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SOCOM 4 Gets Its Move On
If Sony's Move motion controller is going to win over the hardcore gamer, the company will need big titles like SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALS to prove the new input device is more than a Wii knockoff. Surprisingly, the game Sony announced just last week appeared as a playable demo at the Move press event.
The SOCOM 4 control scheme will be familiar to anyone who has played a shooter on the Wii. The subcontroller (read: nunchuck) has an analog stick that controls all movement, while the wand itself handles the pointing and shooting. Your soldier can move into cover with the click of the subcontroller's trigger, and all your squad controls rest on the D-pad located just below the analog stick. To aim down the ironsights, simply press the Move button on top of the wand. While in cover, you can also use the analog stick to pop out and line up shots.
Since this was mainly a tech demo, developer Zipper Interactive removed all of the story elements so we could just focus on shooting the baddies in front of us. The reticle moved slowly but also demonstrated relative precision; in no case did I find my crosshairs jumping to the borders of the screen and sending the camera into a frenzy like on many Wii shooters. Zipper assured us that when the final game ships you'll be able to adjust several sensitivity settings to your liking, or you can stick with the DualShock 3 if you prefer.
When we asked about multiplayer, Zipper confirmed that players will be able to jump into competitive matches with either the DualShock controller or the Move. The short demo didn't give us enough time to come to a conclusion as to
whether the Move controls will be up to the task, but we can't wait to see which camp comes out on top when the two input schemes go head to head.
Be sure to check out the GDC 2010 hub page for quick access to more news and hands-on impressions from the event.
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