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SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals Review
For some reason, Socom 2: U.S. Navy Seals didn’t pull my interest that far. There wasn’t anything wrong with the game, but I had trouble getting into what many considered to be the definitive online experience for the Playstation 2. For its scope, the visuals were good and the gameplay proved to be highly addictive for those that were drawn in. So here I am with Socom 3 before me and it must be said that this game truly is the best that the Playstation 2 has to offer in terms of online gaming. If you were skeptical before, it may actually be worth it to give the series a second look because the larger maps and vehicles add more options to tinker with. The aspect of the Socom series that many people tend to overlook is the single player campaign. Single player has never been Socom’s strong suit but with each game, progress is shown. You are (of course) in control of a squad and are in charge of completing the objectives that are passed on to you. You can take control of all the members of your team at any time and depending on the mission, you may develop different uses for each of them. When it all comes down to it though, the single player campaign is simply training for the meat of the game. The story is serviceable, but since the missions are focused completely around the objectives at hand, there is relatively no room for character development and you can never really make the proper connections. There is one issue that continues to tug at the nerves and that is the enemy AI is quite stupid. In some situations you can come within five feet of a group of enemies and they won’t notice you at all. Mostly though, there’s little challenge in taking out your enemies and some of the missions can be breezed through quickly. What helps the single player missions is the addition of vehicles that you can take full control over. The various cars, trucks and boats are a welcome addition that helps make the missions more interesting. The single player side of Socom 3 is over fairly quickly, but for most, that’s not the reason they are after the game.
The online portion of Socom 3 is where most people will find themselves having the most fun. Socom 3 has perhaps the most robust online options for a game that doesn’t charge a fee for its services and this is part of the appeal. When you register a name and log on you are treated to a luxury suite of features that range from detailed leader boards to actual message boards built right in the game (lowly spammers and all). Aside from that of course is the seemingly endless lobby and match choices. Within the first few days of release, the Socom 3 community has begun to soar and the amount of games to join is mind boggling. Once you finally pick a server, you can customize the weaponry your will be equipping and then you’ll head out. The game’s seven multiplayer game modes include Breach, Demolition, Suppression, Escort, Extraction, Control and Convoy. Suppression is your typical straight up deathmatch between two teams. Convoy has the terrorists guiding and transporting cargo to a specific point with the SEALs hot on their tails. Breach is similar to other game’s assault modes as the SEALs are required to “breach” a terrorist base and take out important targets. Demolition is a race to disarm a bomb that threatens to destroy your particular team’s base. Escort and Extraction are quite similar in that they involve either escorting important individuals or rescuing hostages. The last mode would be Control which is a race to capture the most control points. I myself had the most fun with Suppression, but I have always been a sucker for classic deathmatches. The other modes are all generally well balanced and you will find a decent amount of servers for each mode so there isn’t any truly scarce mode just yet.
If you actually care about statistics and want to win, teamwork is absolutely vital and it can’t happen unless you either have a USB headset or keyboard. Even with a keyboard, communication is limited and the only real way to know whats going on with your team is through a headset. Communication can lead an underdog team to victory more than a bunch of slackers going renegade (an entire team sniping on the same mountain comes to mind as an example of why it never works). If played fairly and aggressively, Socom 3 is an immersive experience one that can consume your for hours at a time. There are options for clans, buddy lists and the message boards are an interesting way for the community of the game to connect. If you have enough friends and acquaintances online then all of Socom 3’s features will come together to be the perfect online experience for you, but even if you don’t, there is still much fun to be had by simply picking a server and hopping in. All of the games weapons and vehicles are based off of real life counterparts and they each have their own particular uses. Whether it be through range or simply their firepower, most players will have their eyes set on particular weapons to make use of online. The new vehicles have also been added to the multiplayer and are definitely welcome. Socom 3 boats a wide variety of maps that range from small and compact to huge and expansive and for the larger ones, the vehicles can make for some pretty interesting fire fights and drive bys. Basically, if you enjoy teamwork, real life weapons and vehicles that let your run over your fellow players, then Socom 3 has something for you. The only real problem with this portion of the game is the players themselves. You cannot control who people are and you are bound to come across a few jerks, but there are always enough genuinely good players to balance out problems like that.
The color scheme of Socom 3 may look and feel drab but that simply reinforces Zipper Interactive’s mission to make the game as realistic as possible. The real world isn’t always a rainbow filled candy land. Because of the larger environments, the textures in the game aren’t always sharp as you might want and nothing in the game really screams “beautiful” or “awesome” but the vehicles, character models and environments have enough detail to sustain sanity when playing online and off. The framerate is an aspect of the game that may turn some people off. Generally, the game runs at a good speed but when you have a full server, (the game’s player limit has been upped to 32) the game can feel pretty sluggish. For the most part this isn’t an issue and its often acceptable considering that this size and scope is being attempted on the Playstation 2, but it definitely not perfect. The Socom 3 soundtrack is the type of music set that you will find yourself humming long after you have turned off your console. Its patriotic and suspenseful score is an excellent complement to the game’s modes and interface. The music that plays when a team wins or loses a match can become repetitive but its effective nonetheless. As for the voice acting, its done well but there’s nothing particular standout about it because of how general the whole storyline is. Of course, what would a game like this be without realistic weapon sounds? Well, it surely wouldn’t make too much sense, but thankfully Socom 3 gets it right as the presentation in this game overall is tight and polished. Considering that the online selection of Playstation 2 games has been disappointing at best, the Socom series is an excellent example of how things could have been done better. Socom 3 stands out as the platform’s shining example of online gaming and its features even rival that of most Xbox Live enabled titles. Its single player is good, but its not the star of the show. The reason for purchasing Socom 3 should be purely based on your interest in logging on and having a lot of fun working together in teams. That and of course, running people over with those newly added vehicles. Just a thought.
Written by Joseph Bennett. Posted year 2005.
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Released on
October 11, 2005
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