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SOCOM: US Navy Seals Review
TVG Staff
19/06/2003
There may only be a handful of online PS2 titles, however everyone should check this one out...
The Playstation Network Adaptor finally found its way to the UK last week, along with a rather subdued line-up consisting of SOCOM: US Navy Seals and Twisted Metal Black: Online. Both games have seen releases in the US a long time ago, so can these games really convince online-sceptical UK gamers to check it out.
Unlike Twisted Metal Black: Online, SOCOM: US Navy Seals is a fully functioning and decent single-player title in its own right, which makes novel use of the headset communicator bundled with the title. Players assume the role of an elite commander of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM), and have to control a group of crack SEAL troops in a fight against terrorism over 12 different locations.
Before the action fans quickly click away, SOCOM actually manages to gain a perfect balance between arcade accessibility and the tactical depth that is a usual trademark of this genre. Thankfully anyone can pick up the pad and play, not having to worry about setting up complicated waypoint navigation paths before the game and ensuring youāve got the best men for the job and the weapons to carry it out.
Youāll start every mission with the same group of four characters, which is split into two pairs; you and your partner become one team, whilst the other pair becomes Bravo team. Your partner will automatically follow and do what you do; however keeping him alive is often crucial as he acts as your translator from which you can learn valuable Intel from any nearby troops that havenāt spotted you ā“ a very neat idea.
Using a default third-person perspective, players can instantly switch to a first-person perspective by tapping UP on the d-pad, whilst a further press allows you to access a gun scope or binoculars/night vision goggles if youāve got them in your inventory. Although only a little touch, this seamless switching allows you to easily change between views, which becomes essential for progress within the game and a sign of the occasional touches of genius that frequent this game.
Virtually every button on the DualShock 2 controller is used to good effect; the analogue sticks are used to control traditional move and camera aiming, whilst the face buttons allow you to jump, context sensitive actions, speak and switch between a variety of stances. The shoulder buttons allow you to easily shoot and switch between two different weapons, whilst the others allow you to select items from your full inventory.
A wide range of context-sensitive actions is available, from butting an unsuspecting victim with your gun to slitting his throat, from picking up important documents to sliding down ladders. These little touches help to impress and heighten the sense of immersion, whilst little aspects such as being able to easily duck to the left or right by tapping the corresponding d-pad direction make SOCOM controls a dream to play with and help to create an extremely enthralling experience.
Whilst a lot has been made of the online aspects, which weāll come to later, the first thing that will strike you is the USB headset that is bundled with the game. Thanks to some rather impressive speech recognition software, players can control the remaining members of the squad with a wide range of vocal commands on offer. Playing with the headset really upās the immersion levels, as youāll use the headset to communicate with your troops and also hear from them. Trying to listen to comments about enemy locations and other aspects whilst listening to the ambient environment sound effects through the TV really helps to draw the player into the game, and creates an immersive experience thatās virtually second to none.
When using the headset offline in the single-player mode, commands are given using three essential commands ā“ who, what and where. Using different combinations of these you can ask your team-mates to carry out a wide range of manoeuvres, from clearing out a room to providing covering fire. Those who lack the confidence to sit in a room and look like theyāre talking to themselves, can activate all the commands on-screen by simply tapping the speak button to bring up a list of menus to choose from. Playing online allows you to communicate with other human beings, much in the same way as Xbox Live!
We had no problems activating commands and speaking over the headset, and must admit to being impressed by how well it worked and how much it adds to the experience.
The 12 different missions in the games single-player have all been brilliantly designed and are extremely enjoyable to play through. Each mission usually consists of around three main objectives; but with a wide selection of secondary objectives the game takes on an almost open-ended approach as you can quite happily go about the mission in whichever way you decide - screwing up secondary objectives doesnāt necessarily mean youāre going to screw up the entire mission. This approach makes every single mission a joy to play and lets the player truly feel as if s/he is in complete control and not being dragged through the game by the computer.
The game presents a fantastic learning curve, which alerts you to things that you should be aware of, whilst constantly teaching you new tricks throughout the whole of the game. By the end youāll find yourself amazed by everything that is possible within the game, as it seems as though Zipper have thought of everything.
Unfortunately there are a few negative points; for starters both team-mate and enemy AI appears to be patchy as best; at times youāll be amazed as a perfectly thought out plan comes to fruition, however youāll stare blankly when a team-mate stands in the blast radius of a grenade, after heās just been ordered to clear out a room. On numerous occasions weāve noted shooting enemy troops and watching in amazement as nearby troops continue to stand by as if nothing is happening.
Strangely some enemy troops have a habit of disappearing after youāve killed them, whilst others will lie there and need to be moved in case they get spotted.
On the whole we have to say that these aspects donāt really affect the game in any massive way, it just helps you to remember itās all just a game at the end of the day.
Visually the game is a mixed bag, certainly your character model and those of your team-mates look spectacular, with crisp and detailed textures that depict such little touches as camouflage on your face, whilst the polygon count is impressive allowing you to see such small details as belt loops and creases on your clothes. Unfortunately the game engine looks to suffer when it comes to draw-distance, as virtually every level features some extreme fogging to hide the pop-up. Usually the developers have cunningly hidden this behind a reason, such as the extreme weather that hinders your progress on an oilrig. Once again itās not a massive complaint, however weāre hoping the guys have got it sorted for SOCOM 2. Other little nuances that chip away at the reality stakes, include some funny death animations and also poor clipping in general ā“ youāll notice your feet popping through the ground and limbs sticking out of buildings on numerous occasions.
Thankfully the online aspect provides as much entertainment as the single-player mode. Simply selecting āOnlineā from the main menu, takes you to a lobby, where you can read the latest news on SOCOM, change preferences and impressively form clans and manage them properly.
The game offers 10 multiplayer maps, which can host between 2-16 players. Each map is based on one of the games multiplayer modes: Demolition ā“ destroy the other teams base with explosives; Suppression ā“ Team deathmatch; Extraction ā“ Rescue a certain amount of hostages.
We would have perhaps liked to have seen a few more options and modes presented to the player, but have to say that everything else impressed us ā“ the game suffered from very little lag and gave a solid experience, whilst the lobby structure offered everything you could possibly want and the headset really works well.
Anonymous
Date Added:Sun 30th Sep 2007 16:33