SOCOM II is the latest game in the young SOCOM franchise. SOCOM I(here on out referred to as S1 and SOCOM 2 will be referred to as S2) took the online play of the PS2 to the next level. Over 10,000 people would be playing at any given time, and over 25,000 at peak hours. S2 was no exception, with most stores being sold out in the first day it was released. This review will cover both the online and the offline aspects of the game, starting with offline.

Game play (offline)

Offline game play consists of 12 missions in 4 different areas. The missions usually consist of 5+ objectives and 2-3 hidden objectives. The gameplay itself is very enjoyable. The guns are all unique, the grenades are different, you can dress your Seal a certain way. The different gun types are: Assault rifles, Shotguns, Snipers, Heavy machine guns, Sub machine guns and pistols. There is a variety to choose from, so that adds to the game.

Game play (Online)

Online Game play consists of a maximum of 16 players playing either: Suppression( Basically a death match) Extract(seals try to extract the hostages, Terrorists try to kill the seals) and Escort(Seals escort vips to an extraction point) Game play online is definitely the strong point.

Sound (Online and Offline)

The sound is amazing, and its available in Dolby surround. The guns sound good, you can here footsteps, grenades that blow up near you cause you to lose your hearing momentarily. All in all, they did an amazing job with the sound.

Graphics(On and Offline)

The graphics are amazing also. If you go from a bright room into a dark one, it tales a few minutes for your eyes to adjust. The guns flash, grenades blow trash cans over. The attention to detail is amazing.

Longevity (Offline)

Offline, the game is fun for awhile, but, after a period of time it gets, well, boring. the firefights seem to feel the same etc. overall, I would say that offline Longevity is the same as an average game.

Longevity (Online)

Online this game is tops when it comes to replay ability. It just never seems to get old.

Appropriateness (Offline)

The game is quite violent. bodies fly if they are hit with a grenade. People fly back when shot at point blank range with a shotgun. Blood flies when you shoot them. Blood also splatters on any walls around the victim. The game has a few mild Profanities like D---, H---. When a teammate gets shot sometimes he\'ll use the Lords name in vain. They also say B-----d once.

Appropriateness (Online)

Online is where it gets bad. The game has a censor for the chats, but, you can bypass it by misspelling..etc. It also has microphone and headset capabilities. Meaning, you can talk to the other gamers as you play. The language that these people use is atrocious! Every other word is the F-word!!! Also, Players sometimes make obscene usernames.