SOCOM US Navy Seals Fire Team Bravo

When it comes to online multiplayer gaming on the PS2 it’s clear that the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series, the first PlayStation game to introduce communication using a USB headset that accompanied the game, is at the top of the list for fans looking for a serious multiplayer workout. Yet at this year’s E3, the biggest surprise was that the good folks at Sony and Zipper Interactive were going to bring PSP gamers a portable version of SOCOM complete with an online multiplayer mode that rivals its big brother’s online mode. Well, I’m happy to report that with SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo for the PSP they did just that.

Surprisingly enough, Fireteam Bravo manages to cram in many of SOCOM 3’s gameplay elements as well as mimics its multiplayer functions. Like the console version, it’s a third-person tactical shooter with the only difference is that instead of a team of four you’ll only have a partner codenamed Lonestar providing backup and accepting commands. Aside from that fact, though, everything about this portable version feels just like the console version.

There’s a single-player game and it’s a whopping 14-mission game complete with mission objectives and a direct tie-in to the events found in SOCOM 3. Here you assume the role of Sandman who finds himself and his partner deeply involved in a war against terrorism that takes them throughout Chile, Morocco, South Asia and even Poland. Armed with modern weaponry, the pair are a force to be reckoned with but with various objectives to complete along the way it won’t be easy surviving this conflict.

Like SOCOM 3 you’ll find yourself picking out your arsenal, choosing from various weapons as well as adjustable additions to your weapons (laser sight, anyone?). The first missions start in Chile as you go up against a terrorist faction known as the Chilean Liberation League and you’ll later move through parts of the Andes while you attempt to cripple the terrorist cell in various ways. Like the console versions you’ll be completing main objectives but also secondary objects that help win extra points (like photographing intel with your new digital camera). Some objectives have you taking out a power generator to destroying caches filled with items the terrorist plan to use. Thanks to the fact that the environments are pretty big the game’s campaign missions are satisfyingly lengthy.

Despite the new control scheme and PSP analog stick, the game plays like its big brother. You can still crouch, lay flat and take shots from great distances. You can lean and shoot and even order your teammate to breach, bang and clear any door. Moving Sandman could have been complicated but here his actions flow smoothly. You can switch weapons on the fly as well as call up the commands menu easily enough. The targeting system is quite good but if its freedom you crave there’s Free Look. In short, everything we like about the console version is wonderfully intact in this portable version.

Unfortunately there’s a weak spot in the overall design and it comes in the form of the enemy AI. The enemy is great at shooting and they can do so with great accuracy. They can even make use of their numbers since they large number of enemies you face surely outnumber a team of two. The problem is that they often get stuck behind walls, making them easy targets if you decide to go around said wall to put a bullet in the back of their heads. Toss a grenade and they shout but don’t make a move to jump out of the way. 

Then there’s the multiplayer option. You can play the game with up to 8 to 16 players using Ad-Hoc and while I was fortunate to have been selected to receive an early copy of the game I wasn’t able to play the game with group of friends. But I was able to play the game using Infrastructure Mode and online the game played like a dream. First of all there are 12 playable maps and entering the lobby you can join or create a match and play a good variety of game modes. Apart from the usual last-man-standing matches there’s extraction to defend your base-type modes. How well does a 16-player game play? The matches I’ve played ran smoothly at a steady framerate. In short, this is what multiplayer dreams are made of and seeing as it’s a portable format even better.

Want more good news? Using a USB cable you can connect your PSP with the PS2 to “cross talk” between platforms to unlock extra content using your copy of SOCOM 3 and Fireteam Bravo. Complete a mission in SOCOM 3 and you unlock something for the PSP game and vice versa. This is great stuff indeed.

Graphically the game looks like the first SOCOM game on the PS2 and that’s actually not a bad thing at all. The camera offers a perfect view of the action, the environment and the characters. From afar the characters look decent enough but through the lens of your rifle faces have a PSOne look to them as does the limbs. Aside from some PS2-styled clipping problems, the game looks good and the effects (such as fires or explosions) are done right.

True to the SOCOM series, the sound is handled beautifully with wonderfully detailed sound effects and background noises. You’ll hear the wind pass through the opening of a cave as an enemy stifles a cough not too far from your position. Gunfire sounds accurate enough and explosions sound pretty loud through the PSP’s speakers. The voice acting is also handled well enough and the music is straight out of the console versions.

SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo for the PSP delivers what quite possibly is the best portable multiplayer game you’ll find on Sony’s handheld this year. Aside from a robust single-player campaign mode, loads of extras, the great online mode will have you playing this for months to come. If you’re looking for the ultimate holiday gift for any PSP owner, look no further.

Gameplay: 8.9
The game plays just like the console version of SOCOM games minus Jester and other teammates backing you up. The targeting system is pretty good but you have free-look when you want to do the aiming yourself. The mission variety is excellent but the biggest turn off happens to be the enemy AI.

Graphics: 8.5
Fireteam Bravo is actually easy on the eyes and with nice environmental details the game looks as good as the first console SOCOM game. The character models look great from afar but with some clipping problems and PSOne-like faces it could have been a tad better. Still the visual effects look good.

Sound: 9.0
The sound is pure SOCOM with the same militaristic anthem played before each mission start and ending and even the headset communication is intact. The sound effects are nice and loud and the ambient noise is just amazing. Even the voice acting is top-notch.

Difficulty: Medium
The mission objectives are plentiful and many of the later missions can be a bit tough. While the enemy can really shoot accurately, they’re dumber than rocks. I have yet to see one of the bad guys successfully jump out of the way of a grenade that lands not far from them.

Concept: 9.0
The single-player campaign mode offers various missions and there’s plenty of extras to unlock like better weapons and player skins to use during multiplayer matches. The feel of the console SOCOM games is very much intact and so is the great online and offline multiplayer mode. There’s some content to unlock and download using a USB cable to your PS2 version of SOCOM 3.

Multiplayer: 9.2
Here’s the reason people will think you Crazy Glued your PSP to your hands: the multiplayer options will have you playing this game for a very long time. I tested a 16-player match and an eight-player match and the game still ran smoothly. There’s a nice variety of game modes to play against others and they rock. Really, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Overall: 9.0
There’s no doubt about it, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo for the PSP is the real 'Must-Have' game of the year for anyone who owns a PSP. It’s single-player game will steal your heart but it’s the perfect multiplayer mode that will steal your soul. Buy this one right away, action fans, you won’t regret it.