SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals
SOCOM 3 can beat its predecessors in almost every way imaginable. The game boasts a host of new missions and areas of operation such as North Africa, Southeast Asia, and Poland, as well as enhanced Artificial intelligence of your enemies, making the Single Player portion of the game more difficult and exciting too. Some of the fans who had been hoping for an offline co-op / multiplayer mode may be somewhat dissapointed as the developers have yet to include that in the series (were looking forward to seeing it included when the Playstation 3 is released). No need to frown though, SOCOM 3 is basically an entirely different game compared to the series’ previous installments. Zipper Interactive really caught up on the glitches in this game as i have yet to find one in both off and online modes of play. A new weapon selection system is also a nice and interesting addition, allowing for 100s of weapon combinations(more on this later). And last on the list, but definitely not least and probably most useful is the addition of player operated vehicles. Boats, dune buggys, humvees, and trucks all make their debut in this latest addition to the series. The only thing lacking, which seems almost unchanged from SOCOM II, is the graphics.
First off, controls. The always great controls feel even tighter in SOCOM 3, a new control arrangement involves switching the quick change feature from using L2 and L1, to using only L1 to switch between primary and secondary weapons. The resulting open space at L2 was filled with an interesting new feature, the ability to make certain commands with just a tap of the button. It issues different commands based on the current command your fireteam is following and based on where you point your crosshairs. For example, tapping the button once while pointing at a location will make your team move there. Holding the button down for a second or two will have them follow or hold position. You can also tell them to mount vehicles, breach, etc. Special actions are indicated by a blue icon on the bottom of the screen. Something slightly annoying is changing your stance. You now have to hold the button to change between standing and prone, and tap it to crouch. This system causes the occasional hangup in which you cant get to the desired position(usually standing or crouching). For the most part, you can do everything better than before.
Next, we have an interesting new feature which is also quite useful, the weapon selection screen. Before a mission (or after a death in multiplayer), you select your character, read your briefings, etc. Now selecting your weapon will take a little longer. The new system involves the usual two weapon slots, primary and secondary, but now you can select accessories to add to it! Such things would be silencers, lasers, grenade launchers, scopes, etc. You have a 2 accessory slots for your primary and 1 for your secondary, as well as 2 equipment slots for grenades, mines, rpgs, and, depending on your selcted character, even a ghillie suit, but there are consequences for having alot of items. The new system has included a weight for all of your equipment, which adds up based on what you have. Weight is represented by a meter which turns red when you go over a certain weight. When you have a red meter you will run slower, which is a disadvantage in those close quarters firefights typical of the online mode.
Another addition is vehicles! You may be asking yourself why you would need vehicles, well thats because the maps are MUCH larger this time around. So much that they may be 2 to 4 times larger than previous maps. They also change size based on the amount of players allowed in the room, which can be up to 32 per game, nearly double that of SOCOM II’s 18. The vehicles are different for each team, the terrorists’ are obviously not as good as the SEAL’s. Most vehicles are mounted with various armaments, ranging from machine guns to grenade launchers, and even a TOW missile launcher on a humvee. Tanks can not be forgotten, either, which are mounted with a cannon and a machine gun.
Online gameplay is unbeatable with all the new features. Online you can choose to play in the day or at night, whether to allow vehicles or not, what weapons can be used, and whether or not the game affects your rank. You must register with SOCOM using a credit card (no money is charged) to access some of the features, which is annoying because all the important things such as ranks, friends lists, clans, etc. are unusable until you register. Even so, a good ole’ game of respawn is probably the most fun thing. Try out different weapons, techniques, and learn the game while not having to wory about your rank dropping. Things can get pretty intense with a full room which makes it so much more fun.
On the whole, SOCOM 3 is an excellent game for the money, which can be played for an extremely long time without losing any of its appeal. Things are constantly changing in the online gameplay so they will keep you guessing. Make sure you have a headset if you plan on playing the game online though because without it you miss out on alot of the strategizing with teammates. For 49.99, SOCOM 3 will be your best gaming purchase of the year.
