SOCOM: US Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike

The SOCOM series has gained notoriety not only for having game titles as long as some term papers, but also for producing quality shooters in modern settings.

It's not much of a stretch, then, that the franchise would wade into the squad-based tactical shooter arena as they have with Tactical Strike. Luckily for fans of the series, this first entry is a worthy enjoyable first foray into the genre.

The game gives you control of four Special Forces operatives, and you are tasked with quelling various militant uprisings in political hot spots around the world. The game's narrative is nothing too gripping or original but it does its job and provides context and motive for your given mission. In addition to your primary goal, whether it be to eliminate hostiles or rescue hostages, a smattering of secondary objectives are also available and provide you with the opportunity to digress from the main path. Better performance in missions also afford benefits in the form of more upgrade points for you to spend on your squad and access better weapons, which is an excellent motivation for continued and more skillful play.

Pros and Cons

PROS:
  • Satisfying tactical combat with many options to employ.
  • AI is mostly intelligent and responsive.
  • The PSP graphics are quite good.
CONS:
  • Controls during close quarter fighting aren't responsive enough.

The real meat of the game is the incredibly satisfying tactical combat. Instead of aiming each of your members' weapons, you instead give attack orders from the third person perspective of one of your squad members. You can control 1, 2, or 4 squad members at a time, and you are able to queue orders for different control groups and then give the signal for everyone to act on them when the time is right. A stealthy approach to your targets will guarantee you an edge on your opponents while ordering your entire squad to pop out and lay waste to 6 or more enemies at once and encounter no retaliation can be very satisfying.

The only instance in which the game missteps is during extremely close quarters fights. The controls are often too clunky to quickly react to a baddy that manages to get in your face. Friendly and enemy AI are for the most part excellent, but there are some noticeable lapses where both fail to fire at an obvious target. Beyond those flaws Tactical Strike should provide shooter fans of all stripes an enthralling and enjoyable experience.--Spenser Hall

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nightshadow

I,m not sure if I should buy Socom Tactical Strike or not.Beside it not goin to be the same without SandMan in the game

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