A headset on, a voice barking orders, and a PS2 online lobby that no longer exists.

The gut verdict is blunt: when the community picks without thinking, SOCOM II only gets ahead of 16% of games. That is low. And the detail confirms it, almost everywhere. Desert island ahead of 8% of titles, attachment 12%, fun 9%, and the soundtrack right at the floor, ahead of only 3% of games. Some of those lines rest on very few votes, so soften the verdict a little, but the trend leaves little doubt. With one exception, and it matters: the feel with a controller in hand, ahead of 81% of games. That is the one thing the community grants it, and it is probably the right one. SOCOM II was about precise shooting, tempo, discipline, not emotion or art direction.

On criteria built for attachment, beauty or tender nostalgia, a 2003 military tactical shooter never stood a chance. What made it great, the squad, the microphone, online play back when almost nobody was doing it, is simply not what these questions measure.

So, who is it for? For you if you love rigour, slowness, the order whispered before the breach. Much less if you want a game that stays with you for its world or its music.