Sony continues to give names and set dates regarding this year's release schedule for the PlayStation 3. Yesterday, it was all about whether Killzone 2 will make its debut in September or not. Today, it's about another much loved franchise for the Sony build game consoles, the SOCOM series.

The first game in the series for the PlayStation 3 was announced sometime last May, but since then the news has been rather slow. Both Slant Six, the game's developer and creator of a PSP version, and publisher Sony Computer Entertainment have declined to comment on the state of the game and the progress it's made, saying only that details would be revealed at the appropriate moment.

Now, the game has an official site on the Sony homepage and it also has a clear release date for September 16. In keeping with Sony's tradition, it will also be a PlayStation 3 exclusive title which can be bought from real-life stores or downloaded from the PlayStation Network.

SOCOM is a modern-day tactics-oriented shooter that emphasizes team play and coordination. There will be real-life weapons simulated as closely as possible and some destructible environments in which the power of those weapons can be put to good use.

Once the game is shipped, the game site will be enhanced with leaderboards and other statistics linked to every gamer's PlayStation Network ID. Sony announced plans to create a full multiplayer component to the game that has at its core the cooperation between gamers through the site. There are also plans to recruit players to take part in an upcoming closed SOCOM Confrontation beta through the recently launched site. Details are to be revealed later on the selection process itself.

With the game announced for September 16 and other titles for the PlayStation 3 announced for the same period, it seems that the "winter war" with the Xbox 360 for the Christmas money of the gaming community is already heating up. Only 9 months to go till Christmas, too.