Game Critique- SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs (PlayStation 2) SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs is a third person shooter videogame for PlayStation 2. It is the third game in the franchise and was released on October 11, 2005. Since I enjoyed the first two SOCOM games so much, I also decided to try SOCOM 3. It ended up being one of my favorite games on PlayStation 2 for multiple reasons. Both the single and multiplayer modes were upgraded and besides the lackluster graphics, the gameplay was solid for its generation. SOCOM 3 also made me a fan of military shooter games and the first person shooters today. Apparently, many other people felt the same way due to the fact that Sony named it one of its “Greatest Hits” by 2006 (Colayco, 2005).
Sony Computer Entertainment and Zipper Interactive are the two primary companies responsible for the production of SOCOM 3. The game was developed by Zipper Interactive and produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, who is the parent company of Zipper. Both companies also consulted with the Naval Special Warfare Command, showing the realness of the game’s overall design (Colayco, 2005). Each company had numerous production teams, including an executive production team, art teams, design teams, and software teams. After the campaign is completed, the credits on the screen roll about three and a half minutes. The job titles that were listed included senior producers, associate producers, software engineers, and multiple art designers. By the end of the credits there were about 300 names listed, not to mention the numerous companies that were involved in the production of the game. For those reasons, I believe that it required approximately 1,000 people to develop and produce SOCOM 3 ("SOCOM 3: credits," 2008). Sony first released SOCOM in 2002 for PlayStation 2 and ever since, the franchise has remained exclusive to PlayStation. The targeted audience for the game is a mature one due to the violence and online play. In 2005, when SOCOM 3 was released, graphics and gameplay were not nearly as good as they are now in military shooters. Nevertheless, SOCOM’s main weakness has always been the overall design and graphics. In SOCOM 3, both the avatars and map environments could look sharper and more detailed similar to Battlefield 2 (BF2). On the other hand, I liked SOCOM 3’s gameplay more because even advanced controls weren’t very complicated. For example, giving your squad orders is as easy as pressing the R2 button and using the joystick to highlight the order you want to be done. The control is easy and keeps the flow of the game. There are many different commands your squad will follow, including breaching a room, attacking a position, and deploying equipment. The game even allows you to separate you squad and give individual orders just as easily (Martin, 2006).
One of the best features of SOCOM 3 is the ability to equip your avatar with a wide array of weapons and extras. Before the start of each single or multiplayer mission, you can choose from many primary guns such as shotguns, sniper rifles, and assault rifles. Additionally, there are numerous attachments that are available for them, including various scopes, lasers, thermal sights, and bipods. These add-ons have a noticeable effect on weapon power, accuracy, and range to fit your playing style. However, having too many add-ons weighs the character down, which is an example of the game’s realistic features. There are also a number of secondary weapons like rocket launchers, pistols, and various grenades (Colayco, 2005). With over 30 primary weapons and a total of 950 weapon configurations, SOCOM 3 certainly has a weapon kit that suits you ("SOCOM 3,"). Having the ability to customize each of your squad’s weapon layouts is another major positive feature of SOCOM 3. Therefore, if you want to have some kind of equipment for a mission but your avatar can’t hold it, then you can have one of you squad members equipped with it. This is where the mission briefing also proves to be another constructive element of the game because it tells you what type of combat to expect. The game is very good at describing and showing the next mission through pictures and video. As a result, the player can decide between a scope, silencer, and other options that will give you an advantage (SOCOM 3:U.S. Navy Seals, 2005).
Other positive aspects of SOCOM 3, is the feedback the game gives to the player. For example, when you shoot an enemy blood sprays from bullet hit. Characters animate well when they are moving and shooting. The game is also better at being able to use the scopes to zoom in on distant targets than previous SOCOM games. The game also has a good balance of game videos and briefings. I think both of these computer controlled aspects of the game allow for a better story and battle portrayal. One of the only complaints that I would have about the campaign is that it is not very long. Although there are only a few levels, the game offers 5 different difficulty levels, which can change how a level is played. The third person perspective makes it more difficult than first person shooters to aim at enemy targets. However, aiming becomes easier when you aim down the scope of the gun because it becomes more like a first person point of view. The third person perspective also allows you to see the environment around you better than first person shooters. (SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs, 2005).
The plot of the campaign revolves around Specter, the team leader in the U.S. Navy Seals. There are 12 single player missions, with new maps that are up to five times as large as past maps. In the North Africa campaign, Specter’s “Fireteam” consists of "Jester, Killjoy, and Simple". The SEAL team battles the North African Patriotic Front (NAPF) headed by General Mahmood. The NAPF launches an offensive and the SEALs are able to locate and capture Mahmood successfully ("SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals").
"Killjoy" and "Simple" are replaced by "Flash" and "Chopper" in the South Asian missions. In this part of the campaign, you battle a piracy organization called "The Fist and Fire". In the last mission, the team enters the Raiders' headquarters in search of their leader, Hari Raman and his missles. The team finds a small cave system, and is able to secure Raman, the hostages, and the missiles. The last missions take place in Poland, where the team battles a communist terror organization, called the New Slavic Order (NSO). In these missions "Flash" and "Chopper" are replaced by "Deadpan" and "Coldkill" ("Welcome to the," 2005). With all of these missions as I mentioned before, the myriad of customization and strategic control of your squad are unique features to the SOCOM series and were second to none at the time ("SOCOM 3,").
As you can see from the campaign, there is a resemblance with the real world and the war on terror. There can certainly be a parallel drawn between the hunt for Saddam Hussein and the team’s hunt for nuclear weapons and enemy leaders. The objectives from the missions most revolve around trying to find weapons and rescue hostages from either communists or terrorists. This game could have been said to draw attention to the war in the Middle East and possibly even promote it. However, I think that the game really raises awareness of the war and reveals some interesting real military strategy and technology.
Online matches have been upgraded to facilitate up to 32 players, which is double the capacity of previous SOCOM games. Multiple forms of communication can be used to coordinate with friends and teammates for truly strategic gameplay. With larger maps, the extra players create a perfect environment for battle. Another interesting feature of multiplayer mode is the day and night versions of the maps. As a result, your strategy could completely change depending on whether it was day or night. I like how this feature adds variety to the same map. A couple of new game modes have been added in SOCOM 3, including convoy, which requires the SEAL team to load and sneak some cargo trucks past the enemy team. Other game modes include Breach, Demolition, Suppression, Extraction, and Control ("SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals"). All of which, have different twists and objectives that keep multiplayer mode appealing. The incorporation of fun and easy to drive combat vehicles in my opinion, made this game one of the first decent overall military shooters that I have played on a console. For instance, the ability to swap seats in a vehicle was another little feature that I really liked about the game because it made operating a vehicle much easier (SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs, 2005).
In conclusion, SOCOM 3 along with its predecessors is a good shooter that had many new positive features for its generation. Both the single player campaign and multiplayer modes have been upgraded in multiple ways. The customization and multiple new features positively add to the overall gameplay of SOCOM 3. The new vehicles and huge multiplayer maps also contribute to the overall gameplay greatly. As shown by the production credits, many people worked on SOCOM 3. Considering the game was released in 2005, the overall smoothness of gameplay was very good, but graphics were not as good as other military shooters. Today, they continue to release new games in the SOCOM series that have many aspects traced back to SOCOM 3. SOCOM 3 along with the previous games in the series has never disappointed me, and for that reason, I believe it truly is one of Sony’s greatest hits

Bibliography
Colayco, B. (2005, October 12). SOCOM 3: U.S. navy seals. Retrieved from http://www.gamespot.com/socom-3-u-s-navy-seals/reviews/socom-3-us-navy-seals-review-6135605/
Battlefield 2. (2005.) [PlayStation 2]. Redwood City, CA: Electronic Arts.
Martin, M. (2006, June 3). SOCOM 3: U.S. navy seals review. Retrieved from http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_socom3_ps2
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. (2002.) [PlayStation 2]. Tokyo, Japan: Sony Computer Entertainment.
SOCOM 3. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.socom.com/en-us/Franchise/PS2/SOCOM3
SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs. (n.d). Retrieved from http://guides.ign.com/guides/731572/page_4.html SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs. (2005.) [PlayStation 2]. Tokyo, Japan: Sony Computer Entertainment..
SOCOM 3 credits [Web]. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m1mEkVm5U_M
Welcome to the SOCOM blog. (2005, July 19). Retrieved from http://socomblog.typepad.com/socom/2005/07/welcome_to_the_.html