SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault

Combined Assault is another major installment of the popular SOCOM series on PlayStation 2, but for the first time its main development was led by Slant Six Games instead of founding studio Zipper Interactive, which at the time was focused on moving the series to PlayStation Portable and preparing future titles for the upcoming PlayStation 3. Combined Assault's task was thus to keep the console line alive while offering players as much content as possible for the price of a single disc, before the main series moved to a new hardware generation a few years later.

The game therefore contained two separate campaigns – a brand-new mission set in a new conflict region, plus a reworked campaign from the previous spin-off installment, so that players who had skipped or lacked access to that earlier episode could play it too. It also brought improved graphics compared to older series entries, new weapons, and an expanded online multiplayer with additional maps and game modes, which remained the whole brand's main draw even years into its lifespan and attracted players who skipped the single-player campaigns and bought the game purely for online matches with friends. The change of development studio also noticeably affected the pace and structure of the missions, which were considerably more straightforward and linear than the sprawling open maps of the third installment, reflecting the new team's different approach to level design and overall pacing. Partly because of this, Combined Assault earned a reputation as an entry more accessible to newcomers, albeit at the cost of the less open battlefields that players had grown used to in the series' previous major episodes.

Why play it: Combined Assault is an ideal choice for players who want as much SOCOM content as possible on a single disc – two campaigns and strong multiplayer in one package – and are curious how the series was approached by a studio that took over the baton from its founders and had to find its own identity within an established brand.