Socom 1/2 is the greatest shooter(s) of all time

There are three things that make the Socom series so amazing. I will break them down to scientific science.

1. MAPS. The maps in socom 1 and 2 are unbelievable. They have everything in every map. Spots to camp, choke points to rush, sniper spots, underground tunnels, brush to hide in, rocks to hide behind. The map balance is almost perfect on each map, though some maps do give an advantage to certain sides (hihi enowapi) but most hardcore socom fans loved being the underdog on those maps.

2. The third person view. Like I said above I have always been a hardcore FPS fan. When I first played Socom 1 I was really thrown off by having the camera behind my player. But once I adjusted I found it to be much, much more natural. The problem with a first person camera is that you have a much more limited view field than you would in real life. While being in third person isn't the perfect solution it does give you far more peripheral vision, adding to the realism. You could also scoot your camera to look around corners, again not the best option, but nearly impossible to do in a FPS because of the lack of peripheral vision (aka you duck your head out too far and get shot in the face).

3. The tactical gameplay. There have been many tactical shooters and they all have their own brand of reality, but Socom 1 and 2 really nailed it. It is possible to sneak, it is possible to set ambushes, it's possible to go lone wolf and flank or get behind your enemy. The balance was perfect.

Zipper Interactive, developer of the first three socoms has passed the reigns on to up and coming developer Slant Six and they are working on a new Next Gen version of Socom bringing the game back to its Socom 1/2 roots. There was just a blowout cover story in the newest EGM and the game really looks to be shaping up to be the defining shooter of this generation, taking back it's rightful title of best shooter around.

Check out Socom.com for their official blog.