Final addition for PS2
Pros:
Larger online maps/max players, unlockables from single player, very customizable, no lag
Cons:
Slower online play due to larger maps, larger maps, weaker grafics/animation
The Bottom Line:
I would recommend this game as there is still no shooter game that can compare to it online or single player.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
As a SOCOM 1, SOCOM 2, and now a SOCOM 3 player I can say that Zipper (the game developers/designers) did what the said they were going to do SOCOM 3. They made SOCOM 3 a different game than 1, and 2. And overall they did a decent job.
The game itself is a standout compared to any other on-line or single player game in the same category. SOCOM in my opinion is the best shooter game ever developed.
SOCOM 3 has made some changes which may bother some people such as the larger online maps, which now makes suppression missions useless as it's very hard to find your opponent in the latter part of the round. But on the other hand the have made the online portion of this game much more customizable, which now will let you reduce the size of the maps, as well as the max number of players (among many other things). You can now play 16 vs 16, and there are 12 completely new maps to chose from. Oh, and not to mention the overall lag is gone.
They have "robbed Peter to pay Paul" in some instances. The overall smoothness of the game has gotten somewhat worse, such as the graphics, and animation. But, having said that, I believe this was done to produce the earlier mentioned larger maps, which is not a bad trade if you ask me.
Zipper did add some major changes to the online weapon load out system by allowing you to custom build your gun with many different attachments, such as silencers, scopes, grenade launchers, laser sights, etc. all on one weapon. And major changes to the clan, and friends lists as well.
As for the single player, Zipper changed the format of their traditional play format from "beginning to end" on each deployment. You now have a checkpoint system where once you reach a certain part of each mission it will automatically save you game (nice for when you make stupid mistakes, and need to start over). But as history repeats itself as the AI (hostages, enemies, etc.) and your own team of 3 other guys are still pretty stupid! But if you wanted real war, I guess you would join the Armed Forces.
Another good thing about the single player is that you can unlock useful items to carry into the online portion, different weapons, a front grip for you gun, a snipers suit, just to name a few. The bad part is you have to beat single player on all the difficulties, to get all the unlockables.
All in all, this game will hold my attention until PS3 comes out. And by that time I sure there will be another addition to the best shooter game ever made.
