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| | Title:
Socom 3: U.S. Navy Seals
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System:
Playstation 2
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Genre:
Shooter
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Publisher:
Sony
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Developer:
Zipper Interactive
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Release:
October 11, 2005
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
M
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Socom is to the Playstation what Halo 2 is to the Xbox; that one killer game with an online component that sends it into the ranks of the few truly good games. Socom II was the first in the Socom series to introduce online play for the Playstation 2. Even more amazing is that the online community for Socom II is still going very strong, even after almost two years on the market. This could be attributed to the fact that there aren’t that many PS2 titles with an online component, or the fact that Socom II is just really fun to play against other people. Either way the reports of a new Socom game, Socom III, is great news, especially when accompanying it is the promise to fix all the problems of the previous Socom titles while at the same time giving fans of the series what they finally have been asking for.
No story elements of Socom III’s single player portion have been released. What we do know though is that Specter will once again be an integral part of the SEAL team. This speculation comes from the constant appearance of Specter in the all of the Socom III single player screenshots we’ve found. The story will probably follow suit of the other two. The player will take control of a SEAL team and perform in missions to rid the globe of terrorists.
The weakest part of Socom and Socom II was the A.I., for both the enemies and your SEAL team. They just weren’t that smart. At times they would run blindly in the open straight into the line of fire of an enemy, get stuck on walls, let enemies sneak up behind them, the list can go on and on. Socom II fixed some of these problems, especially with the SEAL team. Now it’s Socom III’s turn at fixing this ever-present problem and, so far, it looks like it’s doing a very good job. One trailer released portrayed that enemies not only hide effectively, but also fire their guns without exposing a lot of their body; they seem to understand how to use cover. Furthermore, other trailers have shown the enemies using more effective tactics on your SEAL team. It’s hopefully going to result in a much more intense experience. But just because the terrorists are smarter, doesn’t mean the SEALs are left out of the loop. The developers have promised that the SEALs will get smarter yet again. No real examples have been given of how much smarter, but we can only assume that the dumb moments are completely removed (hopefully).
There have been some graphical tweaks that will help the player as he hunts and destroys the terrorists. The first of is a much larger graphical display (red ring) when the player is being fired at and from what direction. In previous Socoms, the red ring was small and, during hectic moments in the game, really didn’t help the player distinguish which person was firing and from where. Well, luckily, the developers of Socom III found this to be a hard fact and have now made the graphic very large. It’s not as bright as the previous, but is much easier to see and doesn’t look to get in the way of gameplay. Also, the graphics of the entire game in general are much better. Not only are they clearer, but also more colorful and allow a good amount of draw distance. This is always a good thing especially for snipers. It allows players not to be ambushed and instead be the ambushers. Visual representation of which gun the player is currently holding, ammo count, and the physical condition of all the SEAL members has never been clearer. The SEAL team’s name are in bold white letters that take up the lower right portion of the screen, and have easy-to-read health indicators accompanying them.
Probably the most publicized aspect of Socom III is the fact that the game is finally including vehicles into its gameplay bag 'o tricks. Vehicles in Socom is something the fans have been begging for since the original was released. Even though it’s a Halo rip-off, the developers are making sure that the vehicles are done as realistically and as fun as possible. The list is short at the moment but there are probably many variations of the vehicles listed and possibly more in the works. Current confirmed vehicles are Humvees, tanks, boats, and very terrorist-looking civilian trucks and cars (think Black Hawk Down). These vehicles will included in both the single and multiplayer games. Thanks to the improved A.I. in the single player, the SEAL teams, as well as the terrorists, look to have no problem interacting with the vehicles. This is a good thing since Humvees can seat more than one. The vehicles look great; each equipped with the correct weaponry and, thanks to the visual improvement of Socom III, don’t look ugly. Because vehicles are being included and the multiplayer count now being increased to 32 (take that Halo 2), the maps are not only much wider but catered to vehicles. Whether or not there will be some vehicle-absent multiplayer maps is unknown but it can only be assumed that there will be.
Socom III is finally giving fans what they want: vehicles. In addition, the developers of Socom III are also making sure every other aspect of their game matches the amount of attention the vehicles have been given. It’s no wonder PS2 fans are in a frenzy to get a hold of this game. If Somcom II is any indication, this game is going to take off and become a worthy successor to the series.
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