It was a dark and stormy night when Kitt and I gathered our chocolate Hob Nobs and Jammy Dodgers together to play PS2 Online.  Many miles we had travelled to reach this point (all the way to the living room, if you must know), and now, finally, the time was upon us.  It was time to kick some SOCOM 3 bootie and have a strong cup of tea.

For those of you who read my earlier blog, you’ll know I’ve been planning on venturing into the world of Playstation 2 Online for quite some time.  Now, the first obstacle you hit after you’ve logged in (if you are a PS2 Online virgin like me, that is) is the menu system.  And, in defense of SOCOM 3, it’s not so much the actual mechanics, but the realisation of how much one has come to depend on the familiarity of Xbox Live.

I didn’t know how to send a message or talk to anyone.  I didn’t understand the ‘whisper’ option (I’ll be honest - I still don’t.) I didn’t know how I could tell when Kitt was online, or if she could tell when I was.  It was like my very first school dance all over again. 

However, venture into the actual game itself, and you’ll find it surprisingly forgiving.  Yes yes, the graphics aren’t as good as what you get on your Xbox - GASP!  But play it a while and notice how you’re getting pretty much no lag on a game of up to thirty-six people. THIRTY-SIX.

It takes a while to realise you can’t run and zoom at the same time, due to the layout of the controls - and, in fairness, it’s more realistic that way.  The maps are impressively large (remember, no lag with any of this), you still have all the standard game modes you’re used to with other FPS titles such as Halo and FCI, and in particular the vehicles are easy and fun to use.  Fairly soon I found myself running around, jumping over hills and swimming across rivers, and - dare I say it - I even got a few nice kills in too.  And that’s when the best bit comes in.

...  YOU GET A ‘VICTORY DANCE’ OPTION!

Why is this not compulsory with all FPS titles?  Just find an enemy, pop his clogs, and have a groovy little jig over his still twitching corpse.  You watch - the Cheeky Girls will be at it soon.

So, despite not figuring out how to talk via my headset for an hour (for the record, in game it’s tap ‘O’, select ‘Radio’, select channel, then hold ‘O’ to speak.  In menu, just hold down L2.  But remember, you only only get a limited period of time to talk before you’re cut off.  Oh, and check your ports are open.  I mean, like, duh!) I think overall I had a pretty good time.  A big thanks to everyone who came online and gave me support. 

And, as proof of my conclusion, I’ll be playing SOCOM 3 again on Tuesday, 11th July at 9pm (always check on the main page of Frag Dolls UK for up-to-date listings), if anyone cares to join me and see who can manage a victory dance first.

Toodles!