Back when Call of Duty and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon were debuting in the world, another military shooter was trying to break out, and it was a PlayStation exclusive, SOCOM US Navy Seals.
The first game in the series was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. At the time, the game was ahead of titles like Call of Duty and Ghost Recon in terms of multiplayer, at least on consoles. It offered online co-op and was an early adopter of online multiplayer for consoles. When played offline, it offers voice recognition commands for AI teammates.
Take a look at the SOCOM US Navy SEALs trailer below!
SOCOM benefited from a series of sequels released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and PSP. The last game in the series was SOCOM 4 US Navy Seals for PS3 in 2011. Unfortunately, the online servers for all SOCOM titles were permanently shut down in August 2012.
However, in a dramatic and unexpected return, the original game of the series can now be played online. “The Socom series is playable online in 2024,” said Redditor GrapeLeafs22. This was made possible thanks to fan-made servers and PS2 emulation. Perhaps similar to what we saw with Resident Evil: Outbreak #2 is now playable online using PS2 emulation. A video was shared by TikTok channel, SocomCentral.
“These games were a lot of fun. I would love to do some convoys or demolitions again with my old team. And the dance… what a brutal taunt before every game with emotions,” recalls ItsfoolishPride. “Great game… my first console online game too, brilliant time!” said ScottB109.
It’s been over a decade since the last game in the SOCOM US Navy SEALs series was released, and Microsoft owns Call of Duty publisher Activision, perhaps this military shooter as well as titles like Killzone deserve a revival at Sony?
