For some, the wait for Socom 4 has been unbearable. Since it's initial reveal last year, the game has been a title to watch out for, at least in part because of its support for the PlayStation Move controller. It was originally intended as a launch title alongside the Move, but its development didn't quite make the cut-off point and the game was delayed to April of this year.

Fans of the franchise have lofty expectations for Socom 4 as its predecessor, the Slant Six Games developed Socom: Confrontation, left a lot of fans disappointed and disheartened. With the franchise's original developer Zipper Interactive back at the helm of Socom after spending some time developing MAG, the franchise looks like it could be making a return to form.

A new multiplayer trailer showcases some of the gorgeous maps players will get to compete on. A war-torn city, and a couple jungle outposts are just a few of the maps that await gamers in Socom 4:

The Socom series helped pave the way for online console gaming and is to date one of, if not the most, successful third person shooter series of all time. One of its most famous maps is going to be making return as well, with the Abandoned map available to those players who pre-order the game through GameStop. A trailer for the classic map can be seen at GameStop's Socom 4 page.

With the new multiplayer trailer also comes a definitive release date for the PS3 shooter. The wait is almost over as Socom 4 is due on April 19, 2011.

If that seems like its too far away there's hope still that you'll be getting your Socom fix even sooner. Players who purchase a copy of Killzone 3, due for release on February 22, 2011, will get access to the Socom 4 beta. PlayStation Plus players in the UK, on the other hand, need not worry about that as they're already automatically entered into the beta on the merit of their Plus membership.

Are you going to be teaming up with some buddies when Socom 4 is finally released in April?

Socom 4 releases April 19, 2011, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.

Source: PlayStation Blog