With combined worldwide franchise sales totaling more than 6 million units, SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs builds on the success of its predecessor offering new single-player and multiplayer game experiences, including 32-player supported online gameplay, player-controlled interactive vehicles, more than 900 different weapon combinations and mission maps five to six times larger than in previous SOCOM titles.

"The franchise has evolved tremendously from taking PlayStation 2 consumers online for the first time with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs in 2002 to achieving more than 30,000 simultaneous online players on SOCOM II. For SOCOM 3, we have doubled the number of players within each map from 16 to 32, incorporated interactive vehicles, weapon customization and cross talk objectives with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo for PSP," said Seth Luisi, senior producer, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We are cementing the SOCOM franchise's position as a key technology driver in interactive entertainment history."

For the first time in the SOCOM series, land and water vehicles play a central role in the gameplay experience, both on- and off-line. The use of interactive vehicles enable players to control a range of military vehicles including tactical turret-equipped pickups, the SEAL-team configured military M1025 HMMWV and SOC-R Assault Boat. Players will explore three new international Areas of Operation (AO) -- Morocco, Poland, and South Asia with multiple save points, allowing for seamless progression through the plotline. A new weapon customization system allows players to use more than 30 different weapons and 20 attachments, resulting in more than 900 different combinations.

SOCOM 3 will support double the amount of players in SOCOM II online maps. Up to 32 players can compete and team together in a single round, with two new online game types, Convoy, a mode that takes advantage of vehicle combat, and Control Point, where gamers battle for control of the map. Extended community features include improved friends list and chat functionality, in-game email, a detailed ranking structure, expanded stat tracking and leader boards, message boards, clan challenges, clan ladders and more.

SOCOM 3 "cross talk" mission critical data can be synced through a USB connection with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo, launching exclusively on November 8 for the PSP. Once a cross talk goal is completed, such as eliminating an enemy communication device in Morocco, the player will be notified and able to transfer the data to PSP system. In this scenario, the enemies would be unable to radio for assistance on SOCOM Fireteam Bravo in the same Area of Operation. Gamers can also affect mission structure in SOCOM 3 by completing a cross talk objective on SOCOM Fireteam Bravo.

Also new for SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs is the ability to swim and attack enemies on land or in the water from specially equipped boats. Players can swim and dive under water to sneak up on terrorists and the player-controlled waterborne vehicles provide quick access points to areas in the large maps.

SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs presents a fully immersive and more intense tactical experience than ever before, further solidifying its key position in the military strategy genre.

The ESRB has rated SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs "M" for "Mature."