While there have been a couple of previous SOCOM releases on Sony's portable, Vancouver developer Slant Six take things in a slightly different direction with this title.
Choosing a team of four from nine different international special forces units, players work their way through a scenario involving the abduction of a U.S. Ambassador that will bring them to various urban and remote settings. Instead of the usual focus on First-Person Shooter action, the game puts the camera over the squad's shoulders and gives the player strategic control over their movements and rules of engagement.
The levels are a good size for a portable game, and last longer than might be expected, with several checkpoints scattered throughout each one where you can save your progress. Players are rated on their performance in various categories after each level and assigned a grade. Before moving on, there's the option to spend skill points earned during the mission, and change the team's weaponry. The graphics look quite good, and the cut scene animation is likely some of the best on the system so far. The game's audio is fairly standard though, with weapon sounds, radio chatter and the occasional musical swell making up the majority of the soundtrack.
The command system works well, with a series of menus accessible by holding down various buttons. Holding the attack button, for example, allows you to choose attacking one highlighted enemy, define a field of fire, or shoot after receiving a signal. Whichever option was last selected becomes the default, enabling you to keep your squad moving with stealth, for example, instead of risking accidently blowing your cover with a faster pace. Various objects also spawn interaction icons as well, enabling door breaching, shooting through windows, or healing squad members. You are also able to split the squad into two teams to surround groups of enemies or complete multiple objectives simultaneously.
Moving effectively through the levels is slightly hampered by the way the position marker is used though, since you can't just point to a location in front of you. Instead, you need to press the move button, which spawns a marker that you need to manoeuvre to the target location. The trick is that the marker can only be moved "on rails" along the path that your SEALs would actually take. If you want to leave a building from the second floor, for example, you need to steer the marker down the stairs and out the door, instead of just pointing out the door with a reticule. At times this makes moving your squad a chore, especially over long distances.
The game also features both Ad-Hoc and Infrastructure Mode online play for up to four players and support of the PSP headset. Most of the online modes pit a team of SEALs against a team of mercenaries with the objective of defending or destroying various targets. There's also an Extraction game with a hostage scenario and a Free For All mode that pits all the players against each other.
While the game's strategic focus might turn off some FPS fans, the action is still satisfying and well suited to portable play. The missions are a good length and the game itself features a slightly longer playtime than players might expect. The multiplayer support is definitely welcome, and even though the main mission's subject matter is familiar, the somewhat fresh implementation still makes this an entertaining title.
8/10
