The Private Beta for SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs has begun. It started on March 15th and will end on March 21st with it being an invite only beta. People that have Playstation Plus will get access to the second stage of the beta on March 22nd while Killzone 3 owners will get to use their code for access to the beta on March 29th. The beta will be available to everyone through the Playstation Network starting April 5th and will end on April 12th. Enough dates for you yet? Well one last date and that is the release date of the game on April 19th exclusively for the Playstation 3.
Currently the private beta includes two maps which are Port Authority and Assault & Battery, with all four of SOCOM 4’s multiplayer modes in the beta playable in both the Standard and Classic play types:
* Suppression: The SOCOM take on team deathmatch.
* Last Defense: Capture controls points, discover the enemy base and destroy it.
* Uplink: Steal enemy data and deliver it to your base.
* Bomb Squad: Defend your bomb technician while he disarms enemy explosives.
There will also be testing of Custom Game types which is pretty cool, and these include:
* Sniper Alley: An 8 vs. 8 version of Classic Suppression with higher damage. Weapons are limited to sniper rifles, shotguns, smoke grenades and poison gas.
* Last Defense Run ‘n Gun: Faster movement speed and reduced damage are applied to 16 vs. 16 Last Defense with weapons restricted to only shotguns and SMGs.
* Scrum: Suppression is given rule tweaks of no respawn, faster movement and higher damage, while sniper rifles, frag grenades, concussion grenades and poison gas are disallowed.
* Community Day Classic: A medley featuring Classic versions of all four game types (Suppression, Last Defense, Uplink and Bomb Squad) with increased speed and weapon restrictions placed on ranged explosives. Each game type is played over 11 five-minute rounds.
The schedule for the beta is as follows:
Tuesday (3/15) — Suppression and Classic Suppression
Wednesday (3/16) — Suppression and Classic Suppression
Thursday (3/17) — Uplink and Classic Uplink
Friday (3/18) — Last Defense and Classic Last Defense
Saturday (3/19) — Bomb Squad and Classic Bomb Squad
Sunday (3/20) — Sniper Alley and Last Defense Run ‘n Gun
Monday (3/21) — Scrum and Community Day Classic
This is all just for the private beta only but I would expect the second stage of the beta to be similar. SOCOM 4 will feature 32 Player Versus and 5 player co-op! Produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and Developed by Zipper Interactive, it’s once again out on April 19th for the PS3 only. Check out some multiplayer gameplay footage right here.
