SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault

Socom has long been the ‘killer app’ for Sony’s PlayStation Network, and although that may change with the recent arrival of the PS3, Socom is back on PlayStation 2 with Socom: US Navy Seals Combined Assault.

Sony has been touting Socom: US Navy Seals Combined Assault as the closest thing a player can get to being a Navy Seal. Indeed, up to four players can play cooperatively over the PlayStation Network, which may make it feel like you’re part of a squad of Navy Seals. The question is, how far can they take the realism? This is the seven-year-old PlayStation 2, not exactly as cutting-edge as next generation systems. If it were a PlayStation 3 title, it could be more realistic visually and make use of the Sixaxis.

As for what new things Sony has planned for this addition to the series, players will take control of the most feared Special Forces team ever conceived and fight in rural and urban battlefields. New, non-lethal, weapons that can be used to flush enemies out include the tear gas, pepper spray and concussion ordinance.

Enemy AI will be smarter and there will be more vehicles and weapons for campaign mode - all standard things to expand in a tactical shooter series. However, the key feature making this worth a look is the four-player online cooperative mode. Now instead of bugging four of their local friends to get together for a cooperative game, players will be able to get friends on their PlayStation Network friend lists to play online with full chat functionality, making it easier to organize and lob insults.

Over the course of the game players will have to change strategies to suit the different mission environments and enemies’ tactics. Deathmatch fans won’t be missing out either, with up to 32 players able to go at it simultaneously. Multiplayer gaming features big here: even the single player maps will double as multiplayer ones for online games.

Ultimately, fans know what to expect from this series: tough tactical missions and great online multiplayer, which has made it the online game of choice for many PlayStation Network gamers for years.