The SOCOM series is back, in a big way. This time with more guns, better cutscenes, and much stronger presentation. You play as Wraith, the squad leader of a 4 man Special Forces team. You will travel across a former Soviet State, tracking a former KGB agent with ties to an ultra-nationalist army threatening to unleash a crap-storm of WMD’s on the world.Your mission is to stop them.

First, the new stuff. Fireteam Bravo 3 breaks the mold by offering the most weapons and unlockables in ANY other iteration of the series. Over 70 weapons and their respective lasers, grips, scopes, silencers, and various other attachments are at your disposal for all the terrorist killing action you can muster. Next, the cutscenes, using the same motion capture technology seen in the blockbuster movie Avatar, really add noticeable polish to the game. Your teammates no longer bite the big one either, with the new revive option. Squad control is also much improved, with new controls, and easier to access pop-up menu.

Now, my only problem with this game is the length of the campaign. At only 9 levels, and a little over 3 hours long, it needs a little more oomph to make the game worthwhile. I would have liked to see a much longer campaign experience. However, the multiplayer is very robust, with 5 game modes, ample maps, and a new clan creation option. The servers were sparsely populated during my review period, but I got enough of a peek to know that it will be enough to satisfy the hardcore SOCOM players, and new players alike.

Overall, SOCOM 3 isn’t much of a departure from previous iterations graphically, or from a story perspective. It does have some much needed improvements such as the additions in the weapons selection, squad control options, and the ability to revive your fallen squad-mates. Fans of the series will enjoy this game with it’s very familiar feel, and the additions too, but a longer campaign, and maybe a different perspective on the usual terrorist vs. special ops storyline would have made this one a must buy for even newcomers to the series.

[A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.]