Socom II: US Navy Seals (PS2)

Reviewed by JON MINIFIE

Herald rating: * * * *

On April 2, Sony simultaneously released its online gaming service with Zipper Interactive's new sequel to their popular stealth shooter Socom, Socom II: US Navy Seals. A lot of effort has gone into getting the online component right.

The single-player campaign is solid. The 12 new missions range from Brazilian shantytowns to urban Algeria and will have you gasping for air and crying with joy at the awesome beauty. You spend a lot of the single-player mode crawling about and waiting for half an hour in a bush for that perfect kill.

Your mates are essential, which makes it a tense and enjoyable game when you send them off to take care of a bunker.

More destructive and varied weapons have been added — a shotgun for example, and a rocket launcher, but many become available only after you complete the game.

Once you have unlocked a weapon it becomes available in the multiplayer mode, too. You'll have all the firepower only after you complete the game in all of the difficulty settings. This is tough, but it means only the really serious freaks will be online cracking you on the skull with an RPG.

Broadband only means you get some seriously lag-free frag fests and you can test your skills with up to 15 other players. Twelve new maps are present, with the added fun of stationary gun turrets.

Two new modes are Breach and Escort. In Breach your team works to secure a bomb placed in the centre of the map which you then use to take out the enemy base, and Escort gives you a bunch of civilians who you have to move to an extraction zone.

With the PS2 online gaming service just kicking off it remains to be seen just how well things will fare. But if other games take a leaf out of Socom II's multiplayer functions, PS2 fans are in for a treat.

Price: $119.95

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