Sony trademark for “PS Cloud” back in 2009. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...

There’s a massive amount of gameplay in the Killzone 3 dev diary posted below, so fans of the series should definitely scope it out. However, fans of not seeing dudes get their faces, necks, eyes and chests absolutely ruined by knives might want to go look for slightly friendlier videos. Score: 0 (0 votes cast) Urgent Fury Command: More...