Decent fun if you find a discounted copy, but painful allied ai keeps it's single player campaign lackluster.
User Rating: 7 | SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs: Combined Assault PS2
I should probably start this review by stating that I have never played any of the Socom series on-line. I know that the series focuses on online play and as a result, the single player experience has suffered accordingly. Ally AI is ridiculously bad. I gave an order to a teammate to deploy a grenade into a doorway. The teammate proceeded to run up to the doorway, bounce the grenade off the wall next to the doorway, then retreat away from the doorway just in time to get caught in the blast. Fortunately the new medical system allows you to revive downed teammates, even if those downed teammates are defeated by their own incompetence. Breaching rooms is also guaranteed to be less than pretty. One member will open the door as another team member stands directly in front of the open door to deploy the grenade. After having played Rainbow Six: Vegas, I guess I just expect a little more.
The second Socom is still to date, my favorite. The campaign was long, challenging, and rewarding. Socom 3 was disappointingly short, and I hope that Combined assault doesn't suffer the same fate. Taking all this into consideration, I could still recommend it if you find it in a discount bin as I did. For $20 it still has some entertainment value. It is, however, time for a major overhaul of the series, and I hope in future releases the creators don't forget about the people out there that still enjoy a good single player tactical shooter.
