FOR such a classic and popular first-person shooting game, translating the SOCOM franchise from its PS2 format to the PSP was always going to be as risky as it was inevitable.


The good news is it is a move that has succeeded, perhaps even giving the PSP the first title to rival its original PS2 version in appeal and playability.
Fireteam Bravo puts you in the action seat as Sandman, a US Navy SEALS special ops team leader.

In campaign mode you get a series of 14 missions in Chile (a PSP exclusive), Morocco, South Asia and Poland, before getting the chance of leaping into instant action and free missions.

I was a bit disappointed that the campaign series was so short, but you get to unlock all kinds of goodies as you complete the missions.

The other big difference in gameplay between the PS2 and PSP versions is that in the handheld version you are commanding a SEAL duo, rather than a four-member squad.

But it's probably a fair enough sacrifice, and you can still get your partner Lonestar to do lots of the dirty work as you work your way through your missions. The controls, of course, had to be tweaked to fit into the smaller machine format but, if anything, this is one of the best ports I have seen of controls to the PSP.

They are simple, intuitive and easy to learn, even without an instruction manual (which we reviewers often have to make do without).

The standard game pack sells with a USB microphone/headphone pack that unlocks what is probably the PSP game's greatest asset, an online format that allows you to pit yourself against up to 15 other players over a global server.

This reviewer must confess to not having been able to put this feature through its paces, but the theory sounds great.

Graphics-wise, it's about the best I've seen on the PSP, as are the sound effects, even using the PSP's standard earbuds (I would love to see if the headphones improve it more).

It's an easy call to say this is the best first-person shooter and PS2 port for the PSP.

Indeed, it may even be the best title so far for the handheld machine.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Publisher: SCEA
• Price: $99.95 (bundled with headset) PSP/Zipper Interactive
• Rating: 9/10