SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 Message Board

The online multiplayer servers for the PS3's Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and the PSP's MotorStorm Arctic Edge and SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 will be shut down on October 1, according to an alert on the UK PlayStation site. If you have fond memories of sweet offroad racing and coordinated military strikes with friends, you should revisit them now before it's too late.

Before those two -- on August 31 -- the PSP's augmented reality card game The Eye of Judgment Legends will go offline, on August 31. We've asked Sony to verify these dates are worldwide, and don't just apply to the UK.

Amazingly, Zipper Interactive servers for SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs have continued to be active since the game's original debut on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, meaning that crazy people dedicated fans with online adapter-equipped PS2s have been able to keep playing for nearly 10 years. Now though, since Zipper Interactive doesn't exist anymore and everything, the servers for four PS2 SOCOM games and four PSP SOCOM titles will be taken offline at the end of August.

PlayStation 2 SOCOMs I, II, and III (as well as SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault) will be going dark, as will the PSP various SOCOM titles, Fireteam Bravo (I, II and III) and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strke.

If this outage affects your regular gaming routine, we offer our most sincere condolences. Also, we'd like to point out that many thousands of games have been released since 2002, some of which you might enjoy. Perhaps this will be a good opportunity to go check some of 'em out?

Hi everyone! This summer, we know you’ll be looking for ways to spend all of those lazy days. With an awesome selection of titles in the both “Greatest Hits” and “Favorites” collections, there’ll be no shortage of entertainment on-the-go. We’re always looking for ways to add value to your PSP experience and today, we’re very excited to announce the new PSP “Dual Pack” software line, which features two PSP games from our most popular franchises in one package for only $14.99 (MSRP). YES, just $14.99!

Starting this week, you can buy Dual Packs with Secret Agent Clank and Daxter; Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow and Killzone Liberation; and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo. These PSP Dual Packs will be available at retailers nationwide and on the PlayStation Store in downloadable form.

Which ones are you interested in picking up? Let us know in the comments… and enjoy!

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo and Confrontation developer Slant Six has instituted layoffs, according to statements given to GameSpot by managing director Brian Thalken. Thalken called the dismissals "temporary," with the goal to bring back as many of the affected staff as possible at a later date. He did not specify just how many employees had been laid off, but said the company will continue to offer benefits to those affected.

"Our current project needs do not align with our current staffing levels," Thalken told GameSpot. The studio's last release was SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 in February.

Additionally, Kotaku reports that, according to its sources, the rumored Star Wars: Battlefront Online, which Slant Six was reportedly developing, has been canceled by publisher LucasArts. The game was never announced, and its existence was only suggested by an earlier rumor. As such, its possible relationship to the recent studio layoffs is unconfirmed. We've contacted Slant Six to clear up the issue.

After completing 2009 with redesigned hardware and several high-profile games (including Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge and LittleBigPlanet), the PSP platform is looking for another strong lineup to carry it until the end of another year. Sony's senior vice president of publisher relations, Rob Dyer, told Industry Gamers that third parties will provide a "very robust lineup" in 2010 -- albeit one that has to face a very old problem.

"I think we had a great lineup last year. The biggest problem that plagued PSP was piracy; we have not been able to slow that down," Dyer said. "We think we have some answers going forward, but we're not ready to talk about that publicly at this point. So we're working on fixing that, because that's been a big problem. Publishers, when they put out good games, are not getting the same sales results that they got a few years back. So piracy's been a big issue and we're working on that very diligently to bring about some solutions."

Some solutions include the PSP Go, which focuses on digitally acquired games (through the PlayStation Store, of course!) and -- as recently demonstrated by third-person shooter SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3 -- a form of potentially consumer-unfriendly online activation. And while Sony appears pleased with the platform's longevity, six years is a long time to still be tinkering with anti-piracy experiments.

"We're into the sixth year now on the platform, and that's a long time for a handheld," Dyer noted. "I think given where we're at right now, we're doing very, very well. But yes, the business has had problems and I think it all stems, candidly, from the piracy."

Sony's taking a fairly unconventional approach to putting a stop to piracy on the PSP platform. The recently released handheld shooter, SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3, comes bundled with a code which, once redeemed through the PlayStation Network, allows the player to access the game's online modes. Folks who purchase the game directly through the PSN are automatically online-enabled -- but those who nab the game illicitly won't have access to the code, and will have to shell out $20 to unlock a license which lets them play online.

Sony's John Koller recently spoke to IGN about the activation procedure, saying it's "a trial run for a new initiative we are exploring for the platform." Obviously, it's going to be very effective at sticking it to software pirates worldwide. Oh, and people who rent games over GameFly, and people who buy used games, and people who borrow games from their friends. That'll teach you, everyone!

New DRM title requires players to register through PSN to play online.

Authentic military shooter brings immersive, high-quality console experience with rich visual graphics, enhanced gameplay features and all-new 4-player co-op mode.

Is this an uninspired sequel or is it packing enough heat for redeployment? Find out in the official GameTrailers SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 review!

Go rogue against the World in Free For All mode.

Join forces with other PSP soldiers online with Team Deathmatch.

Put on your snow gear and kill enemies with your friends!

This multiplayer gameplay has you facing off against the bad guys with the help of your friends.

The SOCOM series traditionally focuses on tactical decision-making rather than big action; large set piece battles become few and far between when players utilize the correct tactics to mechanically disable the opposition. In SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3, the careful execution of enemy forces still exists, but in the end, most missions boil down to the same tactic found in other shooters: survival.

In Fireteam Bravo 3, the SEALs have infiltrated an action movie and there's no turning back.

The SEALs of Fireteam Bravo are back once again on PSP.

Gear up and get ready to roll out, soldiers. We've got a SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3 black-ops mission that needs the expertise of veteran men and women -- those who have played through not one SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo game, but folks who have also survived its sequel, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 2. This isn't some kind of joke or theme in some blog post; you better be ready to put some foot-mobiles down. Intel comes courtesy of PlayStation.Blog, which reports enemy units are on the move and should enter the DMZ any minute now. By Thursday, February 11, PSN will be crawling with hostiles, so safeties off, PSPs plugged in to charge and have your screen wipes at the ready. We're going to need maximum visibility for all our troops in the field.

Tango neutralized.

SOCOM brings a complete Co-Op experience to the Sony PSP with Fireteam Bravo 3.

Hopefully, the third time is the charm for SOCOM Fireteam Bravo. After two delays, the Slant Six-developed co-op shooter is finally making its way to PSP on February 16 on both UMD and PlayStation Network. As per usual, online multiplayer is central to the upcoming SOCOM sequel. Fireteam Bravo 3 will not only support sixteen player Infrastructure play, it also features four-player co-op -- a first for the franchise. Considering Slant Six's track record, it'll either play like the brilliant SOCOM Tactical Strike ... or like SOCOM Confrontation.

How do the PSP's unique features make this SOCOM experience special?

News of yet another SOCOM delay should be unsurprising to those who have been following the franchise since Slant Six took the reigns from Zipper Interactive. Fans have only recently received the long-awaited SOCOM Confrontation 1.60 patch, one that fixed crucial game-crashing bugs; after months of suffering through bugs and game balance issues, Joystiq commenter Solace went so far as to call Confrontation a "glorified beta." For reasons not yet revealed by SCEA, the upcoming PSP installment, Fireteam Bravo 3, has been pushed back from its already-delayed January 12 release date. Considering Sony's admitted failure at marketing the upcoming tactical shooter, a later date will certainly give the publisher more time to prepare the title for retail. A new release date will be announced "in the coming weeks," according to an SCEA rep, but we wonder if SOCOM fans will have any patience left when that day comes.

Clear out the plaza and enter the building in this Fireteam Bravo 3 gameplay.

Plan your attack on the lodge and then execute with this Fireteam Bravo 3 gameplay.

Fire at will.

Watch authentic weapons and locales spring to life with deadly accuracy!

The action heats up in SOCOM's next PSP venture.

Take back the streets!

Battle through the decks of an aircraft carrier.

This time, the mission gets personal.

The PSP is getting prepped for a new covert mission.