[REVIEW] SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs

Leighton Lagerwerf
(PlayStation 3)

SOCOM 4 is the highly-anticipated fourth installment of the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series from Zipper Interactive and they did a magnificent job on it. Whether it is from the campaign to the multiplayer, Zipper Interactive left no stone unturned for perfection.

One of the astonishing aspects of SOCOM 4 is the ability to sync a PlayStation Move Controller and aim through free movement at any enemy in view. This opens up a whole new world to the player; having the ability to move from target to target without the jerky sensitivity of the DualShock 3 controller is a breath of fresh air.

But aside from the wonders of new technology for the gaming industry, the main aspect of the game, the campaign, is breathtakingly gorgeous. From the detail of the cinematic plot points to the transfer back to gameplay, there is no difference in quality. The weapons are fine-tuned for that realistic look and the characters look like they really should.

SOCOM 4’s story takes place on the frontline of a war-peppered country on the verge of government collapse. An ISF (International Security Force) team, the player’s character, and a line up of AI, are detached to deal with the insurgents threatening the country. As you go along, leaving bullet-riddled bodies and countless assailants alone, face-down in the dirt, you meet up with two more AI partners that join your team of misfits. With the development of the story and advancing through the environment, you start to grow attached to the characters and understand where they stand in this whole predicament.

Rule 1 to being cool: Strike a pose, Rule 2: hold a gun.

The campaign gives you a vast choice of weapons to choose from at first, but as you go along you will pick up more from fallen enemies and weapon caches that will be added to your total collection for future use. As you become accustomed to your chosen firearms, you become increasingly skilled with them and gain new attachments that increase the default stats of the weapon. These include increased ammunition to a front grip that reduces recoil.

While playing the campaign, Zipper Interactive allows the player to choose whichever way they prefer to complete the mission, whether it be through stealth and the use of suppressed weapons or the open brutality of rushing in for the strike, dodging bullets as they fly past your head. One of the better details to SOCOM 4 is the addition of a custom campaign that allows you choose the scenario and the condition of the mission, be it how many enemies will be in the situation to their difficulty. This allows the player to upgrade the weapons already collected and bring them back into the campaign for further use.

Does this suit make my ass look big?

SOCOM 4, of course, has an online aspect. Online has the use of clans, clan battles, friend lists, quick matches, and direct game join. Online has incorporated the use of the custom campaigns with the addition of allowing friends and other players to join your side. The maps for online include a destroyed highway, a modern shipyard, an abandoned railway, a war torn farm village, an old site of ruins, the slums of a town, a junkyard, a military base, and a completely rundown fortress.

Overall, SOCOM 4 was put together with delicate care and affection towards the long time fans of the series that Zipper Interactive has brought to us all. With the additional content that has been released, the end result will allow this game to rise higher in the ranks of the greats.