But not everything is new in Fireteam Bravo; one of SOCOM's
biggest stand-bys is coming along for the ride.
The easiest way to keep in contact with the other soldiers (and
terrorists) in the game is to use Sony's
own PSP headset, which can be picked up separately for around $20. I was surprised by the headset's impressive sound quality, and speaking to your
teammates is just as easy here as it ever was on the PlayStation 2. Although SOCOM is currently the only game
supporting this device, the headset is definitely the way to go if you're looking for the real experience.
Of course, none of this would matter if the game play was
terrible. It doesn't matter how many
levels you have, how striking the online mode is, and how cool it is to talk to
friends via your PSP, if you're always fighting the control then something is
seriously wrong. Thankfully SOCOM dodges
a bullet on this one, the controls in Fireteam
Bravo is very good … for the most part.
PSP owners have a right to be worried about a portable SOCOM;
so far all of the other shooters (such as Konami's Coded Arms) have been
miserable experiences with clunky controls.
There are plenty of good things I can say about Sony's PlayStation
Portable, but no matter how many wonderful things I come up with I am still
disappointed by its lack of a second analog stick. A game like this requires two analog sticks
to work (not to mention a whole lot of buttons), so how accurate could this
game really be to its console brothers?
Thankfully, the people making the game did an excellent job
of refining the controls to fit perfectly on the PSP. The biggest obstacle was that lack of a
second analog stick, so SOCOM now has a cool "targeting" button that
will help you aim at your enemies and take them down. At first the target button may seem like
cheating, but you'll soon realize that just because you're aiming at them
doesn’t mean you'll have an automatic kill.
In fact, there is real depth in Fireteam
Bravo's combat, making you take into consideration your surroundings, guns,
distance, and more. Some people might
not like the idea of a targeting button, but this is the best we're going to
get on a portable game system with only one analog stick. I found that this change to the game play
actually made the online games a lot more exciting, certainly more
action-packed than we're used to from those SOCOM games on the PS2.
Another big problem with porting SOCOM to the PSP was that
there just weren't enough buttons to do everything, so a few things had to go
(like jumping) or be mapped to another button (to reload your gun you have to
hold a button down until it does it).
All of these little quirks aren't really that bad when you get used to
them, but for the first few games you'll be constantly double checking the
instruction manual to make sure you're doing everything right. Once you're over that learning curve Fireteam Bravo becomes and amazing game
that is near-impossible to put down.
On the graphic side of things Fireteam Bravo is a solid looking game. You'll notice that some of the visuals are a
bit grainy and a lot of the big effects found in the console version are
missing, but otherwise this portable version looks exactly like the PS2 games
it spawned from. All of the environments
(be inside or outside) look spectacular, everything is highly detailed and
extremely easy on the eyes. This is far
from the best looking game on the PSP, but it's nice to see that a game like
SOCOM can be shrunk down with only a few minor graphic imperfections. I can't wait to see what the developers will
be able to accomplish with a little more time and a better understanding of the
hardware.
The sound, on the other hand, is simply amazing. With the headphones on it really feels like
you're right there in the middle of the action, something I never thought I
would say about a portable action game.
Not only can you hear the sound of bullets whizzing by your, but each
level has its own unique ambience that makes you feel like you are really there. Everything from the voice acting to the most
mundane sound effects are all high-quality, everything just fits perfectly with
the general feel the developers were going for.
SOCOM's first portable offering may have some room to
improve, but there is not a better online shooter on the PSP or any other
portable games system for that matter. Fireteam Bravo manages to bring all of
the excitement from the console version and gives you to you in a small,
handheld form and for that they should be commended. If you've been waiting for the perfect game
to test out the PSP's online abilities then SOCOM is a must-buy, and even if
you never intend to play with others, this is still a game worth checking out.
B+
Despite a couple minor complaints and a steep learning curve, Fireteam Bravo is easily the best game of its type on the PSP. If you're looking for a game to take your portable system online then SOCOM is the perfect game for you!
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