SOCOM has returned with yet another worthy entry. A near-perfect transition of the series to the handheld.
Let's start off with the gameplay, and of course, the multiplayer. The multiplayer is quite honestly fantastic. With 16 players VIA Ad-hoc or Infastructure mode on 12 huge, classic SOCOM maps, the multiplayer is everything you would expect from SOCOM on the handheld. The maps are just great, and they vary from eliminations to hostages and other scenarios. Also there are a few PSP exclusive maps. The game supports a headset (Sold seperatly for $20, and no it doesn't work with PS2 headsets), as well as the new "Instant Action" mode where you can jump in and start playing instantly. This is a nice feature, what with the game being portable and all. The headset quality is just great, no lag, not much static... very impressive. However the single player campaign is fun, there are a few flaws. The A.I. seems not to notice you sometimes and also get stuck in walls but it's nothing that could really damage your gameplay experience. So what is playing Fireteam Bravo like? Very much what you would expect. It is extremely tactical and very very fun.
Now for the grapics. The soldiers look nice and so do the enviorments, but they won't really "wow" you all that much. Less then impressive textures take away from an organic feeling, however it is really nothing that isn't expected in a handheld and the game still comes together looking all around nice.
The sound is literally perfect. A wind will blow by and you will hear a terrorist coughing, not far left from your location. Bullets and shells all make excellent noises, and the speech sounds very realistic with all the languaged shouts and commands. You can press a button and select pre-made messages for those who don't have a headset. There is also text chat but as you would suspect it takes a while typing things in.
The replay value is literally endless between the random spawning in "Instant action" mode and the multiplayer, of course, makes it pretty hard for you to put down this game. You'll be playing this for a while, indeed.
Overall, Fireteam Bravo is an superb transition of the series to the PSP, and anyone who has a PSP should definatly pick it up. In fact even if you don't have a PSP, this is one of the games that you should buy a PSP for. What are you doing sitting here? Go out and buy that game now, soldier! Go go go!