- Publisher: SCEA
- Release Date: Aug 27, 2002
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It’s easily said that SOCOM is the best console based tactical shooter ever, and it wins that throne quite handedly.
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netjakAfter playing online, say goodbye to your social life, and also the 12 mission single-player attempt.
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PSM MagazineOne of the greatest features of this game, by far, the headset lets you tell your computer-controlled teammates exactly what to do...makes SOCOM such an innovative title. [Oct 2002, p.28]
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If you're adept with the Medal of Honor/Halo style control scheme then by all means prove us wrong and shake your weary fists at us in combat, but if you're uncertain then we recommend you try it out before committing, or simply wait for SOCOM 2.
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There’s a lot of attention to detail in the levels and environments, from weather effects to volumetric lighting. It all makes up for the simple character models and sometimes less than spectacular visuals.
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There are a number of new and unique concepts demonstrated in SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, but it's the execution -- which is nearly flawless -- that makes them stand out from the crowd.
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Proves to be very addicting for someone looking for a thinking man's (or woman's) shooter both offline and on.
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There is a sense of teamwork involved in the multiplayer competition that makes the action far more rewarding than if it were merely a straightforward deathmatch against everyone else.
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Electronic Gaming MonthlyThe realistic weapons and possibility of one-shot deaths give it a visceral excitement other shooters lack. [Oct 2002, p.186]
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Official U.S. Playstation MagazineI love this game, and I don't see myself playing anything else at home for a good three or four months. [Sept 2002, p.11]
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GMR MagazinePossibly the best reason to own a PS2 network adapter. The team-based miliary tactics work better online than off. [Feb 2003, p.93]
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SOCOM: US Navy SEALs isn't quite PS2's online killer app, but it's a worthy beginning.
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The only downer to this great game, however, is that you’re allowed to leave a dead SEAL behind, which in real life would never happen.
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It's not a standard first-person shooter, and it can't be played as one; trying to do so will lead to failure and frustration. SOCOM is a game of patience, planning and wits.
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The clan managing system for contact between you and your friends is a new and very innovative feature that I can see a lot of online team based games incorporating in the future.
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One shot, one kill—this unforgiving, ultrarealistic console shooter is unlike any other.
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Cheat Code CentralDespite a good selection of campaigns, the single-player mode feels like a prelude to the real thing. It's like having to sit in the lounge of a popular club and have a drink while waiting to gain admission to the main room.
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The game is also annoyingly dark during night missions. Even with the brightness cranked, it was pretty hard to see.
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The animations are disappointing. Shooting someone should offer some satisfaction, but in SOCOM the dead man just slumps over.
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The game manages to blend accessibility with depth perfectly, whilst the level of immersion brought about by using the headset is at times unbelievable.
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SOCOM is filled with all kinds of brilliant attention to detail in its presentation, animation, level design, and many other areas, but those don't serve to fill the holes in its artificial intelligence and basic controls.
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Play MagazineA more serious issue is the amount of times I was disconnected or suffering through some lag. [Nov 2002, p.86]
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As great and good and wonderful and new as SOCOM is, the game has a MOAB-sized room for improvement and before we go deeper into the communal experience of multiplayer combat we should cover a few points that prove that we’re not going to be fully-fledged cyber soldiers just yet.
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Its gameplay has evolved to a funfactor of hell yes!
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Technically the game gets many things right, besides the faulty AI. The graphics overall may be subpar, but the animations are done well.
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With brisk, action-packed deathmatches online, easily controlled game hosting and clan setup, SOCOM is one of those games that the online experience was tailor-made for.
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While the graphics engine may have a few rough edges, they don't detract from the great stealth action. If you can forgive the spotty AI, you will enjoy the challenge the game provides.
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Overall, SOCOM is definitely at the top-tier of PS2 games in terms of sound, and can hold its own in graphics.
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An adequate introduction to online gaming for console players, but it’s definitely not the killer app Sony wanted the world to believe it was; it’s just a slightly above-average first/third-person shooter with an online component.
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PlayboyThe splendid visuals, reliance on real world hardware, and sound strategic system underlying each of many riveting rumbles in the jungle, frozen tundra and barren desert provide for a wonderful gaming experience. [4 Sept 2002]
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An online game that is surprisingly deep but extremely easy to get into, making it an excellent game regardless of whether you've played other multiplayer shooters before.
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A game that manages to deliver an online experience which completely overwhelms the single-player mode.
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I can’t emphasize enough how imperative it is for this game to be played with fellow human beings, since the boring layout of its virtual land and questionable (i.e. retarded at times) artificial intelligence work against the replayability of its single-player modes.
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SOCOM has one of the nicest interfaces I’ve ever seen. Easy to use and very simple.
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If you after the game for its online mode, you’ll find that you’ll never play the same game twice and wonder what you had been doing for the past 5 years. If you after a ground breaking shooter, you won’t find it here.
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GameNowFor weeks, it's been the only game I've really wanted to play...The play experience is slow-paced, methodical and insanely tense. [Sept 2002, p.28]
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The headset does a great job to add a lot of realism to the game online and offline.
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Game InformerThen there's the online mode which I have to say is quite luscious. [Sept 2002, p.76]
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The frustration factor, however, runs needlessly high in SOCOM as a one-player adventure.
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The headset works well, the gameplay is fairly solid and the online teamwork can be addicting. Just make sure your wallet can absorb the punishment, recruit.
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The game fails a bit in single player mode, but more than makes up for it in multiplayer.
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The real area where SOCOM shines is in the player models and animations -- where everything from a simple reload to the way a seal crawls across a muddy riverbank to the way a freshly-capped enemy lurches forward and back, then topples over silently -- drips with an astonishing amount of detail.
Awards & Rankings
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38
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7
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#7 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2002
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30
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#30 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2002
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 73 out of 97
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Mixed: 11 out of 97
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Negative: 13 out of 97
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May 2, 2011
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May 6, 2018
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Apr 18, 2013