Has a few online kinks to work out, but overall Socom 3 is a superb game.
After spending 20+ hours with the singleplayer campaign and beating the game on Commander, Captain, and Admiral, I can say it was time well spent. The unlockables you can unlock by doing the above are rewarding and a great way to add to your online or offline arsenal. Beyond the unlockables, the game itself is a vast improvement in the single player campaign. The story is more engaging, the action is more intresting, and the overall feel is much more epic and feels as if some serious thought went into making the game more enjoyable in the single player realm. Yes, there are times when your soldiers will be bumbling idiots just like in the previous games, but overall the comrade AI is vastly improved. My one major complaint with the single player game is that it's far too easy on Commander, and moderately easy on Captain. It's not until Admiral that veterans of the series will feel even remotely challenged, and even then, the game is beaten fairly easily. Yes, this is a minor complaint, and doesn't effect the overall enjoyment of the game.
The online portion of Socom has always been it's selling point for many gamers. Overall, this game is great online as it was in Socom, and Socom 2. There are a few kinks that Zipper and Sony need to work out with the servers, stats, etc, but this is to be expected with such a large title. My one major complaint with the online game is that there is no indicator as to who your team-mates are, thus resulting in a increase in team killing. Yes your team members names will pop up, but no where near as fast as they should, and much of the time you'll kill them without even realizing they were on your team. This may make the game more realistic, but it in no way makes the game more fun. If anything it adds to a already steep learning curve for newcomers. There is hardly any lag online if played with a good connection even in the 32-player rooms. Overall, the online is great, and I'll be playing it for the next year or two, but still has a few things that need to be worked on.
Graphics in Socom 3 are splendid. The character models are realistic in movement and are pleasing to the eyes. Most of the terrain is nice, as are the effects such as explosions and smoke effects. The game will take you through three areas of operation; North Africa, South Asia, and Poland, and each area is varied and has it's "wow" moments.
Sound is equally if not more impressive in that it features an original and captivating score, and great sound effects. Voice acting is specifically well done.
Overall Socom 3 is worth a purchase for anyone who is even remotely intrested in shooters, and or the military. There are faults with the game, but there are faults with any game, especially one that will be as scrutinized at this one.
Socom 3 Online names - bLiNdSiDe and WarrioR-of-DooM