SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs (PS2)

by Bernard Dy

Article Type: Review
Article Date: January 30, 2003

Product Info

Product Name: SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs
Platform: Sony PS2
Category: Action / Shooter
Developer: Zipper Interactive
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: October 2002
Multiplayer: Up to 16 players
Files & Links: Click Here




Consoles: Formidable Contestants
Combat simulations on the PC are usually more realistic and more convincing than their console counterparts, which classically have been inferior in either scope or graphics. If you haven't been hiding under a rock for the last several years, however, then you know the consoles have been able to keep pace with the PC in the graphics area, even alternating the lead in things like polygon counts. The PC's modularity allows it to catch up through rapidly improving video cards, but the consoles deserve some credit for using their lower hardware price points, huge software libraries, and pointed marketing efforts to achieve acceptance in places and ways that the PC still hasn't.

As with the PC, the consoles' increasing power permitted game developers to create increasingly realistic graphics and gameplay. Certain games, like complex vehicle simulations and historical wargames, still fare better on the PC, but despite the lack of keyboard and mouse, newer consoles are proving they can be formidable contestants in categories where years ago no one thought they could surpass the PC. This brings us to the Sony Playstation 2 and SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs (SOCOM). This shooter, developed by the PC game veterans at Zipper Interactive, might surprise many PC gamers with its full featured and reasonably convincing interpretation of SEAL operations. As many COMBATSIM.COM readers are primarily PC users, I'll compare and contrast what you'll see in SOCOM with what you're likely familiar with on the PC.

A SEAL working in a jungle.

Deployment
SOCOM is an action game where players command a team of four SEALs. The single player campaign is twelve missions, and SOCOM is also one of the first PS2 titles to support multiplayer gaming via Sony's Network Adapter module that allows PS2 units to communicate with other players via broadband or dial-up connections (more on this later). Each of the solitaire missions follows a basic format that includes a planning phase and an action phase.

The planning phase will be a real surprise to those PC gamers that thought console games could only be about mindless martial arts fighting. Similar to the planning phase seen in the Rainbow Six/Rogue Spear series, players review briefing materials including maps, photos, mission notes, and objectives. The maps reveal the limited sizes of the battlefields, which isn't out of line for a console game, but the mission designers did a good job within this constraint. The 3D environments make good use of both lateral and vertical space, and each map features elevation changes, terrain details, and interactive objects.

After choosing weapons and battlefield entry points, the action phase begins. Immediately, PC veterans will notice a major flaw in console shooters: the controls. The PS2's controller fits nicely in two hands and its combination of triggers, thumb buttons, and dual analog control sticks can do many things, but they are a poor substitute for the precision a keyboard and mouse offer for movement and aiming. Zipper allowed for control customization, so players can modify the commands to their liking, and there are some toggles for aiming assistance, but it's still not a keyboard and mouse. The PS2 does have Universal Serial Bus ports, but I'm unaware if the game is configurable to use a USB keyboard and mouse (I believe the PS2 version of Unreal Tournament supports keyboard and mouse).

The level design compensates a bit for the control. In most missions, players don't face off with endless charging hordes. Instead, the SEAL motif of stealth blends brilliantly with the missions, pitting the player against limited numbers of enemies who are often unaware of the SEALs' presence. Planning, setting up of ambushes, and generally careful movement will reveal enemies gradually, keeping things manageable. That's a good thing, because when things do get frantic, wrangling with the PS2's controller to try and hit moving targets while being shot at is pretty tough. Again, the game compensates a bit by giving you crack shot teammates, who'll save your bacon several times during the game.

Seeing is Believing
Zipper worked with real SEALs to capture the visual and procedural trappings that would make SOCOM realistic, and they've done an impressive job. Correct weapon inventories, uniforms, and body movements characterize the digital SEALs. Although the resolution and sharpness are not as high as you could see in PC games, the presentation is still of high quality. Environments include a cargo ship, a jungle in the Congo, and Thailand, among others in the twelve single-player missions. Special effects like lighting are also well done.

The SOCOM artists did a nice job.

General gameplay is very smooth. SOCOM's load times aren't bad and the performance is solid. Teammates follow orders well, though there are some cases where the artificial intelligence shows gaps, particularly with the trigger-happy wingman of the player's character. The weapon interface is actually very nice. Different weapons permit different levels of zoom. The SOCOM pistol, for example, doesn't zoom much, but the M4 rifle does. Players can always extract the zoom level to a third-person view, then bring it closer to the characters and go to a first-person view, and continue progressing through available levels of weapon optics zoom. It's very intuitive once you get used to it, certainly comparable in effectiveness to the scroll wheel on a mouse.

SOCOM includes some things you don't always see, even in more realistic shooters. The highest zoom level comes with a great effect where the player character's breathing is heard and the crosshairs waver until he maintains position and his breathing calms. Silent attacks include a rifle butt, which knocks out the bad guy. SOCOM also includes support for picking up weapons dropped by the enemy, one of the celebrated features in PC favorite Operation Flashpoint, and this too adds to the realism. The SEALs can even move dead bodies to lightly trafficked areas or hide in shadows to avoid the triggering of alarms by a passing guard. SOCOM also implements cover and sound. Cover is important in combat and moving slower can keep the SEALs quiet and help preserve their stealth profile.

Missions are also consistent with SEAL-type activities, though there are fewer water and near-water missions than you might expect. There are surgical strikes, recon, rescue, and snatch missions, each providing opportunities for demolitions, stealth, and sniping. One of the console's glaring weaknesses persists here, and the lack of an in-game save means players must replay a mission until they get it right. Getting it right is thankfully not too tough, though it can cause the game to degenerate into the old formula of continuous replays and memorizing where the bad guys are. There is unfortunately no mission builder, though the SEAL documentary on the game disk is a nice extra.

The Voice of Command
PC gamers enjoy good audio feedback from their games, and in recent years tools like Game Commander and Roger Wilco added the ability to control game functions and communicate with multiplayer gamers via microphone. SOCOM acquits itself well here too. CD-caliber stereo sound is old news on the Playstation, and SOCOM features clear voice responses from teammates, solid weapon reports, and even ambient noise from weather.

Most impressive in the audio department, however, is the headset support for the included Logitech headset/microphone. SOCOM superbly implements it and further increases the suspension of disbelief when playing. The headphone is a mono headphone with a single speaker on the left ear, and with a microphone boom extending to the front. It's only used for voice audio, so sound effects are only heard through the television or home audio speakers, and the SEAL voices are only heard through the headset. The voice input works reasonably well, and similarly to Game Commander, where the game is listening for specific key phrases. You can speak to the whole team, the second element of two SEALs, or your wingman/buddy. The command list is fairly substantial and you can order to cease/open fire, go to a particular location, cover an area, defuse a bomb, flash-bang and clear a room, or plant explosives. Headset use is optional, however, and players that find it uncomfortable can still play without it, letting the game's voices play through the regular speakers.

Online
SOCOM also supports the headset for multiplayer use. SOCOM itself was one of the launch titles for the Sony Network Adapter, an add-on piece of equipment that connects the PS2 to an Internet connection. As I do not have the Network Adapter, I could not test this functionality but will disclose what I know. The PS2 Network Adapter supports both dial-up and broadband connections, though SOCOM multiplayer requires broadband. Feedback from users on bulletin boards claim the multiplayer support works but the performance can lag, though perhaps this will improve as the service matures. The other issue is that while the population of online PC gamers hardly lacks for the presence of uncooperative players (the technical translation is "jerks"), it's unknown if the body of online console gamers would have comparable or different ratios of serious and not-so-serious players.

A capture from a multiplayer screen. Note the foliage in the background. Could a SOCOM sequel looking at Vietnam be forthcoming?

Sony appears to be making a serious run at online play, however, and SOCOM illustrates the rich support for it. If by some chance a player is proving offensive to the team, they can vote him off. Players can also create password protected private games, and they can create and manage clans, appointing leaders and publishing news.

Going Hot
If SOCOM is any indication of what the PS2 can bring to the combat simulations world, then the thought I have is, "Why doesn't the PC have more games like this?" The only comparable games on the PC that I wouldn't give up for a port of SOCOM would be Codemasters' Operation Flashpoint and Sierra's SWAT3: Close Quarters Battle. SOCOM actually is a lot like SWAT3, which is a compliment. SOCOM's strengths easily outweigh its faults and prove that combat simulations can be done respectably on consoles. COMBATSIM.COM readers with access to a PS2 should put this title on their short list.

Resources

Articles:

• 2003/01/30: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs (Review)

Official Sites:

• Official SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Website

Community:

• SOCOM Message Board

 Printer Friendly