SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs Updated Impressions

At today's Sony press event in San Francisco, Zipper Interactive was showing off an updated build of SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs. Though much of the same functionality shown at this year's E3 was shown again today, we also got a look at some new online features, including the two newest online play modes that will be available in the game, as well as some additions to the interface and overall gameplay.

SOCOM II features four new countries--Algeria, Albania, Brazil, and Russia--each with three single-player missions. Though the sequel seems to have left the core gameplay of the original game intact, we did notice a few new features while playing. The primary difference we noticed was in the enemy AI, which is significantly smarter than in last year's game. AI characters showed much stronger reactions to noises and movement made by our team, so stealth will likely be a trickier tactic to use in the final game. The enemy AI also seems much more familiar with surrounding terrain and seems to know where all the good hiding and cover spots are in a level.

We also got a look at some examples of the new cutscenes that will appear in single-player missions. These cutscenes are designed to give you hints on your missions, sometimes in the form of dialogue that you overhear from your enemies. For instance, in one cutscene, two terrorists were guarding a city block, discussing some of the new Russian weaponry and hardware they'd acquired--thus inadvertently revealing what sort of firepower you'd be facing down the road.

There will be 12 new online maps in the game and two brand-new online play modes: escort and breach. Escort mode is pretty self-explanatory; as the SEAL team, your job is to take a group of VIPs out of hostile territory to an extraction point at the other end of the level. The terrorist team's task will be to run in and kill the VIPs. Breach mode is a bit more complex. As the terrorists, you'll be placed into a fortified position. It will be up to the SEAL team to blow up a number of key sections of the level to eventually breach the terrorist stronghold and take them out. Both modes looked very good in the demo we saw. We also got a quick look at a more lighthearted addition to the game: victory dances. Simply select a victory dance command after defeating an enemy and you'll be able to do a festive little jig over his fallen body.

The new online interface appeared very similar to that of the first game, but with some notable upgrades. SOCOM II's new ranking system is based on a three-tiered difficulty-level system. Novice players will likely want to start out on a lower tier, whereas more-experienced players will be able to simply jump into harder games and not have to deal with the beginners. Each difficulty level will also have an exclusive lobby for players of that rank. Voice chat is available in all of the game's lobbies, so you won't be relegated to typing to your friends and teammates.

SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs is on track for a November 4 release, and we'll have more information on the game as it becomes available.