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| PLATFORM: PSP |
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| IS THAT A SEAL IN YOUR POCKET |
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 ’ve said it a billion times, and I’ll say it again: Single-player is broken and boring in this as in all SOCOM games. Some people like it despite its glaring, hideous flaws, and more power to them; however, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s objectively terrible with its wretched AI and bland objectives. But, once again, the online multiplayer is the entire point of SOCOM, and Fireteam Bravo is no different.
Like its console counterpart, this release gets by solely on the fact that it’s the only game in town. Right now, there’s simply no other way to frag online on PSP, and for that reason alone this serves a purpose. The community features – rankings, stat tracking, clan support, etc. – are nice, and getting connected and into a game is very easy, but the gameplay still can’t get past some basic control flaws.
The wretchedly imprecise analog nub on the PSP prevents any sort of precision in aiming and movement. To combat this, a Metroid Prime-esque lock-on feature was implemented, and while it works better than other PSP shooters, it also removes much of the skill from combat. The fact that the camera automatically aligns itself to whatever plane you’re standing on – meaning that every time you move onto a hill or anything your view jumps around – is incredibly frustrating.
So, just to reiterate: Don’t buy this for the single-player campaign. It’s awful. The only reasonable use for Fireteam Bravo is to go online and shoot other players on the PSP. But, since the experience is a good decade or more behind what you can get on the Xbox, 360, or PC, consider carefully before dropping your dollars on this
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7.75 |
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I found playing through Fireteam Bravo’s campaign mode about as exciting as watching a slug race, as it features all the shortcomings that you’d expect from a shooter on PSP. The lock-on feature simply kills any challenge, and the fact that all your enemies came to the battlefield on the short bus doesn’t help. Fortunately, multiplayer is a little livelier. Although there is still no skill required, the battles are fast-paced and chaotic, with a surprisingly stable online environment. I wasn’t a big fan of SOCOM 3, and Fireteam Bravo is a pretty similar experience. But considering how well this handheld version emulates its console brother, I can safely say that Fireteam Bravo is going to be a no-brainer for fans. |
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7 |
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| CONCEPT: |
| Fit SOCOM onto the PSP with mixed results |
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| GRAPHICS: |
| Character models are nice-looking and detailed, but the environments are drab and dull |
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| SOUND: |
| The inclusion of voicechat for online play is the only thing worth mentioning here |
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| PLAYABILITY: |
| This hacked-up adaptation of Metroid Prime controls just ends up being a mess |
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| ENTERTAINMENT: |
| Online multiplayer shootouts on the PSP are cool by default, and this manages to just meet that minimum bar |
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| Copyright
1991 -
2008
:: Game Informer Magazine
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