SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Tactical Strike is not your typical gun trotting game that you usually associate with most of the SOCOM titles. Instead, you get to plan strategies and stealthily maneuver a team of four Navy SEALs through a set of complex levels, which are also surprisingly vast. It is interesting to note, however, that you don’t control the proceedings directly, and instead only issue abstract commands to shoot, snipe, move, and the like. This part of the game is left to the artificial intelligence unit of the game which carries out these commands with surprising efficiency.
The best part of the game is its finely paced campaign. The political narrative in stark contrast, however, is rather dull if not downright boring. You also have to do a lot of hiding and sneaking, as Socom Tactical Strike requires a good deal of stealth as well in addition to a plethora of strategy on your part. Being able to accomplish the mission objectives in a variety of ways adds to the game’s endearing worth, and replay value. You will not get bored quickly, as there are always new frontiers to be discovered and conquered. You can opt to either fight your way through one enemy at a time and using standard weapons; or climb on the balcony to assure yourself of a good vintage point for sniping.
After deciding on what strategy to finally adopt, you can move your team as a whole, or separate them into two squads of two SEALs each. You have an analog button along the way to assist you in maneuvering their movements, which is pretty smooth, though somewhat awkward for moving through corridors and tighter areas. Another problem that tends to irritate you is when turning corners, since you invariably are unaware of the dangers that lie ahead and also can’t tell if there is any cover to hide behind, in case of unexpected attacks. This part of the game is definitely its weak link, as you practically lead your squad blindly around the corner. This is an unfortunate flaw considering how good the rest of the stealth mechanism is.
The enemies you face are challenging enough and do have a good repertoire of moves and weapons at their disposal to keep you interested. Despite having the usual share of shortcomings, this SOCOM title is good enough to spend some enjoyable hours.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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