Slap on the greasepaint and strap on your combat boots, you're about to join the notorious U.S. Navy SEALs.
Sony and Zipper Interactive have recently released "Socom II: U.S. Navy SEALs" for the PlayStation 2.
Let me just say up front that my enthusiasm for this game was severely undercut when I found out that the game appears to be a recruiting tool for the U.S. Navy. While thumbing through the game manual, I noticed that the last portion contains a section titled, "Are you interested in a SEAL career?" It then refers to the U.S. Navy Web site. Uh, gee, mister, I just wanted to play a video game, not ponder a career in the special forces.
The game itself is pretty cool. Of course, we're talking unconventional warfare, so this game is rated "M" for mature for gunplay and violence. This means this game is advised for players 17 and older.
Unlike other such combat games for the PlayStation 2, this one comes packed with features, including multiplayer games over LAN and the Internet.
This game is all about teamwork. Much like the SEALs themselves, you must rely upon your teammates in order to survive as you go after terrorists and drug dealers from Albania to Russia to Brazil.
The game takes advantage of the USB headset for the Play-Station 2, allowing you to be in constant communication with your teammates during network play. The headset is sold separately.
If you're like me, without a broadband connection for my console, the single-player mode gives you computer-run team members with whom you can give commands via the headset — although the verbal vocabulary is fairly strict and you must choose your words carefully.
The game can also be played without the headset, for those of us who haven't shelled out the cash to buy the extra device. Using your controller, a pop-up menu will give you a list of commands, such as ordering your team to use stealth to head to an area, or ordering to go to an area and kill anyone they encounter.
With 12 missions, your objectives range from rescuing a hostage to destroying an operation. Controls allow you to crawl on your belly through brush and take aim with a variety of weapons, from a sneaky sniper's rifle to a not-so-sneaky rocket launcher. You also have a range of shotguns, pistols and assault rifles available, as well as explosives.
On some missions, thermal goggles can be used to cut through the darkness, allowing you to use the cover of darkness as your tool.
The military combat feels authentic, and the game's music helps add to the dramatic effect.
While conducting undercover missions will have your heart pumping, the game's controls are adequate but not great. The graphics are fairly generic.
One neat thing is that mission cut-scenes are done in the native language, whether it is Albanian or Thai, giving the player the feel of being dropped in the middle of a foreign land.
If you are a fan of military combat games, "Socom II" should be at the top of your list, with plenty of single-player and online options. Be prepared to also buy an extra memory card as the "save game" file swallows up 3,000 kilobytes of memory.
Because the game uses so many extra features, a little extra cash will be required to buy the headset, hard drive and memory card.
E-MAIL: gfattah@desnews.com