First, in case you missed the announcement from the PS Vita CES keynote yesterday afternoon, Unit 13 is scheduled for release on Tuesday, March 6th. We are quite excited to bring this new title to PS Vita. Thanks to the excellent dual analogs sticks on the Vita, Unit 13 represents the first full shooter experience on a portable gaming device. But don’t take our word for it: the press have been playing it and really like what they see. Check out the recent coverage from Kotaku, Destructoid, and IGN.

We also have, as another PlayStation.Blog exclusive, the first view of the North American box front!

But what I am really here for is to provide an exclusive video walkthrough of a new level and game type in Unit 13. This is the first detailed video walkthrough of a Covert mission:

For those not keeping up on Unit 13, there are four different mission types. Direct Action missions are larger, multiple objective missions that reward tactical play. Deadline missions are medium-sized missions where players have to race against the clock; they reward speed over tactics. Elite missions are small- to medium-sized missions with no health regen or check points. Elite missions reward taking as little damage as possible. Finally, the Covert missions are stealth missions where you need to get in and out without the enemy knowing you were there. It rewards players for remaining unseen and you get a bonus for leaving enemies alive. However, if you are discovered, you can still recover if you take out the alerted enemies fast enough. Each different game type has different scoring rules and each one makes the best use of the six different operatives and their equipment.

With 36 missions playable in single player or co-op, along with dynamic versions of those missions; plus nine HVT missions to unlock and share via near; six different operatives; 10 levels per operative that unlock new abilities, weapons and equipment; plus the daily challenge missions and leaderboards for all 36 single player and co-op missions, I predict that Unit 13 will keep you busy for a very long time.

There’s no sense mincing words: The next game from SOCOM creator Zipper Interactive represents a fairly radical rethinking of the competitive shooter genre. The game doesn’t include a traditional single-player story or a conventional multiplayer battleground, instead focusing squarely on bite-sized, highly replayable scenarios that can be played alone or with a friend. In dropping the well-worn ways of the past, Unit 13 is positioning itself to be on the forefront of an entirely new way to think about multiplayer. The game will track and report your virtual exploits and broadcast them to friends both far (via PSN) and near (via…Near).

To get a handle on this brazen new approach to shooter design, we asked Creative Director Seth Luisi to outline Unit 13’s feature set and functionality in a video tour. Afterwards, we looped in with SCEA Producer Ara Demirjian to get answers to our burning questions. If you have any burning questions of your own, be sure to leave them in the comments!

PlayStation.Blog: In your mind, what’s key for a mobile shooter?
Ara Demirjian, assistant producer, SCEA:The ability to jump into a scenario, get your play time in, and feel like you accomplished something when you’re done. Unit 13 is set up to be an on-the-go game that gives you satisfaction when you play, especially when it propagates to your friends and your local area via near.

PSB: Will SOCOM fans find the mechanics and overall gameplay for Unit 13 familiar?
Demirjian: Yes. Zipper is known for contemporary third-person shooters — it’s what they’re good at! Unit 13 is built from the ground up for PS Vita and while the gameplay itself will feel familiar to SOCOM players, there are some different aspects given the PS Vita’s hardware features.

When you pick up the PS Vita, it’s kind of like using a DualShock controller with a huge screen: it feels good in your hands, the analog sticks feel smooth, and all the controls operate exactly how you’d expect. We have implemented touch controls for picking up weapons, reloading, vaulting over barriers, completing objectives, and accessing your tactical map, among others. We kept the implementation straightforward, but it allows us to do a lot of new things. We also use the rear touchscreen for swapping shoulders when you’re aiming down the sight; it can help you get a better shot on your enemy when you’re peeking around cover.

PSB: So there’s no traditional single-player campaign?
Demirjian: Unit 13 is built to be a mobile shooter: it’s designed around instant action, not a lengthy story mode. The mission grid gives you 36 unique missions, all playable independent of one another. Across all the missions, you’re trying to achieve a wide variety of objectives whether it’s taking down high-value targets or destroying weapons caches.

The scoring component is a major focus for us here. We want to make this an asynchronous socially competitive experience, so your scores will post to PSN and the near leaderboards so your friends can see if you top their score on a given mission. With a 3G PS Vita unit, this data can be updated automatically, and you can browse the status bar to see who is doing what at any time.

PSB: What will bring players back to keep competing with one another?
Demirjian: We’re planning a number of Daily Challenges, which will bring a unique mission objective to the game every single day. We’re not planning on having any repeats for a looo-o-oong time! This is a great opportunity for a player of average skill to make their mark on the leaderboards: once that 24 hour period is up, nobody can post against your score. So if you’re aggressive, you might be able to hold a number one position on the global leaderboards and get some bragging rights with your friends.

PSB: The game features six operatives, but how different are they? Can I level them up?
Demirjian: Each operative has different statistics, play strategy, and weapon loadouts. Some are better at stealth, or run-and-gun, or assault, or infiltration. Things like ammo capacity, rate of fire, accuracy, health regeneration and many more factors are all in play, too. You have the ability to chose whichever character you want for any mission, but certain classes will naturally perform better in certain missions.

You can level up your operative through 10 levels, and the bonuses are different from class to class. If you level up as a stealth-based operative, you’ll gain additional stealth infiltration bonuses for your score, the ability to carry new weapons and explosives, and your ammo capacity and health regeneration may improve.

PSB: How will the co-op play work?
Demirjian: Every single mission will be available for two-player cooperative play. You’ll be able to go your own way and proceed the way you want, or work more closely together if you choose. You won’t have to worry about your buddy running deep into another part of the level because we break the mission into a series of objectives.

When you’re playing co-op over Wi-Fi, we also automatically turn on the PS Vita’s internal microphone to keep communication channels open. You can turn it off, of course.

PSB: Just to be clear, co-op will be available only via Wi-Fi, right?
Demirjian: Co-op is over Wi-Fi, yes. The 3G functionality is for stat sharing via near, for getting real-time updates on scores, and for seeing when new high-value target missions or Daily Challenges become available. 3G is about the social component and seeing what your friends have been up to.

Fast action, on-the-go gameplay was a key goal for the Unit 13 team. The game is designed for players to move quickly into the action, choosing from one of six Operatives with unique abilities to tackle 36 action-packed missions across nine unique locales. Missions come in a variety of sizes and difficulty. Some are smaller bite-sized battles; others are longer, more challenging, multi-objective missions that are a good test for any skilled shooter fan. As you make your way through the variety of missions, you unlock the right to take on the tougher High Value Target (HVT) enemy battles. After completing an HVT mission, you can share them with friends and nearby players through PlayStation Vita’s “NEAR” feature.

The Zipper team put considerable effort into leveraging Vita’s WIFI and 3G functionality to provide exceptional social gaming and competition with friends and opponents from around the world. Unit 13’s live notification interface, enabled through 3G, keeps players up to date on leaderboard positions, new “Daily Challenge” content, new unlocks, shared High Value Target missions, and challenges from friends as they move past you on the leaderboards.

In Co-op, you can play Unit 13 with a friend all with high quality voice chat enabled through the PlayStation Vita. Coop teams compete for top positions on the global, regional, and friend mission leaderboards.

We’re super excited for all of you to give Unit 13 a try. We believe it’s the perfect portable shooter on the best portable gaming platform, the PlayStation Vita. And it’s available right around Vita launch!

See you on the leaderboards!

MLG Boot Camp

Boot Camp gives anyone who registers and completes a match the chance to win awesome prizes regardless of skill. Registration is open now, and Boot Camp ladder play is currently running through July 13th. Registering your 6-man team on MLG’s Gamebattles.com and playing at least one match will put you in the running for both Boot Camp prizing and the Official $20,000 Ladder Tournament. If you’re a lone soldier, check out the MLG forums where you can team up with other players of your skill level.

Boot Camp prizing includes:

• Two-hour gaming sessions with the Zipper Interactive dev team

• ASUS professional gaming monitors

• Full Astro A40 Systems (SOCOM 4 Customized)

• MLG Gunnars

Official SOCOM 4 $20k Online Ladder

Those of you with a competitive streak should use this time wisely because every battle counts towards your team’s position on the leaderboard and your chance to win money. The top teams will qualify for the finals and a share of the $20,000 prize pool. We’re looking for the best SOCOM 4 teams to step up, so we’re putting cold hard cash on the line. Here’s the prize breakdown:

• 1st Place Team: $8,000

• 2nd: $4,000

• 3rd: $3,000

• 4th: $2,000

• 5th: $1,000

• 6th: $1,000

• 7th: $500

• 8th: $500

See below for your deployment schedule, soldiers! Be sure to check back often on Gamebattles.com and SOCOM.com for regular tournament updates. And don’t forget to catch up on PlayStation giveaways and events by following us at @HeyPlayStation.

Good luck to you all!

SOCOM 4 Boot Camp Schedule:

6/24/2011: Registration begins

6/24/2011: Ladder play begins

7/13/2011: Ladder play ends (9:00PM EST)

SOCOM 4 $20,000 Ladder Tournament Schedule:

6/24/2011: Registration begins

6/24/2011: Ladder play begins

8/27/2011: Registration closes

8/28/2011: Ladder play ends

9/9/2011: Double elimination bracket tournament begins

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.

On behalf of everyone at Zipper Interactive, we’re pleased to announce that SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs available for purchase in North America starting today! Expect to see it released in other territories all over the world throughout the remainder of the week.

In the SOCOM 4 solo campaign, players will guide the Operations Commander and his combined squad of U.S. Navy SEALs and Korean Special Forces across 14 missions set in war-torn Southeast Asia and a country on the verge of civil war. But SOCOM 4 doesn’t stop there – fans can also expect exciting competitive multiplayer with all-new maps, original gametypes and numerous modes of play in addition to user-defined custom cooperative campaigns that change every time you play them! Check out our launch trailer above to see what we’re talking about.

Outside of the game itself, we’re also offering fans a number of other goodies to celebrate SOCOM 4’s release. Log on to PlayStation Home, for example, and you can find up to five unique (and free!) SOCOM 4 shirts for your Home Avatar, as well as a special Bomb Technician outfit for $2.99! We’re also introducing a number of SOCOM 4 PSN Avatars starting today and will have a free SOCOM 4 theme for your PlayStation 3 system next week.

Before we go – we do want you to play SOCOM 4, after all – we wanted to leave you with the patch notes for the update you’ll be prompted to download upon booting SOCOM 4 up for the very first time. Included within the patch are a number of updates from our S4 beta trial and a number of other changes that reflect the feedback we’ve received over the past month.

Thank you once again for all your support and feedback, we hope to hear from you some more on our official forums at SOCOM.com. Now go have some fun!

SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs Beta v1.02

April 19, 2011 TPPS: 41 MBs, DLS: 57 MBs

Gameplay

• Increased XP requirements to gain “Rank” levels
• Lowered XP bonuses for “Classic” mode “Wins”
• Decreased Weapon XP bonuses earned for “Kills, Assists,” and “Headshots”
• Adjusted “Classic” mode merit bonuses so that “Kills, Assists, Team Kills, Bomb Techs Killed”, and “Data Carriers Killed” are the only bonuses that are increased by “Classic” status
• (Single-Player Only) Widened allied “Revive” range so that it’s easier to resuscitate fallen teammates

Weapons and Gear

• Increased firing accuracy for all weapons and aim modes so that the first few shots are substantially more accurate (with variations by weapon)
• Increased horizontal and vertical recoil while in Reflex, ACOG and Low Variable Scope modes
• All long-range sub-machine gun damage has been lowered and maximum range has been decreased
• Decreased maximum throwing power and lowered throwing angle for all grenade types
• “Gear 1” loadout now automatically switches to “Gear 2” loadout when “Gear 1” loadout is depleted (and vice versa)
• Ammo counters now flash red when ammunition is low

Audio/Visual

• (Multiplayer Only) Camera position has been moved back to show more of the player-character
• (Multiplayer Only) Camera field of view has been widened by roughly 20%

Interface

• (Multiplayer Only) Character markers now float in closer proximity to teammates’ heads
• Updated “Vote Kick” user-interface so that it takes up less of the screen
• Revive actions now take priority over resupplying when allies are downed near ammo crates
• Fixed the display stats for the FDO-11 and IW80-A2 assault rifles to their appropriate values
• Post-game MVP screen now works properly

Technical

• (Standard Mode) Suppression game length is now 10 minutes
• (Classic Mode) Suppression round count is now 11
• (Classic Mode) Suppression round length is now 5 minutes
• (Classic Mode) Uplink round count is now 11
• (Classic Mode) Uplink rounds length is now 5 minutes
• (Standard Mode) Last Defense round count is now 1
• (Standard Mode) Last Defense round length is now 15 minutes
• (Classic Mode) Last Defense rounds count is now 11
• (Classic Mode) Last Defense round length is now 5 minutes
• (Classic Mode) Bomb Squad round count is now 10
• (Classic Mode) Bomb Squad round length is now 7 minutes
• Fixed issue that prevented Clan Challenge queue from properly working

Miscellaneous

• Made various PlayStation Move adjustments including latency reduction, less sensitive recoil countering, the added ability to pitch up while firing, tuning to the turn and pitch areas, etc
• Renamed PlayStation Move control schemes to “Standard Aim” and “Standard Arcade”

This isn’t all we have planned for future SOCOM 4 updates, as we are still collecting data from players just like you. In the mean time, talk about our changes with fellow SOCOM fans on our official beta discussion forum on SOCOM.com by following this link!

We call it “SOCOM Pro,” and you’ll first see mention of it when you open a brand new copy of SOCOM 4 on the back of the instruction manual. On that SOCOM Pro call-out, you’ll find a redemption code for use on the PlayStation Network that gets you… well, it gets you a whole bunch of super-cool things, really.

SOCOM Pro shows its benefits immediately on launch day, April 19, as any player who purchases a new copy of SOCOM 4 receives exclusive access to all “Pro” Custom Game queues. Not only will these queues be ranked, but they’ll also be updated regularly over the entire lifespan of SOCOM 4 – so it’ll be the gift that keeps on giving for quite some time. Moreover, the first set of “Pro” Custom Game types will be the same fantastic rule sets that our diligent fans tested during our SOCOM 4 beta period. If you missed them in the beta, here’s what they are now:

• Community Day Classic – Suggested by members of Zipper Community Day 2011, CDC offers a medley of different maps that support 8-vs-8 “Classic” variations on Suppression, Uplink, Last Defense and Bomb Squad with faster movement and no ranged explosives of any kind
• Last Defense Run ‘n Gun – Our incredibly fast-paced deviation from our Last Defense gametype that includes speedier player movement, reduced weapon damage, and limitations to sub-machine guns and shotguns only
• SCRUM – A Suppression mod that offers a “Classic” rules-inspired list of features that includes no respawn, no Sniper Rifles, no Concussion, Poison Gas, or Frag Grenades, higher damage and faster character movement
• Sniper Alley – Another 8-vs-8 variation on “Classic” Suppression that boasts higher damage values and weapon restrictions that allow players access to only Smoke and Poison Gas Grenades, Shotguns, and of course, Sniper Rifles

Another sweet incentive for SOCOM Pro players is an exclusive pair of weapons that fans have been clamoring for: The M-16 (for Spec-Ops) and the AK-47 (for the Insurgents) assault rifles! Expect to see those within the first 30 days of SOCOM 4’s release.

But these additions are just the beginning – we have plenty more planned for SOCOM Pro down the road including access to exclusive multiplayer maps, various co-op additions, dedicated leaderboards, and lots more. By the way, even if you don’t get a new copy of SOCOM 4 but find yourself playing it anyway, you can still gain access to SOCOM Pro by purchasing it from the PlayStation Store for a one-time fee of $14.99 (US) starting April 26.

We hope you enjoy the inclusion of our SOCOM Pro membership with all new copies of SOCOM 4 that will hit shelves April 19. Looking forward to seeing you reaping its rewards in game. Stay tuned to the SOCOM and PlayStation Blogs for future content updates!

Fans of Reno 911! Miami can catch this ad on Comedy Central when it first airs today at 2:15PM Eastern and Pacific time. Additionally, in the coming weeks you’ll see Kevin Butler joined by his U.S. Navy SEALs team during some of the most exciting sporting events and TV programming of the spring including:

• Brewers vs. Phillies – ESPN (4/18)
• Dodgers vs. Cubs – TBS (4/24)
• NBA Playoffs – ESPN & ESPN 2
• Top Shot Season Final – History Channel
• The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Greatest Moments and UFC Unleashed – Spike
• Modern Sniper, Special ops Mission, Surviving the Cut, Weaponology, Ultimate Weapons and Tank School – Military Channel

When SOCOM 4 officially launches next Tuesday, April 19th, you and your friends can jump into the action in any one of several exciting new modes including the all new 5-player co-op mode and bomb squad multi-player modes. For those die-hard fans eager to take the SOCOM 4 experience up a few notches the SOCOM 4: US NAVY SEALs Full Deployment Edition will also become available next Tuesday.

The Full Deployment Edition includes a copy of PlayStation SOCOM 4 U.S. Navy SEALs, a PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Move navigation controller, PlayStation Eye camera and the wildly popular PlayStation Move sharp shooter, giving fans multiple ways to experience the authentic tactical combat of SOCOM 4—all for $149.99. When paired with the PlayStation Sharp Shooter and stereoscopic 3D, SOCOM 4 promises to put you on the battle front with the most immersive and realistic experiences available—so realistic in fact, we recommend choosing your team-members wisely. After all, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.

We enjoy the SOCOM 4 soundtrack so much, in fact, that we’ve decided to release it for purchase on both iTunes and the PlayStation Store starting today for just $9.99 — a great deal that your speakers should thank you for.

Here’s a note from Bear himself:

“SOCOM 4 has been a long musical journey. I first began writing music for this game in 2008, and now, almost three years later to the day, my soundtrack is simultaneously available for download from iTunes and the PlayStation Network, and in an exciting expanded edition two-disc set from La La Land Records coming in a few weeks.

I’m a gamer myself, and had played all the previous games in the SOCOM series. So, I was familiar with the traditional military orchestral sound that accompanied them. However, I quickly realized that Sony and Zipper Interactive were ready to take the SOCOM franchise in a more cinematic direction. The characters were drawn out, and the player would face difficult ethical decisions. The entire story takes place over six days in an unspecified Southeast Asian country, opening the door for me to explore exotic local instrumentation. There was a lot for me to be excited about. I look forward to SOCOM fans, gamers and soundtrack buffs alike having the opportunity to explore this music, thanks to the digital and CD releases of this soundtrack.”

Recorded at the legendary Skywalker Ranch in beautiful Northern California, the SOCOM 4 soundtrack merges the dissimilar instruments of eastern and western orchestras to create a unique, symphonic sound unlike any other action-shooter out there — press the play button below to hear the official SOCOM 4 theme and you’ll immediately understand what we’re talking about.

We hope you enjoy the soundtrack as much as we have enjoyed putting it together for you. Oh, and before we go – keep your eyes on the Official SOCOM blog in the coming weeks, when we’ll have more details on an upcoming limited edition disc-based release of the soundtrack as well!

With SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals just a week away from launch and hundreds of thousands of gamers gleefully sneaking and shooting in the SOCOM 4 Open Multiplayer Beta, we wanted to debut a new campaign chapter exclusively on the PlayStation.Blog. In the single-player chapter Benefaction, team SOCOM is still unraveling the true scope of the threat to the world economy. The level winds through a dense jungle, then culminates in a large-scale beach ambush as enemy tanks and equipment are unloaded. To win, you have to fend off waves of enemy troops while targeting the tanks with air strikes. Not an easy battle!

SOCOM 4 supports a wide range of play styles. As the SOCOM 4 squad leader, you can take a number of different approaches — from directly leading your squad into battle to silently directing their actions from the shadows and everything in-between. To properly showcase this exclusive first look at Benefaction, Sid and Jeff took radically different approaches to finishing the level. Sid kept a low profile but did most of the dirty work himself, leaving his squad to provide suppressive fire. Jeff relied on squad commands and managed to complete the whole chapter without firing a single shot.

Watch the video above and let us know what you think of Benefaction’s epic beach shootout, and how you plan to approach combat when SOCOM 4 hits PS3 on April 19th.