Where SOCOM II fails, SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs reigns supreme.
SOCOM 3 is basically just a sequel identical in story to the last; that is, barely any real "story" to string along, besides the fact that you lead an elite team of anti-terrorist specialists, globetrotting to "instill peace" wherever there is terrorist-like uprising. The things the terrorists do in this game are a little less stale and Clear And Present Danger-esque. Other than that, not much difference, besides location… no more snow maps! We all know the snow maps were the best in SOCOM II. Anyway...
The one-player mode in SOCOM 3 is way easier. The AI isn't as terrible, but it's still a little bad, as you'll still get shot by them once or twice, and you'll probably see a teammate get stuck on some object somehow. The learning curve is a bit easier now with a "tutorial mission" to start with. If you're new to third-person shooters this tutorial of sorts might not be enough to get sorted into the game, as it is really short -- like the entire one-player mode is. If you're not new to third-person shooters, you might not have any trouble until you reach the last few missions. There are less than 15 missions in the game, and a couple of them are really short, so you might find yourself finishing the game on one difficulty in a few hours if you're good. If you're new to the game style, it might take you longer. But either way, SOCOM 3 will probably help you refine your skills. Actually, the CPU AI is even less consistent in this game. I suppose it was in favor of your teammates not ruining the experience as much as before.
Like in the last game, as I forgot to mention in my last review, the game is compatible with a USB headset mic, for use in both offline and online play. In offline, it allows you to command your AI teammates using set words, but in reality it's easier to just use the menu to do so, as sometimes your teammates can mishear your command or even not understand it in any way. The headset is only essential for online play, and when I say essential, I'm not exaggerating, as sometimes in online play you can be voted out of a room for not having a mic.
The graphics in this game both feel identical and slightly improved. Either way, it'll be familiar if you've played SOCOM II. Some animations are stiffer, some death animations will show wrongly (you shoot someone in the chest but they clench their gut upon death), but the environments are different from the last game, so it'll seem fresh and new anyway.
The sounds for gunfire and the like are different in this game from the previous one, thus making it feel less repetitive, but some guns will sound alike, as in the last game, so it doesn't matter anyway. The sound is still just as good as the last game.
Let's get to the comparison, shall we? That's all this game is -- a comparison to the last one. In SOCOM II, the weapons were inconsistent and some were stronger than they should be, while others were weaker. But in SOCOM 3, the best and most overpowering weapons in the game are locked until you beat the game on medium, hard, and very hard, and all the rest of them vary by your skill with them. So, playing with the weapons in SOCOM 3 is like finding a suit that fits. Speaking of suits, SOCOM 3 has the addition of the unlockable Ghillie Suits, one for each of the three regions in the game. Their use is to make you almost invisible when is certain spots on the online maps, and they are very useful.
In SOCOM 2, there was the limitation of 16 players per online room, but SOCOM 3 was expanded -- that is, doubled -- to 32. That's 16 players per team. But was this worth it? The big maps tend to lag with a slow frame rate and when the room is full, everything moves in a choppy manner. It doesn't help that the big maps are extremely large, so large that the game only loads the area you're in and moving into, so that you can see the map loading ahead of you, and if you watch another player after you die (by pressing left or right on the control pad and using the right analog stick to peer around), you can see the map unloading behind the person you're following.
SOCOM 3 lags pretty badly, unless you're in a small room with small maps, then it only lags at times. The small maps are fun enough anyway, with the exception that Fault IS a small map anyway, so playing it on Small is like suicide. SOCOM 2 lags just as badly at times, if not worse, so it's all-around even.
The maps in SOCOM 3 are less creative and feel less realistic in certain areas. They have three or four SOCOM 2 maps available for download, but you need a PS2 HDD or a compatible USB flash drive with enough room and money on your credit card.
That's right, you must verify your account with a credit card on SOCOM 3 to have a friends list and a clan. Zipper takes a dollar away and puts it back to make sure it's a legit card. That card is the one you use to buy the maps off their servers, but whether or not it's worth the money is up to you.
Did I mention vehicles? No, I didn't. Sorry. There are driveable vehicles in SOCOM 3. They add a little flavor to the game, but the tanks are a bit much, especially since they can do some pretty amazing things, like drive up the side of a mountint... and the gun turrets are a bit too accurate. Otherwise, they're a nice touch. You can turn them off when you a make a room, though, if you don't like them. They're pretty needed for big maps, though.
Many more people play SOCOM 3 than SOCOM 2 now, so if you're looking to jump into any old open room, SOCOM 3 is probably going to give you more variation. In fact, I suggest SOCOM 3 over SOCOM 2 just because if you can't have any fun playing SOCOM 3 online, you can at least play a capable third-person shooter offline. It's not a whole lot of fun if you've been playing SOCOM as long as I have, but if you're new to SOCOM, the one-player mode will do just fine. Again, I'm a G.A.P. member, so I have people I can play and have fun with. I'm also making SOCOM 3 Music videos for the heck of it, so I'm getting my mileage out of it. The question is, will YOU go and rent it to give it a try, as it is a bit over hyped, or will you just cast it aside as more popular crapula?
I mean, come on, Zipper has been nothing if not lazy with SOCOM games lately...