SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs

"Superb both online and offline."

Socom 3 is a great game. No doubt about that. The problem is that if you don't have the online mode, the game will become tiresome very quickly. It took me a day to complete the offline mode and if I'd spent £40 of my hard earned money on it I'd have been an extremely annoyed person. I'll go into more detail later on.

Graphics: 8
The graphics aren't world beating, but they are solid and there are some good effects regarding the water and so forth.

Gameplay: 10
Excellent gameplay. The addition of checkpoints has made the game much more fun. On previous versions you could get through the entire mission without any difficulty at all - not even losing any health - just to be headshotted as you come round the final corner. Obviously the developers, or rather the helpdesk at Zipper, have had an earful or two regarding it and included this. Not only does it save your game, but it replenishes your ammo and health which is a welcome benefit. It makes the game a lot more enjoyable than previous versions.

Sounds: 6
Acceptable.

Online: 10
I love the online mode and it's the only reason I got Socom 1 to begin with. I've caused a fair few arguments in my time but that's part of the fun. The different styles of play and quality foreigners accents you can listen to (my Belfast accent on the American servers causes some questions and insults, but it's all part of the banter). There are 10+ maps, which are massive and unlockable features to use in the online mode such as new suits and better weapons. The single player is immensely enjoyable. I've played through it twice now and I'd be willing to play it again. It is the addition of checkpoints that has made it fun rather than a chore to play.

Replay: 10 (Online)
I've had Socom 1 since June 2003 and i'm still playing Socom (now Socom 3 obviously) as we push into 2006. Suffice to say that my network adaptor was one of the best purchases I ever made.

Overall: 8 (Offline) 10 (Online) 9 (Average)
Cracking game offline and online. Offline's lifespan is a minor problem as the hardest difficulty level you can do in the first place is Commander. Although you unlock harder difficult levels, I'm reliably informed that they aren't actually any harder, which is a real shame for those players who aren't fortunate enough to experience it online.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/05, Updated 10/31/05