SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs

Written by Matt Swider  on May 31, 2007

Review: Featuring vehicle punishment to run over your УspecialФ forces squad members who don't listen to your commands.

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SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs appears on PS2 for another tour of duty that is improved graphically and expanded in size to surpass the series' previous two outings. As Sony's flagship tactical shooter, SOCOM has become especially popular online where this third installment continues to impress with bigger maps, drivable vehicles and more players. Additionally, its beefed-up single player is marginally enhanced thanks to similar tweaks. SOCOM 3 isn't a flawless mission, namely because of frustrating AI on both sides of the firefights and an online credit card requirement that's anything but cheater-proof. However, it's enough of an elite update to be worthy of every virtual Navy SEAL fan.

The fourteen missions of SOCOM 3 send you to three different parts of the world: North Africa, Southeast Asia and Poland. Interestingly, Bangladesh was originally the second location instead of Southeast Asia. But because the coup-happy government there didn't want to be known as a bastion of terrorism, it's vaguer now. Poland didn't mind, though. The standout storyline is North Africa, where General Heydar Mahmood is invading the nation of Morocco. He's basically the Saddam Hussein of Africa, from his defiance of the coalition to his extravagant plans for a giant statue. It turns out he's even got his very own hidey-hole.

All three fronts look good, particularly if you have a high-definition set and turn on 480p within the options menu. Even though the textures aren't stunning in this superior mode or the standard display mode, the size of the maps is a real sight to see, not the polygon count. The large levels are filled with sprawling buildings and guard towers that are usually filled with terrorists before you enter and subsequently smoke and ash when you exit. Explosions and sandstorms add to the desert, swamp and countryside atmospheres. Water is an all-new up close and personal experience in SOCOM 3 because the game features the ability to swim for the first time.

Submerging in water is a great way to stay stealthy while approaching an enemy on the banks. But most of your water experience is in a high-powered, highly-noticeable watercraft. It's one of the many vehicles premiering in this game. You also have the chance to drive Humvees, jeeps and trucks to get through the expanded levels. Also compensating for the large maps, SOCOM 3 uses nav points and checkpoints. While the nav points provide direction on where to go, they can make level navigation feel like a series of follow the dots on the map exercises. However, this is a much better solution than frustratingly wandering back and forth through the expanded territory.



Trekking back and forth happens enough for other reasons. Sometimes it's because a lone gunman fell asleep at the bottom slope of a hill and the game waits for you to find him before sending the next wave of enemies. Other times, your squad decides to stay behind instead of listening to your orders no matter how many times you use the circle button commands. It's usually because as you move forward, they try to catch up by running in your direction whether or not there's a wall in the way. You just know they aren't going to be able to jump off ledges or climb ladders as fast as you, so you either have to wait around or find another way to move on. Adding to your team's inabilities, they don't provide much cover fire and never lead a fight. Sometimes I wonder if it's not better to leave them running face first into that wall.

Virtual SEAL vets who think that the saving, resupplying and healing checkpoints make this game too easy can pick from five difficulty levels in the campaign. There are also the secondary objectives, unlockables and all-new PSP Crosstalk objectives using the handheld and a copy of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo. Be that as it may, once most players restore basic order to Africa, Asia and Poland, they'll probably end up going online next if they didn't exercise that option right away.

Experienced SOCOM players won't have trouble jumping right into the online action. Most of the mission types haven't changed. There's Breach, Demolition, Suppression, Escort and Extraction. New modes Control and Convoy have easy to understand objectives of placing beacons and destroying/protecting cargo. The big change is that to fill the larger maps, multiplayer has been extended to 32 players, up from the 16 in SOCOM and SOCOM II. As long as you have a broadband connection and a credit card for online account verification, you can join a platoon of 16 SEALs or a gang of the same number of terrorists. It's a shame that the hassle of registering with a credit card didn't do much to stop the hackers, glitchers or twelve year olds.

The maps are playable with most match types, with vehicles and in the day or night, which really switches up your strategy. What you can get away with stealthily in the dark may not be doable in the light and the same applies to your opponents. Despite the dozen maps included in SOCOM 3, select maps from the previous game should've been included from the beginning. Three (After Hours, Last Battalion and Liberation) from SOCOM II have released for $5.99 in downloadable form and another map pack of four (Desert Glory, Abandoned, Blizzard and Blood Lake) from the first SOCOM are set to deploy later on. However, I'm still waiting for the always-fun Frostfire level to make its way to my hard drive whenever Zipper finishes that map pack and hopefully moves on to a map pack #3.