SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals: Combined Assault

"A game to pass the time until Socom:Confrontation comes out."

The S.O.C.O.M: U.S. Navy Seals franchise has been one of the most revolutionary games for on-line gaming. This doesn't apply to Combined Assault however.

Gameplay: 8/10
The game plays the same just like all the other SOCOM games in the series. It is a third person shooter with minor stealth elements and extra gameplay elements. It is basically Socom 3's gameplay with a tad more control. You can still control vehicles, swim, and perform physical manipulations of the character (such as climbing walls, ladders, etc.). Thats the problem with this game its exactly the same as SOCOM 3. In Campaign, the A.I. are not very bright when it comes to listening to you. They can get stuck in walls, bounce frags off walls and kill your whole team, reveal your prescence to enemy, etc. The on-line gameplay is great but I'll talk about that later.

Graphics: 7/10
The graphics seem a little more polished. But they weren't very visually appealing to start with. I think SOCOM 2's graphics look better than SOCOM CA's. For example, you can shoot thru the corners of a wall. The character and weapon graphics are realistic though. They may be seen wearing Camoflage suits, turbans, or even wetsuits.

Sound: 8/10
The sound in CA is wholly original. The intro song is made by an orchestra and the Multiplayer sounds have a changed a bit. They are in good quality and do not dissapoint. You can hear bullets firing, tanks rolling, or people shouting from a distance when playing maps. It makes the enviroment seem more realistic. But sometimes sound can go completely out in Multiplayer mode. You may hear birds chirping, or even get "The Burning Noise" in some maps.

On-line: 5/10
They didn't change the on-line gameplay too much. You can still drive vehicles, swim, etc. They are two modes of on-line: Co-op and Classic.
Classic is the original SOCOM on-line where you and your team compete in several game modes such as: Demolition, Suppression, Extraction, Escort, Convoy, or Control Points. Same as SOCOM 3. They did however add a Co-op element to on-line. Where you can team up with friends and play campaign or Instant Action missions to gain badges, etc. They added ten maps to multiplayer. But the multiplayer is still plagued by glitchers, cheaters, and the SOCOM servers crash weekly. But the SOCOM gameplay is so addictive at times you will still find the strength to restart after your disc freezes trying to load a Multiplayer map. Argh!

Overall: 7/10
All in all this is a great game. And is a must have in any gamers collection. Although I am Zipper Interactive for changing the gameplay one bit back to SOCOM 2's gameplay its still a great game. 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/13/07