February 23, 2005 - In a press conference that is happening while I type this, Sony Computer Entertainment of America is unveiling SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals. Once again developed by Zipper Interactive and slated for American store shelves this fall, SOCOM 3 will now support the use of vehicles and boast levels that are six times larger than before. Locations this time around include Morocco, Poland, and Bangladesh, and players will be able to swim should they need to (makes sense for a game based on the Navy eh?). Additionally, the AI is dramatically improved (enemies take cover, shoot around corners, and use actual flanking techniques), and the oft-requested checkpoints will be thoroughly available.

No other details are currently known, but our own Ed Lewis is at the press conference right now and will be back later in the day with more information. See you the

Zipper Interactive developing new team-based shooter sequel for fall release; first screens inside.
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Sony has formally announced plans to release a third game in the popular SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series this fall. The game, unsurprisingly called SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs, will take place in new theaters of operation, contain improved artificial intelligence, and an all-new weapon attachment system that will let players customize their weapon loadouts even more than they could in the past.

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SOCOM 3 will take place in Morocco, Poland, and Bangladesh. All-new streaming technology will be employed here, which is said to increase the size of the game's single-player maps by five or six times over what was seen in the previous SOCOM game. To help compensate for that size, single-player missions will have checkpoints, allowing you to save your game mid-mission. The missions will also have multiple paths to success.

The ability to swim is one of SOCOM 3's new ability improvements. You'll also be able to operate vehicles, including humvees, light strike vehicles, technicals, T72 tanks, an SSCR assault boat, and a customized speed boat. Communicating with your AI-controlled team will be altered a bit--the game will now give you a context sensitive button that will command your team to move to a specific location, breach a door, and so on. This will be in addition to SOCOM II's already-robust AI control system.

Speaking of the AI, it will see some improvements as well. Players' team AI should be better at assisting you, and the enemy AI will be better equipped to coordinate with one-another to form smarter attacks against your SEAL team. Weapon customization sounds like it could be a big part of SOCOM 3. You'll have 31 weapons to choose from and 21 different attachments, making for over a thousand possibilities.

Sony and Zipper have revealed this information about SOCOM 3's single-player component, but information about the game's online side has yet to be revealed. The game is currently on-track for a fall release on the PlayStation 2. GameSpot will have more on SOCOM 3 as it becomes available.