Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs

Written by Chris Reiter on June 05, 2003

First Impressions: Be secretive. Be silent. Be SOCOM.

Last summer was big for PlayStation 2 owners...HUGE, actually. It felt like forever, but Sony had finally delivered on the Network Adapter that had been promised from the system's beginning. It wasn't that you couldn't connect online with the system before then (as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 released the previous year as the first official stateside online title for the console), but the Network Adapter and one major action release sealed the deal that Sony had certified hardware to take you beyond your own TV and into others. That so called action release's name: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. And with SOCOM marked up as the best of what Sony's online system has to offer, Sony plans on doing it all over again this year with the upcoming sequel, SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs.

As long as there are terrorists willing to do bad things to good people in the world, America's Navy SEALs will be there ready to take them out if needed. SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs is your story soldier. You take control of a SEALs commander. You tell your troops what to do, where to go, and how to do their job through the specified areas in jungle, forests, deserts, and now urban terrain. Their ass is your tool for the wiping -- the wiping out part, anyway. Now, prepare to fire one in the hole, and blow everyone to smithereens!

A strategic, realistic, squad based shooter like no other is what SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs is and what its successor soon will be. Like before, in SOCOM II you'll end up with a four-man team to take care of business. Why? It's much easier to get fewer people in and out of tight spots rather than an army. But don't worry, these SEALs are pros at what they do -- and if you join them, as will you. With access to these four lifelike G.I. Joe figures though, there's a lot you can accomplish. Generally the game will play like this: you're the head honcho in charge of three other SEALs, and you're out to kill terrorists, or rescue hostages, or even diffuse or set demolition charges to get through the most intensifying situations. The trick however is the game will once again play with each mission's area structure to allow for safe and quiet sneak attacks. Using shadows, silence, and objects, you and your team will be able to suppress multiple enemies from exploiting the commands you lay out on the table.

Packaged in with the original SOCOM was a headset (if you didn't prefer manually pushing buttons on the controller) that would allow players to converse with the computer by issuing a selection of orders like to scout ahead to certain points in the level, open fire on anything that moves, or unlock a doorway to toss a handful of grenades inside. These same options will be available in the sequel, in addition to new ones. Some of these additions will arrive in the form of a "secret command" as it's known, since the first SOCOM had a number of orders you could shout out that weren't listed in the game's on screen menu. But possibly the coolest improvement will be that you can now tell your brothers in arms to snipe from afar -- something that only you could approach in the first. Real life locations were also a natural inclusion in the process of defeating bad guys. This time, the game will send you packing through 12 offline missions in Russia, Brazil, Albania, and Algeria territories. Where the first release delved into forest, desert, jungle, and snow locales, the second will add on urban terrain, minus the brush of snow.

Hosting a larger range of weapons seems to be another goal Zipper is after. As item types like silenced pistols or automatics were featured in SOCOM's startup, SOCOM II will hand out the heavy hitters such as RPGs, remote detonators, mines, shotguns, and the LAW (Light Armored Weapons) are just some of the names you'll have to choose from for battle ready mode. Another area this enhanced sequel will reach is the ability to operate different vehicle and machinery types. While it's still under wraps as to what types of vehicle or machinery devices there will be in the game, one could probably imagine patrolling an area while inside a military jeep with a turret posted on the backside, Halo style.

In a world where SOCOM's sequel is without its online touchups is a very cruel one at that. This is why Zipper's doing everything in their power to introduce more and better experiences while pieced through other halves of the world. It's a constant factor that you'll find cheaters amidst populating many of today's online games. For SOCOM II, Zipper intends to remedy the problem with their own "eyes only" method of hushing up those hapless hackers. Once again, SOCOM II will only be accessible to up to 16 per session online enabled players who have the privilege of running a connection via Broadband. And with unique to the franchise modes like VIP escort and Breach (which speculation on both subjects would point to protecting important persons through perilous engagements and infiltrating enemy strongholds), the online plan seems to be progressing along nicely.

Graphics were never the best part of SOCOM -- so Zipper has decided to splash a new coat of paint over the embodiment of the second. Projecting a scale of larger areas to uncover and fancier texture, authentic character, and stunning lighting designs will be a few of the keys that will end up running SOCOM II's engine. Reflective possibilities will worm their way into the game too, where by peering down upon a stream the character can mirror the character right back. Certain levels will also tune into channels of weather conditions and time of day coordination: all making for a much closer touch on reality.