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Good: Best online game for PS2, great blend of teamwork and intense action

Bad: Desperately needing a co-op mode, minor lag issues

Mission: Destroy terrorists or destroy other gamers, you decide

SOCOM is a series that I didn't think had a bright future. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the first game, I just didn't think that a third person shooter would succeed in such a first person driven world. However, developer Zipper Interactive would not let their main franchise go down in the history books as a bomb. It's their continuing hard effort that has brought the SOCOM series to where it is today: arguably the best PS2 online experience.

Of course the main entree of SOCOM 3 is undoubtedly the online mode. Here gamers will take either the terrorist side or the SEALs side. You'll be able to partake in 7 different modes of play and this is why SOCOM shines the brightest. Each mode is distinctively different from each other and playing each of them is a different experience. Breach mode requires the SEALs team to infiltrate a Terrorist base and destroy certain targets. Demolition mode places a bomb in the map somewhere and both sides will compete on finding it and placing it in the opposition's HQ. Escort has the SEALs taking VIPs from one location to another while extraction is almost the same except that the SEALs will have to rescue the VIPs first. The game also wouldn't leave production without its deathmatch mode titled Suppression. These are very basic modes found in most 'counter-terrorist' games and are already plenty to satisfy, but Zipper found that adding two more modes would make people happier. Good thing Zipper thought this way because the two modes rock.

Convoy has the Terrorists take up the task of escorting a convoy across an area with the SEALs trying to stop them. There are different blockades set up on the convoy route where the SEALs can set up a defense. It's a great mode because there's a sense of tension as the Terrorists have no idea when the SEALs may attack. It also takes a lot of coordination to pull off a successful escort or intercept. I tried many pick up games where nobody communicated and went off on their own, on both sides, and it dramatically ruined the experience. So even though it can produce the most fun in the game, it's hit or miss because it's only as good as the people you play it with. The last mode added is Control. This is SOCOM's answer to king of the hill games. There will be multiple control points and whichever team places their beacons successfully at each control point first wins. So with all these modes delivering something different, it's very difficult finding yourself bored.

The most obvious attraction of SOCOM 3 is the addition of vehicles. A whole other dimension has been added to the gameplay. There are about 20 different vehicles you can man and this includes jeeps, transports, tanks, and more. For it being the first time Zipper has dealt with vehicles, the balance is very well done. Tanks are not too powerful but that doesn't mean one person can take a tank out himself. It also helps on some of the larger 32 player maps because traveling times are reduced. The main thing here is that the added vehicles improve the gameplay and don't bring it down.

There were a couple issues I had with the online mode and most noticeably was the lag. Lag seemed to be a bit more consistent than previous games. This could be due to the early life of SOCOM 3 and a few adjustments or patches might help later on. So hopefully as time moves on the lag issues move along with it. Another issue pertained to switching weapons. I'll give Zipper credit for including a quick switch option, but there were multiple times in a game when I would have to quickly switch to my third weapon. Because of the clumsiness of switching, I found myself with a bullet in my head many of those times.

The single player campaign has not changed much. Missions still revolve around either escorting or extracting. Even though the situations are a little different with multiple environments, feelings of repetition and boredom start to sink in towards the end of the game. You feel like you've done the same thing over and over and it's hard to motivate yourself to finish the last couple missions. Players can still control their squads by either the mic or with the controller. Giving out orders with the mic is still cool but all too often was my order misinterpreted. It's a bit of a gimmick since using the controller is easier and faster.

Graphically the game hasn't taken the same leaps as the gameplay has. Textures are still a blur and the environment's overall detail is poor. Zipper obviously has focus on the character models though, as they look very smooth with many polygons. Give them the benefit of the doubt though because the game already struggles to stay within 30 frames per second so if more detail was added, we could be looking at a much slower game framerate wise. The inclusion of 16x9 mode is also welcomed and something I personally enjoyed.

An area Zipper seems to pride themselves on is the authenticity of the sounds. Each specific gun sound is very distinctive but what was more impressive were the effects added to the guns shooting depending on where the gun was being fired. For instance, as I was exploring a drainage tunnel system, I came across an enemy and as we were both recklessly firing away, the echo provided with the bullets firing and ricocheting off the wall really got me thinking I was actually there. The ambient noises are great too. It really adds to the feel of being in the environment. You'll be able to hear the rain softly pour on the ground as you patiently wait in the darkness for an enemy to cross your path. It's amazing how well the sound brings the game to life.

If your PS2 isn't online and you have the least bit of curiosity, SOCOM 3 is the perfect game to please it. It's the most popular Sony exclusive online community and there are tons of people playing all the time. Even if you don't plan on going online, the single player is good enough to warrant a purchase if you are into military type games or action games for that matter. Either way, SOCOM 3 is a well rounded game both online and offline.

Graphics: B

Sound: A-

First Play: B-

Last Play: A-

Gameplay: A-

Overall: 90% A-