SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs

"Finally, an online tactical shooter for consoles"

Unless you don't consider mission objectives spoilers, turn around and read a book.

Yes, I realize there have been dozens of "tactical" shooters on consoles, but SOCOM 3 is the only one that actually forces you to go with the team. Delta Force can claim to be the first online console tactical FPS ever, but anybody who has played it will see it for the gigantic lie it is. SOCOM 3 is the real first online console tactical shooter. Mind you, it's only tactical online.

Graphics: 8/10

Pretty, better than the last, and with a much bigger draw distance, but there are still flaws. The characters aren't very detailed and ground textures look a bit plain, but other than that, the game looks beautiful. The environments are very well done, especially the South Asian locale. The new main menu is neat and very ergonomic. By keeping the same base, they have much less to load, allowing less loading times between menus.

Sound: 9/10

Great. It's not Metal Gear Solid quality, but it is very detailed, especially when it comes to the weapons. Every bolt, every bullet shell, every hit makes a sound. Even when the shell bounces around, it makes a sound. Everything makes a sound weapon-wise. My only two gripes are that the outdoor areas are a bit too quiet, especially the jungle and water, and some guns sound the same. As a bonus, however, there are news reports before each briefing to let you know how the media is interpreting your last mission, or to give you the premise to your current mission.

Gameplay:

The biggest new feature is gun customization. You can mix and match parts and attachments for every single gun in the game. Doing so has consequences, both good and bad. Some will make your gun less accurate, lighter or even fire slower. Having your equipment too heavy will make it more cumbersome, so watch out. Moving slowly will not help you dodge incoming vehicles.

Offline: 7/10
Zipper has certainly improved the campaign mode, like they promised. There are now 14 missions instead of 12 and the objectives have much more variety. One mission has you holding off wave after wave of enemies, while another has you sneaking through a flooded city without engaging a single enemy. Some levels combine two different types, like State Security, where it's a standard extraction mission except for the fact that you get the V.I.P. at the beginning of the level and have to work your way through. The levels are much bigger this time around (up to 6x in some cases) and to keep the game balanced, there is a new checkpoint system, so you can save and turn off your PS2 if you have to be somewhere in the middle of a mission. The difference between this game and the previous installments is that it asks for a lot less stealth. You're still marked for it for some strange reason, even if the mission calls for you to introduce a shotgun to the enemies' faces. Also available are vehicles. In single player, there will be only a few, but they ferry you around levels much faster, so it's always a good idea to use them, unless you like being shot while swimming.

The enemy A.I. is much better this time around. They'll crouch or go prone if shot at, started limping or huddling over if hit, and some will surrender when they know there's no way out. In fact, there's much more surrendering in this game. Too bad this is quite the opposite for teammate A.I. Jester's still the biggest idiot around (Boomer was a genius compared to him, ever since the beginning) and now your teammates can't aim for their lives, literally. You'll be killing 80-95% of the enemies in every level, guaranteed. When you enter a vehicle, there will sometimes be a straggler who won't want to get in and you'll end up having to wait quite a bit to get them in. They're even stupider when they're in a seperate vehicle. Once you get them out and back in the vehicle, they'll just sit there. Thank God this is only for the first mission. At least they've stopped running up to an enemy to do nothing at all.

Enemies have actually become a lot harder to kill. This is probably Zipper trying to do what Half-Life 2 didn't: show off enemy A.I. by giving them more health. Too bad they're still not too bright, but they are better shots. Rifle butts won't kill you in one hit, yet it will kill them. If they get a good shot at you, they will take it instead of sitting there like before. I've only seen them try to pick up a grenade once, and that was when it was about to explode. Guess what happened.

A nice little tweak is that there is more in game interaction with in-game NPC's. Before, you would just stand there in real-time and watch the NPC speak. Now, there are videos, where Jester will talk, comfort or escort someone, with Spectre sometimes lending a hand. You'd think Spectre would be in Jester's place, but whatever floats their boat.

Online: 10/10
Excellent. The PS2's best online shooter so far. The biggest change is that you take less hits to die. This is the element that forces teamwork and tactical maneuvers. Otherwise, it's good ol' SOCOM action, with vehicles. Vehicles are very balanced, as even a footsoldier can take out a tank easily. While it doesn't take the experience required in Battlefield to pilot the vehicles, you will need a fair amount to dodge any incoming rockets and grenades.

Unfortunately, Zipper decided to add a verification system to the online component, so that one will need to input a credit card number to use everything online offers. You do not need to verify to play, but you will need it to use the Friends list, get ranked, etc. It's free, so it won't take much to ask your parents. This is essentially the New Coke of SOCOM 3's new features: stupid, pointless and a waste of resources.

Nitpicking!

-Save system has too many menus. "Would you like to overwrite this file?" and Would you like to overwrite this profile?" are basically the same question, especially since you can't do one without the other. And when you load up a profile after playing in another, why does it ask you to save the profile you're loading up? If it's referring to the profile I'm exiting out of, why would I need to save if everything is already saved?

-Jester's still an idiot

-Why did they remove Wardog and Vandal? They had much more personality then these two new guys.

-Checkpoints make the game a bit too easy

-I'm standing two feet in front of the enemy dancing around in waist-deep water and they still can't see me? How?

-Crosstalk, which is basically SOCOM 3's terminology for Nintendo's "Connectivity", where you connect SOCOM 3 with SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo. You'll need it to unlock some characters in SOCOM 3 online. Also, whatever you do in SOCOM 3 makes SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo easier, and vice versa. I thought Nintendo proved Connectivity is for the rich and wasteful shoppers, but I guess I was wrong.

-For a next-gen gun, the M8 is terrible.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/05