Developer Saint Six did change some aspects of the SOCOM experience to better fit the online-only format. Teamwork is much more important in this title, which helps explain why vehicles have been removed. Without them, players can focus more on moving indoors and out as a group, without worrying about cheap deaths. This also makes it easier for teams to stick together if everyone is moving at the same speed.

The game adds a few subtler features that lend a helping hand to the gameplay. The online interface consists of an arsenal of ways to enhance your online experience. The party system is a new feature coming in the 1.30 patch, allowing a group of friends to travel together. There are also leaderboards, clan leader boards and tournaments. Another great feature is the separation of servers by region or location within your region, which reduces lag by keeping players closer geographically. Home should eventually compliment clan play and organizing friends for this game substantially.

Some of the previous games faults, however, were left unfixed. With all the extra commands, it would have been nice to have a dedicated grenade button. Choosing one on the menu can lead to some frustrating deaths if caught at the wrong time. Switching to the gun’s sight can also be frustrating when you are in a hurry, taking up to three presses on the D-pad depending on your level of aim.

Of course, what Confrontation review would be complete without a mention of the bundled headset. For clarity and compatibility, it’s the best one I’ve seen for the Playstation 3. An HQ mode that enables voice commands for certain games is an added bonus. And if you’re in the market for a Bluetooth headset, consider this: for the same price as a high quality set for your cell phone, you can basically get a new online game to play as well.

With the patches in place, SOCOM fans should have nothing to fear with this title, and anyone who gave this game a chance and gave up to its early shortcomings should give it another try. This game feels more like Socom every time it’s updated.