Sony Packs Resistance 3 Beta Into SOCOM 4, Continues Silly Trend

Sony has revealed that specially marked copies of SOCOM 4 will come packed with redemption codes for the Resistance 3 beta to be conducted by Insomniac. This comes after the beta for SOCOM 4 was packed in with Killzone 3; after the beta for that game was given to PlayStation Plus subscribers.

It’s bad enough that Sony has managed to almost single-handedly turn the modern “beta” into nothing more than a glorified demo. It’s worse that the easiest way to get into one of these betas involves spending money, more often than not. This continuing trend of packing in a multiplayer beta with a game that’s already multiplayer focused is just plain silly.

When it comes to multiplayer games (especially first/third-person shooters and fighting games) people typically pick one and stick with it; often for quite a while and/or until a new iteration of it is released. Learning the techniques and intricacies of one game is enough, and while juggling multiple titles is something that’s done, it’s certainly not common.

Any SOCOM fan knows the game is all about multiplayer. If I’m a Resistance fan and dedicated to that series’ multiplayer component, I probably have little to no interest in SOCOM 4. What will they do next? Pack access into the Uncharted 3 beta (because you just know there will be one)  into Resistance 3? I love Uncharted, but that still won’t make me buy Resistance 3.

But alas, the fact that it always works to get a few dedicated fans to buy a game they probably don’t want makes it a logical cash grab from a business perspective. SOCOM 4 releases for the PS3 on April 19.

via VG247