'SOCOM 3Guns, more guns and not much else
PlayStation 2's newest shooter is fine venue for blasting
friends with array of weapons in multiplayer mode
BY ANDREW MCCOLLUM
PULSE REPORTER
Playing a shooter with the
PlayStation 2's DualShock 2 con
troller is like playing a game of ten
nis with a badminton racket. In a
pinch it will work, but it's awkward
and ultimately ineffective. This, com
bined with the PS2's relatively weak
graphics capability, has made the
PS2 a fairly poor console choice for
fans of the genre. However, one
shooter game has proved to be very
successful on the PS2: Sony's S0
COM series.
The SOCOM series has one of the
most rabid fan bases in gaming. The
series is one of the PS2's most
played online titles and was the main
reason to buy a network adapter for
the PS2. "SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy
SEALs," the newest game in the se
ries, is sure to please fans but won't
sway anyone who didn't play the
first two games.
The keyword in "SOCOM 3" is
more. Zipper Interactive, the game's
developer, hasn't made any major
changes to SOCOM's game play, in
stead opting to add a variety of new
game-play elements.
One major addition to the game is
the introduction of vehicles. Players
are able to pilot both land and air ve
hicles ranging from gunboats to
tanks. The game's vehicles are fun to
drive and easy to handle. Vehicles
are a welcome addition to the series
and prove necessary when travers
ing the game's massive environ
ments in both the single player and
multiplayer modes.
The single-player campaign is de
cent, but the game's shoddy artificial
intelligence can get frustrating. Too
often, players will find one of their
squad mates sitting while the rest of
the squad is engaged in a firefight.
Sometimes squad mates will quit fol
lowing orders and the only solution
is to restart from the last checkpoint
and hope that the Al doesn'tfall into
the same glitch.
But the SOCOM series has never
been about the single-player experi
ence. The third installment's multi
player mode supports a whopping 32
players in a single game. The multi
player maps are huge and the
game's multiplayer modes include
all the standard shooter fare, with a
couple of atypical modes.
The coolest feature of "SOCOM 3"
is its weapon customization options.
The game sports 31 different
weapons and 21 weapon attach
ments. The attachments include
scopes, grenade launchers, tripods
and more. Each weapon and attach
ment has a weight, and a player's
weight affects how quickly he or she
moves. The weapon customization is
a great feature, and I would love to
see other shooters adopt it.
Graphically, the game is murky
and weak.
Fans of the SOCOM series should
love "SOCOM 3." I am not a huge fan
of the series. For me, the PS2's poor
graphics and annoying controller
make the game unplayable. But if
you're looking for a good PS2 shoot
er, "SOCOM 3" may be your best
choice. However, I wouldn't recom
mend buying it if you don't intend to
play it online.
amccollum@dailyemerald.com
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