SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs

"SOCOM 2 - A taste of perfection"

As a beta tester, I was able to see the graphical leaps and bounds that the online portion of SOCOM2 had made... I was expecting a great game, but SOCOM2 has gone beyond what even I had expected.

Graphics- 9/10

Single player graphics are intense... The environments are realistic, the character models are beautiful, and the textures are awesome. The lighting is also a splendor... The iris effect is a truly great move. By going into a pitch-black area, you are temporarily blinded... But with a short wait, your ''eyes'' adust to the darkness and you will be able to see... not as well as with nightvision, but it is a cool feature. A new feature is the thermal scope. Only available on certain mounted turrets and as an option on sniper rifles, it gives a thermal image of the target area to differentiate better between terrain and camouflaged soldiers.

Sound- 10/10

True to life gun sounds, hundreds (if not thousands) of lines of dialogue, and environmental sounds put this over the top. Idle chit-chat between teammates lightens the mood occasionally, with Jester's comments about a roaming prostitute or his having to go to the bathroom if he has to wait any longer.

Control- 9/10

Tight, customizable controls allow you to adjust dead zone, look speed, and the sensitivity of the running. A few options are also available for relocating the fire-rate switch and the onilne chat function. The fire-rate switch itself has been adjusted already to require a double tap of L3, or holding it for a full second. I prefer moving it to its secondary spot on SELECT, so it is a quick tap to change, but it isn't accidentally triggered in a battle.

Gameplay- 10/10

The single player AI has been vastly improved... a huge drop in ''Boomer'' accidents is noticed right away. Your team has more functions, you can run solo, away from the other Able element member. You can order your team to drop down to avoid sniper fire outdoors, and you can even have Jester call out enemy locations for you to snipe them. Enemy AI is a huge improvement as well. If you have a choice to be extra stealthy in your approach, you can catch the enemy stronghold offgaurd, meaning less opposition and a huge advantage in suprising the enemy.

But single player isn't the meat of the game. Online is the body of the game. A host of new maps, and redone maps from the original SOCOM give you a great game already. Add to that a plethora of new weapons, and new game modes- Breach and Escort -you have a game that will be enjoyable for months to come. That joy won't be interrupted liek the original SOCOM, since cheaters won't have ANY access to the SOCOM2 servers. But take note- a USB headset is necessary for a good online experience.

If you enjoyed SOCOM in the least, I reccomend you buy this game. It is a great purchase, and an investment in enjoyment.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/06/03