SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 Preview

Pre-E3 2009 Preview

The SOCOM franchise has long been a name associated with terrific tactical shooters and SOCOM FTB 3 is certainly going to continue in that vein.

Very much a tactical shooter, the game begins with a simple mission suited for only the Navy S.E.A.L. team. A perceived threat to Western interests is uncovered by a person in the Balkan state, but that person needs a way out. A S.E.A.L. team is sent in to collect the informant and the game expands from that moment on.

There are nine missions, each taking about 30 minutes to work through, but replayability is guaranteed because each time a person plays through a mission different objectives are possible.

SOCOM is a team-based tactical game and the interface carries that theme forward with contextual commands tied into the team controls. But the development team has not merely rested on the laurels of games past, but rather has worked to make this PSP edition a vivid game with great environments.

A member of the dev team, on hand for the SCEA pre-E3 event in Los Angeles, stated that the game had been worked on for a long time and in addition to a robust multiplayer, the team concentrated on creating great environments that allows for a larger number of enemies on screen.

Some of the features on display were the auto-save chevrons that allow players to chart their progress and play the missions in increments. There are also 70 weapons and attachments available. The game also uses cover intuitively and seamlessly.

Some of the environmental elements are destructible, but that is generally the exception rather than the rule.

Graphically the game is excellent, even though the build being shown was pre-alpha. SOCOM FTB 3 is slated for release later in 2009.

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