SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo

[Soulquarian]

Possibly the best online portable multiplayer game...

• 16 players on multiplayer, including Ad-Hoc and Infrastucture
• 12 multiplayer maps with 5 game modes
• Headset support
• SOCOM 3 for PS2 unlockable content

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo is easily one of, if not the, most full-featured titles for the PSP yet. With 16 players via either Ad-Hoc or Infrastructure mode, the game has excellent potential for a very long-term multiplayer lifespan. The singleplayer aspect is great as well, and with the addition of the Instant Action mode, also has quite a long life for itself.

As the controls needed to be transitioned to a single analog stick platform, the lock-on aiming system was necessarily added, which changes the game a bit. It's too easy to pick out foes that you might not have seen before, and it makes the game a little more maverick-friendly. Many people may not mind these changes at all, though it may turn some folks off.

When it comes down to it, Fireteam Bravo is an impressive PSP game that finally shows what the system is capable of online. Fans of the SOCOM series will definitely want to pick this up, and anyone begging for decent online action for the PSP will want to do the same.

Score of 8.3

Remarkably, most of the user interface for navigating through menus and lobbies look strikingly similar to its PS2 counterparts. Even more impressive is the fact that SCEA managed to implement voice chat to enable team-based strategies for its various gameplay modes, be it hostage escorts, bomb defusal, or simply the chaotic free-for-all with 16 heavily armed combatants (many of whom will camp spawn points indiscriminately). Although the headset itself will set you back 20 bones, the important thing to recognize is that it works great, essentially making Fire Team Bravo the complete multiplayer package. In fact, getting online with your PSP will prove to be much easier and hassle-free than on the PS2

Score of 8.5

With last week's release of Star Wars Battlefront, the fall session is looking great for Sony's handheld.

[Soulquarian]

Ok, I just picked this up yesterday, and if you have a PSP, this is a MUST have!

I've been playing almost non-stop and I bought a headset late last week. There's just something so cool about setting up an attack plan with 15 other people while sitting in starbucks. Absolutely awesome. The lobby system is great, and adding friends and keeping in touch with them is a breeze. The learning curve is a little steep online, but once you get the hang of it and start having more kills than deaths, you'll be playing all the time. Finally a great online PSP game!

[Reaver]

Ok, I just picked this up yesterday, and if you have a PSP, this is a MUST have!

I've been playing almost non-stop and I bought a headset late last week. There's just something so cool about setting up an attack plan with 15 other people while sitting in starbucks. Absolutely awesome. The lobby system is great, and adding friends and keeping in touch with them is a breeze. The learning curve is a little steep online, but once you get the hang of it and start having more kills than deaths, you'll be playing all the time. Finally a great online PSP game!

Yes indeed. Easily the best online handheld game on the market. As god as a lot of console online shooters, and better than more than a few. Zipper and Sony finally score an online grand slam...