Another cool feature is the ability to return to previously cleared areas. Combined Assault takes place in a semi persistent world in which new threats can pop up at any given time, so one moment a piece of land will be cleared of terrorists, and the next a new uprising will emerge. It's a feature that adds lots of replay value, and it is no doubt one of the game's major selling points.
There's also a bevy of new items such as pepper spray, tear gas, and concussion grenades, non-lethal items that come in handy when dealing with the game's civilians. NPCs can be a valuable source of information, but they've been programmed to react a certain way depending on how the game's being played. If someone just runs into their homeland with guns blazing they may not be as interested to help. However, if the player takes down the bad guys through non-lethal means, they may cough up desirable intelligence.
Then there's the Crosstalk feature. Combined Assault works in tandem with the PSP's latest SOCOM game, Fireteam Bravo 2. Both take place in the same world, making it possible for a PSP team to affect the outcome a PS2 squad's mission. For example, a PSP team may assassinate a key figure that would've otherwise given the PS2 team a hard time.
The Crosstalk feature is definitely cool. It's a shame that none of it takes place in real time, but it's more than likely a glimpse into the future. Years down the road, people on the PSP (or some other Sony hand held) will probably be able to death match with PS3 owners, and this particular connection will be seen as one of the earliest experiments of such a feature.
Ok, so here's the problem. Despite all of these new features, Combined Assault feels tired and played out. Busted looking graphics aside, the gameplay leaves a sour taste. Whereas the original SOCOM and its sequel pushing the military genre forward, this game feels like it's playing catch up. Zipper had to do a bit more than toss in some newfangled grenades and improved player counts. However, it's unlikely that hardcore SOCOM fans will even care. The co-op play allows for a much richer single player experience, the 32 person team death matching is insane, and the Crosstalk functionality is great, providing that it's easy to locate people actually playing both games at the same time. But this series definitely needs to make the jump to the PlayStation 3. The world deserves as much.
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