Today is the third and final day of our in-depth training series for Unit 13, the PlayStation Vita exclusive released earlier this week. This three-part in-depth video series teaches you everything from the core fundamentals of how to play the game to tips on how to tackle each mission type and even how to fully take advantage of Unit 13′s networking features.

Today’s video, “Sharing and Competing”, covers Unit 13′s robust networking capabilities. Able to utilize PlayStation Vita’s 3G capabilities, Unit 13 features always-on leaderboards, Daily Challenges, High Value Target sharing via Near, and much more. We’re also going to give you a look at Unit 13’s new two-player cooperative multiplayer over WiFi. Two players can take on any of the game’s 36 main missions, mixing and matching operatives and arsenals any way you see fit. You’ll get scoring bonuses for working together as a team, and specialized co-op leaderboards will let you see how well your teamwork abilities stack up against the competition. This video will ensure that you’re fully versed on all of Unit 13′s online options and able to take full advantage of them.

If you missed the previous two videos, “How to Play” and “Game Types”, be sure to go back and check those out as they’ll give you a great overview of Unit 13′s core gameplay mechanics and the various operation types that you’ll come across in the game’s numerous missions.

Unit 13 is now available exclusively for PlayStation Vita, so check out the videos in this series and hone your skills to see if you have what it takes to make it to the top of the leaderboards.

We recently kicked off our in-depth training series for Unit 13, the PS Vita exclusive shooter that puts you in the middle of some of the world’s deadliest covert missions. This three-part in-depth video series aims to teach you everything from the core fundamentals of how to play the game to tips on how to tackle each mission type and even how to fully take advantage of Unit 13‘s networking features.

Today we’re unveiling the second installment, which introduces you to the various mission types in Unit 13 and gives you advice on how to best approach them. It goes over basic mission rules, tactical strategies for how to take on each objective and things to look out for along the way.

If you missed the first training video be sure to go back and check that out to get a great overview of Unit 13′s fundamentals, and come back on Friday for the final part of the series, “Sharing and Competing,” where we’ll cover the game’s robust connectivity features.

Unit 13 is now available exclusively for PS Vita, so now’s the time to hone your skills and discover if you have what it takes to make it to the top of the leaderboards.

Giving you a selection of six elite operatives, it's your job to quickly and efficiently infiltrate enemy strongholds and complete any objective thrown your way. You'll have to employ every trick in the book to make it out alive, but you'll need to rewrite the rules if you want to come out on top of the leaderboards.

Unit 13 has been created for on-the-go play, featuring 40+ missions that play out in bite-sized chunks that highlight its portable focus. Each of those missions begs you to come back and try them again as the game's scoring system and leaderboard support will show you exactly how you stack up against the competition; be it your friends down the street or strangers on the other side of the globe. A Daily Challenge feature provides you with a new mission every 24 hours -- along with a fresh chance to hit the top of the leaderboards. Cooperative multiplayer lets you tackle any of the game's 36 main missions and “near” support will let you share access to the elite High Value Targets with other players around you.

If you've downloaded the Unit 13 demo from the PlayStation Store and worked your way up the leaderboards then you’ll be happy to know that your save data, including your high scores and operative level progress, will carry over to the full game! Be sure to keep the demo on your PS Vita until you’ve launched the full game though – deleting the demo will remove the save file as well, so make sure your progress has transferred over before removing the demo from your system.

The team here at Zipper has worked hard on fine-tuning the experience in an effort to blend the best of the console world with the best of the portable world and we think you’ll agree that Unit 13 is a great fit in PS Vita‘s library. We’ll see you on the leaderboards!

Part 1, “How to Play”, shows you what it will take to run with the best-of-the-best. It covers everything from a complete control breakdown to tactical combat strategies to Unit 13′s in-depth scoring system. This is as close to a Unit 13 boot camp as you’ll get.

The next two videos in the series, “Game Types” and “Sharing and Competing”, will be released in the near future right here on the PlayStation.Blog, so check back then for more insider tips on Unit 13.

Unit 13 will be available on March 6th exclusively for PlayStation Vita. A playable demo is now available in the PlayStation Store, so check out the videos in this series, download the demo and hone your skills in anticipation of the full release.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, we have to postpone the Unit 13 tourneys in LA, NY, ATL, MIA and Austin. Please stay tuned for new dates and details. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

The release of Unit 13 is just a few weeks away now, officially launching on March 6th, but you don’t have to wait that long to get your hands on the game! On Monday, February 20th, Unit 13 is going to take over all eight Vita Hill Social Clubs, giving you the chance to dig in to the full Unit 13 experience and find out what it’s like to play a console-caliber shooter in the palm of your hands. The top scoring players at each location will be eligible for some pretty awesome prizes, so play as much as you can during the limited-time event and try to get your name to the top of the leaderboards. For locations and times, check out the official Vita Hill Social Club page.

If you can’t make it to one of the club dates you might miss out on the prize opportunities but you can still get an early taste of Unit 13 by checking out the downloadable demo via the PlayStation Store on Tuesday, February 21st. The demo gives you access to one of the game’s Direct Action missions and includes all six operatives and online leaderboard support. Perhaps best of all is that your scores and level progress earned in the demo will carry over to the full game once it’s released on March 6th!

As we get closer to Unit 13′s launch day we’ll be bringing you a lot more on the game, including a co-op multiplayer video walkthrough next week right here on the PlayStation Blog that you won’t want to miss. We’re also nearly finished putting the final touches on the official Unit 13 website which will provide in-depth character bios, scoring tips and breakdowns, level progression information and much more that you won’t find anywhere else, so stay tuned for news on that.

Everyone here at Zipper Interactive is really excited that PlayStation Vita fans everywhere will soon be able to get their hands on Unit 13, and we’d love to hear what you think of the demo next week.

The SOCOM franchise is a long and storied one, and today we’re very happy to announce that we’re revisiting its past and bringing back what is perhaps the series’ most popular mode, “Demolition”. Existing owners of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs will be able to download the Demolition Pack for $9.99 with today’s PlayStation Store publish, which brings with it not only the Demolition competitive multiplayer game type but new maps, weapons and character skins as well.

As a special promotional bonus starting tomorrow, new purchasers of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs who buy the game at select retail partners will receive a free voucher for the Demolition Pack. When you buy the game new from Amazon, Best Buy or GameStop in the US or EB Games in Canada, be sure to ask for your free Demolition Pack code and then simply redeem the voucher on the PlayStation Network to download the pack at no additional charge. With SOCOM 4 now available at many retailers for $39.99 and with codes for both the Demolition Pack and SOCOM Pro Pack included for free, there’s no better time to pick up the game.

In “Demolition”, each team vies for control of a bomb placed on the map. Once a team grabs the bomb, they need to carry it into the opposing team’s base, arm the bomb and defend it until the base is destroyed.

The Demolition Pack includes four new maps, two of which are returning classics — “Bitter Jungle” and “Ruins”. All four of these maps support not only the Demolition game type but many of the retail competitive modes as well. Additionally, six of the existing maps will support the Demolition game type, making for 10 total Demolition maps. Additionally, the Demolition Pack also includes two new weapons, the HS-C3 and 552, as well as six new multiplayer skins to choose from.

Demotion Pack Details

Included Maps:
“Departure” – Navigate trains and tunnels in this subway station as you hunt down the enemy.
“Overflow” – Both distanced and close-quarters combat take place around a massive dam.
“Bitter Jungle” – Get out of the city and into the jungle in this classic SOCOM environment.
“Ruins” – Do battle in this classic SOCOM map’s ancient ruins.

Included Weapons:
HS-C3 – Low rate of fire but above average damage and very high accuracy.
552 – Average damage and firing rate, but very accurate when standing still.

Included Character Skins:
Specter
Jester
Bastion
Ahmed
Dimitri
Steiner

But that’s not all!

In two weeks we’ll also be expanding SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs’ cooperative mode with the new Evac Co-op Pack. Available November 1st for $7.99, the Evac Co-op Pack will introduce the “Evac” cooperative mode and include a new cooperative map, two new weapons and six additional character skins.

In “Evac”, players are caught behind enemy lines and must fight their way out alive. Your pick-up vehicle is on-route to a designated location, and it’s up to you to fight your way there and defend the point until your exit arrives.

“Evac” works across the original six cooperative missions as well as the new “Onslaught” location included in this pack. “Onslaught” also supports the original “Espionage” and “Takedown” cooperative modes.

Evac Co-op Pack Details

Included Weapons:
AM50 – It doesn’t carry many rounds and it’s slow to fire, but the AM50 will kill with a single shot anywhere on an opponent’s body.
M82A1A – A very low firing rate and lower than average ammo capacity is offset by the M82A1A’s ability to take down an opponent with a single round.

Included Character Skins:
Hunter
Python
Mystic
Jalil
Nasir
Renzo

We’re very happy today to announce that SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs is now offering free maps and weapons to all PS Plus users! You might remember that we gave away the classic SOCOM map “Abandoned” and a couple of exclusive shotguns as an incentive to pre-order the game through GameStop. All PlayStation Plus users can now download “Abandoned” and the shotguns free for the next month! For those of you without Plus yet, don’t worry–your time will come shortly. Recall the blog announcement a couple weeks back announcing that, as a token of appreciation, the PlayStation Network will be giving all users 30 days free PlayStation Plus membership, coming soon. After a month of PlayStation Plus availability, “Abandoned” and the shotguns will continue to be available for SOCOM Pro members.

But that’s not all. When we announced SOCOM Pro shortly before SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs hit stores, we promised that we’d be delivering the oft-requested M16 and AK-47 shortly after release. We’re happy today to not only say that they’re almost here, but that they’re being packaged alongside a set of new competitive multiplayer maps!

Dubbed the SOCOM Pro Assault Pack, this bundle will be available as a free download exclusively to SOCOM Pro members and features three all-new competitive multiplayer maps: “Red Line”, “Double Cross” and “Driftwood”, as well as two fan-favorite weapons, the M16 and AK-47. The maps, inspired by missions from the single-player campaign, have been designed to feature tighter spaces with intense 8 vs. 8 matches in mind (not that 32-player skirmishes aren’t a blast on all three maps).

Assault Pack Maps:

“Red Line” – A monorail depot highlights this small and highly war-torn urban location.

“Double Cross” – A plane has crashed into a small mountain village, leaving wreckage and burning debris scattered throughout the area.

“Driftwood” – A small fishing village with a tight layout results in intense close-quarter battles.

Assault Pack Weapons:

M16 – This highly accurate Spec Ops weapon is great at range and, with a suppressor gained at Mod Level 2, can be used in stealthier situations as well.

AK-47 – This Insurgent weapon is difficult to control but inflicts a high amount of damage. It’s also capable of holding a large amount of ammo at Mod 5, making a very deadly option for aggressive players.

And last but certainly not least, don’t forget that our Double XP bonus promotion is currently underway and affects not only every game type but both your player level and weapon progression!

“Abandoned” and the pre-order shotguns are now available for free to all PlayStation Plus members while the SOCOM Pro Assault Pack will be available this month as a free download exclusively for SOCOM Pro members, so be sure to check back for more news in the coming weeks. SOCOM Pro comes free with new copies of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs, and is also available for purchase on the PlayStation Store for $14.99.

The SOCOM franchise is no stranger to intense online competition, the sort of frantic rivalries that bring out plenty of gloating for the victors. Fans know that the series has catered to these sorts of moments with built-in victory dances, and the soldiers of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs sure do know their way around the dance floor.

Available in online competitive matches, SOCOM 4′s victory dances are triggered by pressing the Circle button while standing over a fallen enemy. There are more than a dozen dances in the game, including:

The Crane
Exactly like Daniel-san’s finishing move from The Karate Kid, the soldier raises both hands into the air, lifts one knee up slowly and then quickly high kicks with the other leg.

The Chicken
Sure to be a hit with fans of Arrested Development, your soldier makes chicken wings with his arms and waves them up and down, bobs his head forward and backward and digs at the dirt with his foot.

The Robot
Essentially an over-exaggerated version of what it looks like every time C3PO talks.

With our beta underway beginning March 22nd for PlayStation Plus members — March 29th for Killzone 3 voucher users and April 5th for all PSN users — which victory dances will you find?

Competitive multiplayer has always been the core of the SOCOM franchise, and SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs takes it further than ever before with modes and options that both new recruits and veterans alike will enjoy. We’ve previously covered three of our four competitive modes — Suppression, Last Defense and Uplink — and today we’re excited to unveil our fourth mode, Bomb Squad.

In Bomb Squad, Insurgents have planted a number of bombs around the map and the Spec Ops team must defuse them all before time runs out. What makes Bomb Squad special is that it features the unique Bomb Technician character, played by one member of the Spec Ops team, who is charged with defusing the explosives. He carries both an automatic shotgun and a mobile grenade launcher and is very heavily armored, making him a deadly force on his own; that said, the technician is still an open target any time he turns his back to defuse Insurgent bombs. Succeeding in Bomb Squad requires tactics, teamwork, patience and confidence to get the job done, all pillars of the overall SOCOM experience.

When can you get your hands on Bomb Squad, you ask? Well, you’ll be able to try out all four of our modes on two maps in our upcoming beta! The SOCOM 4 Multiplayer Beta will include each of the game’s competitive multiplayer modes — Suppression, Last Defense, Uplink and Bomb Squad — all playable on the maps “Port Authority” and “Assault & Battery”. And of course, you’ll be able to play each of our modes in either of their Standard or Classic variants.

The SOCOM 4 Multiplayer Beta will roll out in four separate phases. It’ll begin with a small, private group and then expand weekly from there until it’s freely available to everyone! Here’s the schedule for each of the beta’s rollout phases:

• On March 15th, a private beta goes live. We’ll be contacting eligible players soon.
• Beginning March 22nd, PlayStation Plus members will gain access to the beta.
• On March 29th, anyone with a beta code included with Killzone 3 gains entry.
• Starting April 5th, the beta will be freely downloadable to anyone via PlayStation Network.

The beta is scheduled to run until April 13th, at which point the servers will be taken down in preparation of SOCOM 4′s retail release on April 19th!

SOCOM 4′s cooperative mode features two main game types: “Takedown” and “Espionage.” Takedown charges your team with scouring an enemy-filled location in search of opposing VIPs that you must neutralize however you can. Espionage turns the focus to intelligence gathering, where you must use teamwork to track down enemy data and sabotage their local operations.

Before each co-op mission begins, you’re able to adjust both the overall difficulty and the density of the enemy soldiers positioned on the map. But even at its easiest, SOCOM 4′s cooperative mode has been designed to be challenging – as you progress, you’ll need to use teamwork by calling out enemies and objectives to your squadmates.

Today’s co-op unveil isn’t the last you’ll hear of SOCOM 4 this week. Tune in to GameTrailers TV tonight and learn how stealth plays a big part in the game’s campaign in addition to another special announcement fans won’t want to miss!