SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs

8.0
Good

Gameplay	8.5	"SOCOM 3 is one of the games to get for the PS2"
Graphics	8.0
Sound	7.5
Value	8.5

By Shaun Hunter

SOCOM 3 is the latest in the famed SOCOM series on the PlayStation 2, and builds on it’s predecessors in all aspects of the game. While it has a decent single player campaign, the majority of the fun can be located in the online modes available.

Since the previous SOCOM game, two years ago, a lot of work has been done to improve the single player campaign. There are 12 missions, spanning North Africa, South Africa and Poland. You once again take control of a four-man team, and command your men about the battlefield as you tackle the specific tasks, from search-and-destroy, to rescuing a hostage or capturing the enemy. It’s the generic missions that you’ve come to expect from shooters of this generation. However due the massive size of each of the maps, the missions have been split into many smaller tasks which are separated by points where you can save the game, and regain your life and ammo. They are helpful if you’re in the middle of a mission when something comes up, although it can feel a bit cheap magically regaining your life by simply reaching one of these points.

The vehicles in the game are for the most part decently executed. Depending on the type of vehicle, there will be a number of ‘slots’ which you can occupy. There will be one for the controls of the vehicle as well as one or more for guns. The actual handling of the vehicles is somewhat mixed. While they provide an excellent way to get over large spaces in a shorter amount of time than on foot, a lot of the time they will feel like you’re driving around in a solid block rather than an armoured vehicle. Some of the other vehicles do control a lot better, however the authenticity is lost when attempting to drive up a hill or slightly thick vegetation and your vehicle stops suddenly in it’s tracks. It’s something minor that most people won’t mind, but it could have added a fair bit to the overall feel of the game allowing the player to attempt to navigate difficult terrain.

SOCOM 3 shines with the on-foot action. It’s possible to play through the game in either a first or third-person perspective, which is nice to be able to switch between with the tap of a button. Like most combat shooters, you are able to crouch or crawl, which in turn will affect the accuracy of your shot. Over 30 weapons are available to use as you progress through the game, as well as altering them with silencers, scopes, and the like. An addition to the on-foot gameplay is the ability to swim, along with being able to hide under the cover of the water by tapping the triangle button. This is useful when trying to keep hidden from the enemies’ radar, although you will be limited by your lung capacity.

Ordering your team about the battlefield can be done in a few ways. If you have a headset you are able to give voice commands, or alternatively you can give commands at the press of a controller button. The team will generally be pretty good at following orders, the only concern we could find was that when attempting to move stealthily the other members of the team would often blow the cover.

The online aspect of the game is where the real fun is. While online aspects in other games have merely been there to add something extra, the core gameplay of SOCOM 3 relies upon it. From the online menu, you are able to join a game to your exact wishes with the game search, or you could just jump into a game via browsing the lobbies. Alternatively, you could create your own game to the exact specifications you wish. These options can range from enabling/disabling certain weapons, the max amount of players in the game (with a maximum of 32), game length, map, and so forth.

Surprisingly, the online game runs fairly well on a lower end connection with erratic pings, and unless you’re attempting to play online with an ultra slow connection you shouldn’t be affected by much slowdown, although our connection did drop out a few times whilst playing. It may take a bit of getting used to if you’re new to online shooters, but the formula seems to be the same as other online favourites – run and shoot. Of course, you’re likely to be gunned down half a dozen times before you get a kill in yourself by doing this, but with the help of some tactical manoeuvring and team mate support, you’ll be raking in the kills in no time. Also, with voice support you’re able to command team mates that much easier.

As previously mentioned, the game features over 30 weapons, and not two sound the same. Zipper Interactive have done a great job at getting weapons to sound authentic amongst a whole load of various conditions. A bullet hitting a slab of metal will sound significantly different to that of a bullet flying into the dirt in front of you. One of the more impressive sound effects is when you are in an old empty building and you approach the sound of shooting ahead of you. The sound will echo down the corridors, and will get louder and clearer as you get nearer. It gives the audio experience a dimension of depth which is lacking in a lot of games.

There is no doubt that SOCOM 3 is one of the games to get for the PlayStation 2. The single player campaign offers an enjoyable experience on its own. However, you’ll be coming back to the online component time after time to kick butt of players all around the world.

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