SOCOM II
Sir, yes, sir! Sign us up for another tour of duty!
by Susie Vee

PLATFORM: PS2

PUBLISHER: SCEA

DEVELOPER: Zipper

GENRE: Online FPS

ESRB: Mature

The original Socom was one of the first games to take advantage of the then-new concept of online broadband play in the console arena. Even better, it wasn’t a Quake-style shoot-em-up, it was a tactical military squad game, that required quiet concentration and quick thinking to play (at least in theory).

We liked Socom a lot, but we had quibbles about the preponderance of teens online (this was a M-rated game after all) and the somewhat lo-res feel of the whole thing – making it hard to tell friend from foe at a distance.

But the technology, particularly the real-time voice communication via USB headset, worked like a charm and ushered in a new era of online gaming.

Now, the inevitable sequel, Socom II, is here and we’re pleased to say that it’s a strong update top the formula.

The single-player game gets a more in-depth treatment this time around, rather than just being a glorified tutorial for online play. The new game again follows your team of four US Navy SEALs, as they take on numerous bad guys around the globe.

The voice-activated commands in the original game were touch-and-go at best. This time around, you’ll be able to communicate with your AI teammates much more effectively, and for a change, their AI is actually not dumb as a box of rocks.

Multiplayer games tend to devolve into fragfests, unless you’re careful about who you play with. Clans are a big presence online, so the gameplay can be a bit cliquish. The maps are plenty large for the 16-player matches, and finding and connection to a game is usually trouble-free.

We generally like military games, if they include the tactical combat and theatrical trapping of a good war movie. But, we also know that it’s one of the most male-specific genres out there, with very little room for women characters.

But if you can deal with the macho posturing that comes with playing a game about Navy SEALs, you’ll find that (much like the original was) Socom II is clearly the PS2’s top current example of online gaming.