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SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Confrontation

What’s the Story?

Reviewed byChad Sapieha
The most popular feature in Sony's SOCOM: U.S Navy SEALs games has always been online team-based combat, so it should come as little surprise that SOCOM U.S. NAVY SEALS: CONFRONTATION, the latest entry in Sony's popular third-person, military-themed shooter franchise, eschews solo campaign play altogether in favor of focused, beefed up online functionality. The game features matches that accommodate up to 32 players, has seven distinct game modes each with its own unique objective (rescuing hostages, demolishing targets, controlling specific areas, etc.), proffers plenty maps both new and old, and provides matchmaker control over a broad range of game variables, ranging from time of day to teammate target awareness.

Longtime fans of the franchise will find much to like about Confrontation's expanded online offering. Players can now completely customize their avatars, choosing not just armor and equipment that will noticeably impact a player's mobility and durability, but also weapons, attachments, and gear. The game also provides simple and efficient options for creating clans (video game jargon for permanent teams that players can join), confers a wide variety of awards and trophies for proving your combat skills in various ways, and tracks and ranks a long list of battle statistics. What's more, players can manage their gaming schedule using a built-in calendar that tracks upcoming tournaments and clan matches.

Is It Any Good?

3
The cherry on top is a bundled Bluetooth headset that facilitates wireless team communication -- a great companion for the PlayStation 3's wireless controller. However, on the subject of team communication, it's worth noting that, as in previous SOCOM games, many of the people you'll encounter playing online will be belligerent, highly profane, and in some cases outright bigoted.

While Confrontation has the potential to deliver good fun for mature audiences, it also suffers persistent and acute technical problems. At the time of this writing (five days post-release), it was difficult to log onto game servers and network errors popped up regularly. When we were able to start playing a game, we were often arbitrarily kicked out mid-session. On several occasions the game simply froze, requiring a system reboot. It's difficult to imagine anyone but the most devout, hardcore fans putting up with such hassles. We recommend not buying the game until such time as Sony has sufficiently patched these problems.

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