In North America alone Socom 2 had 100k users playing the game online(up until the next installment). Think about that for a second. This was back before network connections were built in. You had to buy a network adapter. The reason why 100k people were signing on everyday, was because the game was one hell of a competition, and the maps never, I repeat, never got old. This was due, in large part, because each map was designed for a specific game mode in mind. Now a days, games come out and they have what? Maybe six maps? Socom 2 had 12 or more maps, sorry not doing the math right now. Thats all on the disc, not waiting/paying for the DLC. Which by the way hadn't even come about yet, and the game still held the interest of it players.
So yes, when "We" the true Socomers hear that a new Socom is coming out and we play the game, then it better live up to those expectations. Especially on a next gen console, as it has the computing power to smoothly handle all the graphics and rendering needed to prevent and glitches. Which was the main problem with Socom 2, that and Code 9....
Thats why you hear us get all up in arms about simple things you might think are petty, or something that you think balances out the game. We don't want a balanced game. Why, you ask? Because we prefer the challenge. Was Enowapi a fair map? Not by a long shot, but we all loved playing the challenge. We don't want a game thats a simple walk in the park. We want something that is actually going to stimulate our brain however significant or slight. If someone beat us by doing something we've never seen before, then it was our job and mission to figure out how to stop it. Sometimes it was simple others not so much.
As far as Socom 4 is concerned. The game itself, isn't that bad of a game. The beta alone, outshines most online experiences. However, to call it Socom without the core features that have been explained over and over again is simply an injustice. The title of Socom has a reputation to uphold and we are here to let you know when it meets that reputation and when it falls short. Take it from us, it falls short of Socom.