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Developer: Zipper Interactive
Publisher: SCEA
Genre: FPS
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 08 Nov 05
User Rating
8.1 (94 votes) -
- Far from a watered-down PS2 port, Fireteam Bravo provides a full-on FPS gaming experience on the PSP, with some multiplayer and connectivity features thrown in for good measure.
More Screens (5 total)
Overview
There may be a valid reason why some genres like platformers and puzzlers absolutely thrive on the handheld platform, while other genres have not even had a chance to see the light of day. Why you might ask? Well, perhaps because handhelds before did not have the necessary power to fully realize the potential of visual-hungry genre such as the FPS. Well now we can see games like Konami's Coded Arms and Sony's own SOCOM franchise making the transition to the PSP. So is SOCOM US Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo a great transition from the PS2 to the PSP for this series? Read our full review to find out now!
Gameplay
For those that are either clueless or just don't pay much attention to the Playstation 2, SOCOM US Navy Seals was literally the first FPS to come out for the console to support online play. This game was literally the driving force for the PS2 Online support and thus we consequently saw consistent upgrades to the series in SOCOM II and SOCOM III. All three of these games have been fantastic, with great multiplayer and SOCOM III including a great single player as well. Well can Fireteam Bravo manage to bring what we all loved about the console version and cram it into a handheld?
So how exactly did the guys over at Zipper manage to take a shooter from the consoles and bring them to the handheld device? Well they did a nice job of making a lock on feature that makes it easy to scroll through enemies and just unleash the pain on them. This feature is really the only fundamental change from the console version to the PSP version, and this was one that of course had to be made in order to make it work on this platform.
Now looking at the core of the gameplay of Fireteam Bravo, I have to say that I was extremely impressed in what they were able to jam pack in this game. You have the single player mode, where you play as Sandman in a two-man Seal team. Now some of you hardcore SOCOM fans may be turned away by the fact that you're in a pair, but let me just ease everyone opinions on this as it actually works just about the same. Because the PSP is obviously a smaller platform, it means the two players really just feels identical to have four on the consoles. The overall feel of the single player campaign in good and will remind players of the campaigns of the first two SOCOM games, although not quite as deep as SOCOM 3.
The big draw or feature of Fireteam Bravo is of course not the single player, but instead the multiplayer. The mode is very impressive, as it supports up to sixteen players, both online and via ad-hoc. Taking a step aside just for a second, I have to say that the multiplayer of Fireteam Bravo is exactly what gamers were expecting out of the PSP, and Fireteam Bravo I think will turn heads for its online support. Having played quite a few games online I have to say that the games ran pretty smooth, and in my opinion just felt great. There was of course the occasional lag, but for the most part the games ran at a nice lag-free pace.
What is interesting about Fireteam Bravo is also the interconnectivity between the PS2 and PSP, with a USB cable. This is of course not a huge feature, but if you complete missions on both systems, you will unlock some extra goodies, which will be great for the hardcore SOCOM fans. In the end, all of this combines to make a very good shooter that is by far the best playing shooter on the PSP. This may not be everything that people are hoping for in SOCOM, but it has so much great material that I think everyone will be extremely satisfied with what the developers were able to create on the PSP.
Graphics
Visually Fireteam Bravo suffers from some problems that are pretty apparent right out of the gate. You can see the developers had some trouble porting some of the game's visuals. First off the environments in the game lack the detail that we saw on the console versions. Everything in the game appears a bit murky and bland. The animation in the game holds up well and is just adequate considering it's on the PSP, not the PS2. With all of this being said, Fireteam Bravo is an average looking game that just lacked any firepower behind the visuals.
Fun Factor
I have to say that Fireteam Bravo is one of those games that will just impress people by its sure quality, in both the gameplay and the visuals, to some extend. I have to say Fireteam Bravo has some great gameplay features with an entertaining array of areas to explore. By far though the main draw of Fireteam Bravo is the multiplayer, which is just an amazing accomplishment by Zipper. When I look at how much fun I had when playing online, I have to say that this game brought one of the more enjoyable experiences this year on the PSP.
Overall
SOCOM US Navy Seals: Fireteam Bravo is really just a great game, and one of the better games the PSP has seen. This game offers both a great single and multiplayer aspect that fans of the SOCOM series are really just going to enjoy. The developers must be commended for not taking the short cut here, and opted to optimize it for the PSP as opposed to releasing just a watered down console port. It may not have the best visuals, but in the end fans of shooters and SOCOM alike will find plenty to love about Fireteam Bravo.
- Gameplay
9.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
9.0 - Overall
9.0
