SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals

For more than a year now, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs has been touted as one of the premiere PlayStation 2 titles.  With stellar online multiplayer features, SOCOM looked to be the #1 reason to own a Network Adaptor.  Now the wait is finally over and SOCOM is here and ready to be enjoyed.  Is it everything I hoped it be?  Yes it is -- and a whole lot more.

Prior to playing the final version of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, I didn't know much about its communication headset.  I just assumed that it was created for online play -- so that you could chat with your friends and coordinate a good attack strategy (or yell, "Abort, abort!" if the enemy discovers your plans).  But I was wrong.  The SOCOM headset is actually one of the key gameplay features of the single-player mode.  As revealed in the demo released earlier this year, a large number of commands can be issued to your computer-controlled teammates.  What the demo didn't reveal is that all of those commands can be spoken!  For the first time on PlayStation 2, you can tell a game what to do and it will do it.

The game's voice recognition is not always perfect, but I found that speaking as clearly as possible ensured that the game would respond 99% of the time.  What about the other 1%?  Well, this is new technology.  You can't expect it to be perfect -- this is, after all, a video game, not a human being who has been deciphering incorrect English for many years.  Amazingly, the game responded when I pronounced one word incorrectly.  I accidentally said "statchel" instead of "satchel," but my teammate still did what he was told.  Perfect or not, I was really impressed by the headset.

SOCOM has several familiar spy elements.  Killed terrorists stand out like a sore thumb, so you can pick them up and drop them off in a less visible place (a la Metal Gear Solid 2).  If you're spotted by an enemy and you don't kill him quickly, he'll call for backup or, worse yet, sound an alarm!  (Believe me, you don't want that to happen.)  The faster you run, the louder your footsteps will be, alerting nearby enemies of your presence.

Then there are several new spy elements, some of which I've never seen in a console game before.  First off, one shot kills all.  You do not have a health meter in this game!  If you get shot in the head, you're dead, period.  Your enemies will die just as quickly, but it's best to pump a few shots into each terrorist to ensure that they stay down.

At certain points in the game, you'll need to take an enemy hostage.  The enemy must stay alive, and he must be conscious.  When captured, you can put him in restraints, and if he values his life, he'll respond to your commands (either "Follow!" or "Hold position").

SOCOM also has great sneaking precision.  In Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2, you had two degrees of movement -- walking or running.  In SOCOM, you can walk or run at various paces just by lightly pushing the left analog stick.  This makes the controls feel so much smoother.

Taking a cue from many first-person shooters, the left and right analog stick work together for superb aiming abilities.  The left analog stick moves you forward and backwards, left and right; while the right stick controls your gun's crosshairs, which can be moved in virtually every direction.  First and third-person views are available, and can be switched at any time by pressing up and down on the directional pad.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs will make you want broadband Internet access!  I don't have it, so I can't play the game online, but I am already salivating over the game's incredible online features.  Up to 16 people can play simultaneously, making it the biggest online PS2 game released thus far.  There are three online game modes: Suppression (deathmatch), Extraction (save hostages from the terrorists) and Demolition (similar to Capture the Flag, only with bombs).  In Demolition, you must find a bomb within the environment and plant it on enemy territory.  If the bomb is found before it goes off, the enemy can defuse it, so you must stand guard and make sure that that does not happen.

While playing the game online, the SOCOM headset becomes a useful communication tool for you and your teammates.  Only your members of your team can hear what you are saying, so you can't personally taunt your enemies before hunting them down!  However, there are some character-based communication functions that you can select, one of which is a random taunt that your enemies will hear.

There's even a designated "Dead" channel so that those who are killed can speak with other dead players!  One can only imagine what kind of things they might say...  "So, you're dead?"  "Yep, got shot while hiding behind a tree."  "Me too.  You know, trees don't really camouflage you as much as they say..."  "Tell me bout it!"

Whether you have broadband Internet access or not, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs is a must-have game.  As I said before, I can't play this game online and yet I am still loving it.  And if you do have broadband access, then what are you waiting for?  Don't wait, buy SOCOM now!

Gameplay: 9.4
I just have two things to say: SOCOM rules!  The gameplay, the music and the graphics are all top-notch.  If this game doesn't entertain you for hours, nothing will.

Graphics: 9 
SOCOM's graphics are almost as good as Metal Gear Solid 2.  The thing that stands out most is the characters, which are very, very detailed.

Sound: 9.4
The music and sound effects are great, and the SOCOM headset is crystal clear (in the single-player mode, at least -- Internet connection speeds, as well as the ISP itself, could interfere with the headset's communication and prevent you from chatting online altogether).

Difficulty:  Hard
One wrong move and the mission could be over!  The game can only be saved at the end of each mission, so if you die, you must start that mission all over again.

Concept: 9.5
There are a number of new and unique concepts demonstrated in SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, but it's the execution -- which is nearly flawless -- that makes them stand out from the crowd.

Multiplayer: 9.4
I can't say for certain that the multiplayer mode is great, since I don't have broadband Internet access.  But with a single-player mode as good as this, how could the multiplayer mode be any less impressive?  SOCOM has been touted by Sony as "THE" Internet multiplayer game.  They've said very, very little about the single-player missions, which turned out to be excellent.  Obviously that is only half the fun.  If my assumption is not good enough for you, rent the game and see for yourself.

Overall: 9.4
SOCOM's gameplay is so good, and the headset is so useful that it actually justifies the game's higher price tag.