SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2

Portable titles are usually less impressive their big console cousins but Fireteam Bravo 2 proves that size actually doesn't matter.

Hold down the right shoulder button to lock on to a target, and unload as quick as you can. Stay on the move, with your thumb on the trigger at all times.

Hold down the right shoulder button to lock on to a target, and unload as quick as you can. Stay on the move, with your thumb on the trigger at all times.

The members of Fireteam Bravo are being deployed once again onto the PSP and the combined force of its single-player campaign and action-packed multiplayer mobile ops is strong enough to make us forget all about the lackluster effort of its PS2 sibling, Combined Assault.

Back Seat Driver

While this portable sequel doesn't boast the cooperative play of its console sibling, its campaign still manages to be considerably more fun, thanks to a refined and responsive control scheme and better A.I. for your squadmate. In other words, Fireteam Bravo doesn't look as nice as Combined Assault but it handles much better. Usually it's the portable version of a title that feels like an afterthought, but that stereotype gets turned on its head here.

Fans of the first portable excursion will love the larger, more detailed maps, the increased number of things to do in every locale, and the never-ending supply of optional and tangential dynamic missions appearing that challenge you to capture high profile targets, gather intelligence, and blow stuff up in nearby areas. Even the enemy AI seems improved, even if it's still a bit slow on the draw.

Movement and muzzle flash will give your position away in multi-player so make sure you're in a good spot before you pull the trigger.

Movement and muzzle flash will give your position away in multi-player so make sure you're in a good spot before you pull the trigger.

Fast Friends

There's a greater emphasis on your team's relationship with the local populace this time around, in the form of "local influence" points that are gained and lost based on your actions. Follow the rules of engagement, avoid spilling civilian blood and take enemies hostage instead of executing them to raise your local influence points. Get this value high enough, and you'll start getting anonymous tips for future missions, pointing out ambush sites and tactical opportunities, and you'll even gain access to new weapons on the black market.

Similarly, every objective you complete across the fourteen main campaign missions, from critical tasks to hidden secrets, earns you "Command Equity" points to be spent on weapons, air strikes, and supply drops. These point systems might sound simple, but they actually prove to be inspired offerings that give every action, from knifing a sentry to cuffing his boss, a sense of weight and consequence that it wouldn't otherwise carry. You'll even find more of the cool Crosstalk Objectives that were introduced in SOCOM 3 and the original Fireteam Bravo.

We've included details on the Crosstalk Compatiblity in our review of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault for the PS2, which you can find here.

One Man Army

When you're done carving through terrorists on your own, jump into multiplayer match-ups with up to 15 other people, either locally via an Ad Hoc connection, or online in the excellent Infrastructure mode. Just like the first Fireteam Bravo, multiplayer games tend to be fast and loose when compared to the tactics and stealth of SOCOM's home versions, but they're also tailored for short and sweet gunning on the run.

One could gripe about the control scheme not being as robust as what DualShock wielders enjoy, but it's just about as good as it could be without a second analog stick. The sometimes simplistic graphics could still use another boost, and enemy taunts and anguished cries can grate on the ears in their repetition, but Fireteam Bravo 2 is too much fun for such irritations to scrub the mission. SOCOM may be stumbling on its console home, but it's standing tall at its portable post.

Though grenades tend to have limited uses in the main campaign, you should plan on using them whenever you possibly can in a free-for-all frag session.

Though grenades tend to have limited uses in the main campaign, you should plan on using them whenever you possibly can in a free-for-all frag session.

Pay attention to the color palettes of each level: the player in the water is a much less visible target in part because the color scheme matches his clothing.

Pay attention to the color palettes of each level: the player in the water is a much less visible target in part because the color scheme matches his clothing.

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