Before starting, you can read my review on the original, SOCOM : U.S. Navy SEALs.

Sypnopsis

Same as before. You are the commander of an elite SEAL team, that is sent on various missions throughout the world. From rescuing POW's and eliminating terrorist threats, to recovering biological weapons and infiltrating "bad guy's" headquarters.

This time around, "Kahuna" (your former lead character), and his teammate "Boomer", are gone. You play as "Spectre" (former Bravo Team member, with "Jester" as your squad mate.

New to the roster are "Wardog", and "Vandal", your Bravo Team members.

Controls

The "Sure Shot" controls are little bit choppy. "Sure Shot" controls allow for you to aim left and right, and move backward and forward with the left analog stick, while the right analog stick is only for aiming your weapon up and down("strafing is done with L2&R2). It is VERY hard to move your aim "a hair" left or right. Even the very slightest of touches, will make your aim jump. This is not a good thing, especially with the sniper rifle.

The other control setting, "Precision Shot", allows for all range of motion in moving your character(left, right, back, forward, etc.) with the left analog stick, while the right analog stick allows for all range of motion for aiming your weapon. This setting allows for more accurate alignment of your weapon on a particular target.

For the duration of the original "SOCOM", I used "Sure Shot". Even after being told that the other setting was better, I stayed on with "Sure Shot", because I was just so used to it.

When I started playing "SOCOM II", I decided to try out "Precision Shot". I cannot believe I didn't use this before. "Sure Shot" is garbage in comparison. You miss out on a lot of options and abilities with "Sure Shot". I recommend using this option.

Graphics

Wow. They improved the graphics on this one 100 times over. All of the environments are very lush, and have an authentic feel to them.

Example : If you are laying on the ground in a huge pile of bushes, you cannot see through them just by zooming in, as in the first "SOCOM".

The NVG's (Night Vision Goggles) were also improved upon. This time, they actually look authentic (I was in the military, so I know). Last time, they just made everything green. This time, they actually made it where your visibility changes with the amount of light in the area, just like the real ones.

I was thoroughly impressed by the upgrades in this respect.

Unforunately, there really was not much improvement in the character animations, or enemy design. Nothing about any of them seem to "jump out at you". There is really not a lot of difference here.

Gameplay

What the @%$#&* happened to the "Ambush" command?! I cannot even BEGIN, to tell you how useful that command would have been.

I suppose in lew of that, they gave us the option to tell your teammate to "Hold Position", so he stays out of the way. However, if you get to be 50 meters from him, he say, "Regrouping on your position, sir", and you will have to tell him to stay put again. Trust me, this is a MAJOR improvement from last time.

All of the old commands remained intact, including the use of the headset commands (which I never use).

I guess this would be considered an improvement, but it still needs work. Your teammates. As in the first, but not quite as bad, your teammates are not really the brightest. I have heard others complaining about things that I did not encounter, so I will just say what I had problems with, but be warned. Your teammates STILL get stuck in places. One mission in particular, we needed to use C4 explosives on a location underground. After going under and placing the charges, Bravo always wanted to stay down there and watch. At least that's the impression they gave me, because they never seemed to want to get out of there.

Anyway, their intelligence level improved marginally, but considering how retarded they were in the first one, it could still use some help.

There are plenty of new and improved weapons to choose from. The IW-80 assault rifle (my personal favorite), the RA-14, the STG 77, and the M3 automatic shotgun, comprise some of the new primary weapons at your disposal.

In the equipment section, you now have a thermal scope for your sniper rifles, anti-personnel land mines, and rocket launchers to choose from. All great additions.

Sound

Actually, I have to say that the sound MAY HAVE taken a step backwards this time.

Last time, all of the weapons sounded authentic. This time around, some of the automatic assault rifles sound like pop guns. ESPECIALLY the M60 machine guns. This is especially strange, considering they are the biggest guns in the game. I have fired an M60 before and they, by NO means, sound like a pop gun. Strangely, this is not a constant. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't. It's really weird.

Everything else, soundwise, is pretty much the same from the last game.

Online

Arguably, the most appealing aspect of the game, has to be the online play. MANY things have been improved from the last installment.

For starters, "glitching". In the last game, there was a problem within certain levels, and sometimes with the use of certain peripheral devices, one could cheat his/her way into stardom. Unfortunately, this took away some of the fun factor of the online play. Towards the end its run, it became VERY hard to find a match WITHOUT someone "glitching".

This is no longer a problem, it seems. I am sure some computer jerk somewhere is trying to figure the stuff out so he can do it, but as of this writing, it has not happened, that I know of.

Sony added the "DNAS" process to you login to their servers. This process checks for peripheral devices that would someone to cheat. If it detects one, you don't login. Simple as that.

Also, I have seen ONE glitch, on ONE map that is actually in the game. Fortunately, I have not seen people exploit this and take advantage of their position. Most times, people get there on accident and then ask for assistance getting out.

The additions of the new maps, with new types of missions, are a fabulous improvement. I can play online for hours.

You now have such missions as "Breach", "Escort", and "Extraction".

As an example of a new map, in a "Breach" mission, as the SEALs, you must enter into an enemy compound through various positions, and eliminate all threats, extract 3 VIPs (hostages), or plant a bomb and destroy a certain key position within the enemy stronghold. As a terrorist, you must defend the position by any means necessary.

The old maps have been revamped, and look wonderful. Some have been changed a bit, but from what I have seen, it is all positive.

Also, one cool aspect of online play, is how it interacts with your single player play. To have all the weapons, characters, and equipment possible, you must complete the single player missions on the "Lt. Commander" rank. I thought this was cool, because it makes people play the actual game first. On the first "SOCOM", I knew people that didn't even START the single player mode. They bought the game, and immediately went online, because everything was available to you from the start.

Last, but not least, is the ranking system. You earn points within each match for performing certain actions. On most missions, there are bonus objectives that you can complete to earn more points. You earn more points using a handgun to kill someone, as opposed to an assault rifle. Also, you earn more points by performing a "head shot", instead of a regular kill. All of these things factor into a score, which allows you to earn "rank", which appears next to your name. You will start out as an Ensign (or lovingly referred to as a "Butter Bar" or "Butter Stick"). You can play in server rooms that only allow people of your same rank to compete, this way you don't have guys that play everyday, all day long, racking up points by taking out the new guys all day. I really like that idea.

I really don't have any complaints about the online play, with the exception of, which is not Sony's fault, the amount of unsupervised children playing. When you play, you will see what I mean.



Conclusion

I love this game. With missions ranging from Russia to Brazil, the addictive online play, and the vast amount of new options, this game is a keeper. It has a high single player replay value, and playing against people online will keep you playing even longer. I highly recommend this one to anyone.

Recommended: Yes