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> Results: SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo
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There are plenty of general complaints about the quality of the games available for the PSP since the initial launch. But specifically, people have criticized the long load times, camera angles and controls. First person shooters on the PSP have had some of the worst camera problems and control issues of any of the genres. As Sony brings its venerable SOCOM franchise to the PSP it does so as the best shooter on the system to date.
The controls are very similar to other PSP shooters, but the way the game works and the effort put into making the controls responsive make the game work very well. You lead a team of two issuing commands and using team tactics, and your partner behaves fairly intelligently and independently. The control scheme uses the analog stick to move and the ﾑL' button to strafe, various buttons to fire, switch weapons and switch stance, and the ﾑR' button to lock on to targets. You are generally faced with one or two enemies at a time given the slow pace and focus on stealth, which works well with this control setup. SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo is a tactical shooter that features robust single-player and multiplayer modes. The single-player mode consists of sixteen missions spread across various theaters of operation. Each mission is self-contained, but feeds into a small storyline occurring at each location. There are cut scenes and a few thinly sketched charactersﾗjust enough to provide some motivation. The mission objectives are well spelled out and the gameplay is interesting. You are scored based on accomplishing the primary and secondary mission objectives, how well you used stealth, your accuracy and how many bonus objectives you accomplish.  While the single player missions are enjoyable and will keep players occupied for several hours trying to unlock all bonus missions and secret objectives, the real focus of this game is multiplayer. SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo has a very robust multiplayer, with 16-player games available in both local wireless (ad-hoc) and wireless internet (infrastructure) modes. While the ad-hoc mode works well, it is the infrastructure mode that is the real story here. Once you have an established wireless internet connection for your PSP, it is very simple to set up a profile and join a game. There are various game types and with the large number of locations it is almost always possible to find a competitive game. As is true with any online game, skills and maturity of your fellow gamers will vary widely and greatly impact your enjoyment of a multiplayer session. The major problems with the game are related to the performance and controls of the PSP. The controls work better than other shooters because of the slow pace and small size of the encounters, and also because responsiveness is given a high priority. Unfortunately, occasionally the graphics performance is choppy, and while the controls continue to respond it is still difficult to keep track of what is happening. The graphics are generally very good, but occasionally indistinct enough that it is hard to tell what you are looking at and where you should go. Finally, the use of the ﾑR' button for targeting is easily used as a crutch for actually aimingﾗespecially since aiming with the PSP's analog stick alone is pretty lousy. This is exacerbated by the more frantic nature of online play, and games often end up filled with ﾑR-button campers', who have found a good place to wait for players and simply ﾑR-target' and shoot someone as soon as they appear.  Overall SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo is a very good shooter and a fine entry for the SOCOM series on a new platform. Owners of the PS2 version of SOCOM 3 get a variety of bonuses unlocked during the game, which is a nice touch. The single-player missions provide several hours of entertainment, and the wireless multiplayer has the possibility to be one of those games that people just keep coming back to play again and again. 
The vast majority of the game is similar in style and intensity to T-rated games like Call of Duty, butﾗas is true with many recent gamesﾗthe cut scenes are brutal and very intense. Combined with the intensity and context of the action during the missions, this makes the game definite M-rated material, and the additional use of online microphones for team chat allows for unrestricted verbal abuse. These issues make this game appropriate only for older teens or adults.
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