An Open Letter To Kazuo Hirai

A letter posted by TheRealSOCOM.com staff requesting Kazuo Hirai to remember the older generations of gamers.

[WarMachine_v1]

Nice, well written. Lets hope Kaz can bring back some franchises that really flourished on the PS2. SOCOM, Ratchet & Clank and Sly Cooper were his big ticket franchises. SOCOM needs to return to its roots though for sure. Where can I send Kaz some mail myself?

[Ares84HU]

There are three R&C games on the PS3 and they are all excellent. A new Sly Cooper is about to release and we already got two SOCOM games on PS3.

Just because SOCOM isn't as good as it used to be....this letter isn't warranted.

Oh and let me also ad that Sony gave us a lot of hardcore games this gen including new IP's such as Uncharted trilogy, MotorStorm trilogy, LBP 1 and 2, Heavy Rain, Heavenly Sword, Demon's Souls, Resistance trilogy, inFamous 1 and 2, Killzone 2 & 3 and I could go on....but I hope you get my point.

EDIT: Love the disagrees yet no explanation why.

[Commodore]

You want a response...alright. "And. HERE. WE. GO."

The SOCOM series was the first online console shooter in the history of gaming. SOCOM 1 and SOCOM 2 put the PS2 on the map as an online console and was in its day the "Duty" of today. Everyone played these games: Wu Tang Clan, Tiger Woods, Kevin Garnett, Mark Zuckerberg (not really a celeb but still), Barry Bonds, the list goes on.

No game today has the sense of community that SOCOM had, strangers became friends in real life thanks to that game. That game had the simplest of gameplay that made it amazing. There were no dumbass kill streaks or shit that made the game unbalanced. It was just you and your gun and if you sucked and didn't work together, you got your ass kicked....HARD. It's the only game where if you didn't have a mic, you got your ass kicked. It's the game where if you shot your teammate, you actually killed him.

No game today has the sense of teamwork that SOCOM had. We've watched our franchise be treated like garbage by SONY for the past 6 years. I've never seen a company try to accidentally kill off a franchise like this. SONY would be smart to listen to the community. Many of the SOCOM fans have moved to the 360 because they gave up on SONY and SOCOM. If they make a SOCOM HD or return to a SOCOM 2 blue print, it would sell games, headsets, and consoles for SONY.

*You prob wonder why I always cap SOCOM, it's because I respect the hell out of it to put it like Socom"*

[BattleAxe]

@ Ares84hu

"Just because SOCOM isn't as good as it used to be....this letter isn't warranted."

This is a clear sign that you are a serious noob. There's the explanation that you've been waiting for.....nuff said. Socom might not have meant that much to you, but it was the reason I decided to buy a PS3 in the first place, expecting that they would carry on with the series in a positive way.

Instead all we got was a Socom game that kind of resembled the old Socom games, and another one that resembled Call of Duty in 3rd person view with a character that looked like Nathan Drake, which had none of the game modes that made the game great in the past.

Having said that, I'm glad I bought my PS3 three months after launch, and I'm lucky that I got to play a ton of great games. Make no mistake about it though, Socom is what made the PS2 great, because it added the online component that the PS2 needed. With the exception of a few real gems like Red Faction, Resident Evil and BLACK, Socom, MGS 2 & 3, SoTC, GoW, Tony Hawk, Tiger Woods, GTA and Gran Turismo were the other series that drove the PS2, everything else was filler.

[Ares84HU]

This letter is just.....well no words really.

Just a SOCOM fan crying over SOCOM not being as good as he want's it to be and trying to cover this up by saying that Sony should focus on it's hardcore fanbase who are "lifelong supporters". Yet only talks about SOCOM nothing else.

He also asks Sony to create new IP's and makes it sound like Sony doesn't do that nor does Sony create memorable titles ever since SOCOM.

This guy is a joke.

[dark-hollow]

Yeah! How dare a fan send a nice letter that he wishes for his favorite brand to improve!!!

God I swear he's more Sony fan than you are.

[Ares84HU]

#1 You don't know anything about me.

#2 I don't have a problem with anyone who want's their beloved franchise to make a return at all.
What I have a problem with is the way he made it sound like. Like SOCOM was the only title on PS2 that's worth mentioning and SOCOM carried the PS2 and made it to be what it was. Also that all hardcore fans are SOCOm players. That's just total BS.

He also went on saying that Sony should create new IP's....like they don't do that. I don't disagree that they should but to make it sound like they didn't is a bit outrageous to me. Also, Kaz Hirai is now Sony CEO and has other things to do than Playstation. His letter should have been directed to Zipper Interactive.

@McNoob. Yes it is justified to talk about how SOCOM became much less than what it was but this letter makes it sound like SOCOM is the only game that matter and read what I wrote above too. I explained it already.

[dark-hollow]

He didn't say the didn't made new ips specifically!

"But why does Sony need a business model that REPLACES their lifelong consumer base? Why can’t Sony & PlayStation create NEW games that achieve this?"

He means instead of altering old franchises to appeal to the mainstream masses (cod fans) why they don't create new ips that specifically aimed at them.

And that's bloody true with a lot of major gaming developers.

[Ares84HU]

dark-hollow

You can't just pick and choose from the letter. It has to be read in it's whole entirety.

Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

".....SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs. This used to be Sony’s flagship exclusive...."

Really?? When was that?

"....I challenge Sony to be the company it’s lifelong consumers grew to love....."

They are....aren't they???

"..... I challenge Sony to cater to both groups with all new IPs,...."

They don't???? I was under the impression that they do a hell of a good job giving us hardcore players lot's of exclusives and giving casuals lot of games as well at the same time.

"......I challenge Sony to take the first step towards pleasing their longtime fanbase by bringing the original formula of the first two SOCOMs back from the dead. ...."

But they do try to please everyone. Look at the list of games they brought back like R&C, God of War, Killzone, Sly Cooper, Yakuza, Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo, MGS....and old favorites that went multiplat are still on the PS like Tekken, Final Fantasy, DMC.

I mean, really???? What else do you want??

[McNoob]

I don't see it as crying. He's wholly justified in mentioning how the SOCOM series has drastically deviated since the original installments. Not only that, but the community has been slapped in the face in terms of feedback and involvement, as evidenced by SOCOM 4.

I can't think of another fanbase that has been disregarded as much as SOCOM's.

[LUKENBACHER]

Thanks for the feedback. I talked about a lot more than just SOCOM if you go back and re-read the article. SOCOM represents those gaming franchises that have survived more than one generation of gaming. Some are currently locked in a tug-of-war between original formulas vs a new generation of gamers with different tastes. Franchises do evolve as technology progresses and will change to a certain extent, but at what costs? How many shooters out there have really added/removed game features just because COD is breaking records in sales? How many action/adventure titles have added more cinematics and cut scenes because Uncharted/Heavy Rain is so popular? The list goes on and on. It's seems as though a lot of companies out there are copying other successful titles at the expense of its own gameplay. Games are becoming watered down and/or similar to other titles simply because the focus is too profit driven. Very few are comfortable providing a niche/average product focused on a very specific experience. Some of the games you listed in other posts have had some of the same problems that the SOCOM franchise has had.
I'm aware that Sony releases "new IPs" all the time. My point with that part of the letter was to say that new IPs are a good place to experiment with new trends. Also, not all genres need to all have a similar set of features. In my opinion it would be better to create a new IP that tries a bunch of new features, rather than take a longstanding franchise and strip it of its staples in order to transform itself into something current.
It's no surprise to me that remakes, collections, trilogies, and ports are gaining a lot of popularity. Who can resist good 'ol gameplay? I'm not a change hater, I just think if it ain't broke, then don't "fix" it to try to juice some extra bucks out of it. SOCOM is a great example, but it is far from being alone when it comes to this topic.

And just an FYI, in 2002 SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs was the first PLayStation game ever to use the network adapter. SOCOM introduced the internet to PlayStation gamers. Google it.

[Ares84HU]

You see, this what you said right here makes more sense and shows how true of a gamer you are than your "open letter".

Unfortunately in your letter all you talk about really is SOCOM. If you show me where you are talking about or mentioning any other game than I take back what I said.

You see, I feel the same way about Tomb Raider. It was a great franchise on PS1 than on PS2 it started going down the drain and it still is (we will see if the new one revives it) and it turned into the wrong direction from what it was. But one thing we all have to understand. Games/franchises need to evolve and try to cater to more and more people because a video game developer studio is a business and they are here to make money and as much of it as possible. If there is a new invention that brakes the bank than other obviously will try to imitate that. Look back at the PS1 era...how many Crash Bandicoot copycats were there? Tons. Look at how many COD rippoff are there now...too much to mention. But that's just because people want to make money and sadly not everyone can be original so they have to ride on others success.

Having said that I think still Sony does the best job out of all the gaming companies. Nintendo just keeps on remaking the same old games a million times and MS has very, very few games for hardcore players and now their main focus is Kinect which we all know isn't for us real gamers.

So I understand that you are upset about SOCOM, but that's all what it is I find in your letter. As I said, it would be better directed at Zipper than to Sony.

[LUKENBACHER]

"The frustrations that the SOCOM Community feels is the epitome of a much larger issue in the gaming industry that more than just this fanbase is facing. We are seeing all types of franchises (Tomb Raider) throughout the industry morph into mainstream products developed to cast a much wider net regarding their consumers."

And Sony acquired Zipper Interactive in 2006. They own all the rights to the SOCOM franchise and make the decision on any future installments. Trust me, our fanbase has been very vocal with Zipper for years. That approach has already been attempted.

[meatnormous]

I was a huge socom fan in the day and was really excited when it hit the ps3. I bought confrontation day 1, and I quickly seen that something was terribly wrong. All socom fans want is the tried and true socom formula with next gen graphics, not a Call of Duty ripoff. The game is greatly missed.

[kingGILLEY]

I have not found a game on the PS3 that comes close to giving me the amazing gameplay of the PS2 SOCOMS. Please bring the classic style socom back with all its options and in all its glory.

[SnyperMonkey]

100% agree with this. Here's my submission: http://www.youtube.com/watc...

#SOCOMUNITE

- Leeoc91