SOCOM III: U.S. Navy SEALs... when?

[FantasyGhost]

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs already kicked ass and SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs is really great. But i'm wondering when SOCOM III: U.S. Navy SEALs is coming out. I've been looking around on Zipper Interactive site (http://www.zipperint.com/), but no info on SOCOM III: Navy SEALs whatsoever.
No consolenews site has mentioned anything about Socom III: Navy SEALs, except Gamespot that came with info that already exsisted last year.
RUMOR #3: SOCOM III will be released in May.

Source: The booked jobs (http://wcistudios.com/i_booked_it.html) Web page of WCI Studios, a Los Angeles-based acting workshop.

The official story: Sony Computer Entertainment America reps did not respond to requests for comment.

What we heard: Among the thespians touting their latest gigs on WCI Studios' "I booked it!" page was one with particular interest for gamers. The actor Rob Roy listed the main projects he is currently working on as "NATIONAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: Playstations II (sic) SOCOM II & SOCOM III." While a single mention of "SOCOM III" could be dismissed as a typo, Mr. Roy went on to describe his work on the project in detail: "I’m the technical advisor for Playstations II (sic) SOCOM II release date NOV 2004 and SOCOM III Release date May 2005... I have my own character in the game (“WARDOG”). I was digitized in the fall." While it was widely expected that a new SOCOM would come out this summer, no one was sure of when exactly to expect the next chapter in SCEA and Zipper's popular squad shooter. And while not official, the actor's claim of a May 2005 ship date shouldn't be totally dismissed, since a similarly small-scale Hollywood casting site accidentally released information on Metal Gear Solid 3 and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas last year (before Konami and Rockstar got to them, anyway…).

Bogus or not bogus?: Probably not bogus, since it’s already been over a year since the last SOCOM.
And the last thing i've found is this: http://www.greghornjudge.com/psm2_socom_iii_art.htm
But nothing really clear about when it's going to be released since there hasn't been a BETA release (not that i know of) and it hasn't been mentioned on any gatherings like E3.

Could it be Sony is holding it off for the PS3?

[FantasyGhost]

According to Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) magazine will SOCOM III come out in Autumn of 2005 on PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.

Accoding to them you'll be able to link the PlayStation 2 game of SOCOM III to the PSP game. There will be the ability to exchange gamemodi. Sony hasn't commented on that.

[FantasyGhost]

Another confirmation of that rumor....

SOCOM III SEALED FOR PS2 AND PSP?

Key Sony series rumoured to be going back into action. Also: Sun to rise tomorrow

15:58 Clambering around the great videogame news grapevine today while deftly avoiding treading on any squishy fruit are reports "confirming" that Sony is currently developing SOCOM III for PS2 and suggesting that the giant also plans a pint-sized version of the squad-based shooter for its PSP handheld.
It's all a bit like releasing the stunning revelation that one plus one equals two. Extremely successful series, which Sony itself describes as "Flagship" - especially so for online - gets a sequel on extremely successful console and a version on the new handheld device from said maker of extremely successful console? Really?

Well, while it's as likely as the sun rising tomorrow and bellybutton fluff not being anything but blue, a Sony spokesperson said they could "neither confirm nor deny" the existence of either SOCOM title when queried about the reports earlier, although they did add that we should "Look forward to announcements on titles for this year and the next soon."
It's probable that any SOCOM announcements from Sony will be made around the time of this year's E3. In the meantime, we did consider squeezing into wetsuits, donning some flippers, buying a cap pistol and heading out to the east coast for a dip in the sea. But then we realised we didn't really like the idea of watching someone else's poo float by after accidentally taking a gulp of salt water.

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/news/news_story.php?id=115049

And according to IGN there will be a Socom game for the psp: http://psp.ign.com/objects/664/664952.html

[FantasyGhost]

According to insidegamer.nl this came from the official PS2 magazine that had a DVD inside
http://media.insidegamer.nl/dump/1108469651.jpg
and a little ingame clip which looks totally unprofessional. If you look at the screen it looks like the Desert Glory which is already available in Socom I but the radar isn't like we used to know it and the text panel is totally shifted to the left, where it used to be in the middle of the screen. Also the weapon display is a bit different. Could it be either the Socom PSP version or Socom III?
With the in-game clip the real socom fans will be able to see there's a house on the right side that's normally not there either.

Here's the little clip http://rapidshare.de/files-en/608007/socom.zip.html
Scroll down the screen and click on "Free" after a few seconds you'll be able to download it.

[FantasyGhost]

Finally news many people have been waiting for. Screenshots available on the sourcelink.

Source: GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/02/23/news_6119054.html)

Zipper Interactive developing new team-based shooter sequel for fall release; first screens inside.

Sony has formally announced plans to release a third game in the popular SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series this fall. The game, unsurprisingly called SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs, will take place in new theaters of operation, contain improved artificial intelligence, and an all-new weapon attachment system that will let players customize their weapon loadouts even more than they could in the past.

SOCOM 3 will take place in Morocco, Poland, and Bangladesh. All-new streaming technology will be employed here, which is said to increase the size of the game's single-player maps by five or six times over what was seen in the previous SOCOM game. To help compensate for that size, single-player missions will have checkpoints, allowing you to save your game midmission. The missions will also have multiple paths to success.

The ability to swim is one of SOCOM 3's new ability improvements. You'll also be able to operate vehicles, including Humvees, light strike vehicles, technicals, T72 tanks, an SSCR assault boat, and a customized speed boat. Communicating with your AI-controlled team will be altered a bit--the game will now give you a context-sensitive button that will command your team to move to a specific location, breach a door, and so on. This will be in addition to SOCOM II's already robust AI-control system.

Speaking of the AI, it will see some improvements as well. Players' team AI should be better at assisting you, and the enemy AI will be better equipped to coordinate with one another to form smarter attacks against your SEAL team. Weapon customization sounds like it could be a big part of SOCOM 3. You'll have 31 weapons to choose from and 21 different attachments, making for more than a thousand possibilities.

Sony and Zipper have revealed this information about SOCOM 3's single-player component, but information about the game's online side has yet to be revealed. The game is currently on track for a fall release on the PlayStation 2. GameSpot will have more on SOCOM 3 as it becomes available.

[FantasyGhost]

Socom 3 Tank Footage: http://zdmedia.wmod.llnwd.net/a111/o1/Socom_3/TankFootage_148k.wmv
Socom 3 Swimming Footage: http://zdmedia.wmod.llnwd.net/a111/o1/Socom_3/Swimming_Footage_148k.wmv