SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo tries to take the look and feel of SOCOM 3 from the PS2 and make it portable, and in a few ways, it succeeds. At the same time, however, it feels like there's elements that should have been improved a long time before I slotted the game into my PSP.

In Fireteam Bravo, you take command of Sandman as you and your partner in the SEALs fight in various locations around the world against terrorist organizations. Nothing too new here, you've just got to save the day. There are a fair amount of campaign levels to go through, and each has bonus objectives for you to find and complete. If you miss these the first time, you'll be able to go back and 'redeploy' in the level to see if you can do better.

Zipper did the best they could with a single analog stick. Generally, the controls are satisfactory, but the glaring lack of a second analog stick makes moving around and taking out enemies feeling clumsy at times. To remedy the fact that aiming is a hassle, the added function of the right trigger as a lock-on button has been added. Anytime you press that, if an enemy is within your firing range, you'll immediately turn to face him and your crosshair will be pointed straight at him. Press the left trigger, and you'll switch targets, if there's any more in range.

This helped immensely in dealing with the poor aiming system (there's a freelook mode too, but it's something of a hassle to use,) but at the same time, it hindered the game. Simply put, the auto-lock made this far too easy. It's entirely possible to run straight through a level using nothing but the auto-lock and fire buttons, because all you need to do is tap the trigger to see if an enemy is close as you run through the corridors, whether they're behind a wall or not.

This run-and-gun plan is made even easier by the stuttering AI. It's not terrible, so to speak. When the enemies find you, they'll often run for cover and pop out to shoot, while calling for reinforcements. However, the reaction time of the enemies is fairly slow, and it can take a second or two before they even realize that they should be doing something. For all this to happen, though, the enemy needs to actually notice you, and therein lays one of the biggest problems with the AI. Unless you're directly in their point of view, the enemies aren't going to notice you anytime soon. There's something of a stealth element present, but it seems wasted when you can approach an enemy from the side while walking along a grating, and not have him even turn his head.

The graphics of Fireteam Bravo are pretty good for a handheld, though they're not too consistent. They seem to be hit-and-miss throughout the game, as the level of detail in models and textures vary, which means a lot of repetition through the levels, as the walls all look the same, and it's tough to differentiate two given points on a map. You and your teammate, though, look exceptionally well-detailed. Your enemies, however, do not. In fact it's unlikely you'll notice anything at all about your enemies other than the fact that they have two legs and a gun. Any more detail disappears due to a combination of the small screen and the low resolution models. The same thing occurs with objective-specific items such as journals or videotapes. What you'll be looking for is essentially a small, detail-less box on a surface. They're hard to see and annoying to look for, and can sometimes mean multiple trips around a level as you search for them.

When the campaign finishes, or if you just want to mix things up a bit, you can start Instant Action. Essentially, you specify the location, mission objectives, and difficulty, and you start the mission with Lonestar. It's a quick little diversion for those who want to play specific objectives or practice their abilities, since the enemies are randomly placed around the level.

If you want a little more meat in your replay value, however, there's the fairly robust multiplayer mode to play. The game supports up to 16 players in both ad-hoc and infrastructure mode, and from what I've experienced, runs well, with few signs of lag or slowdown. There's a variety of modes to play, whether it's your typical free-for-all, a team-deathmatch-style 'suppression', a hostage rescue, or a couple other modes, there's enough diversity between the modes to keep you satisfied. One of the biggest problems I had with the multiplayer mode, however, is the addition of the auto-lock feature. Why they included this, I have no idea, but it makes everything seem overly simple and unfair, when all you need to do is run up to someone and press the right trigger and fire. Victory is often determined by who can lock it quicker and shoot, and the element of stealth and hiding is greatly diminished online.

If there's one thing I did appreciate in the game, it was the quality of the audio. The music is very well developed, and is fitting to the situation in which it is played. Likewise, the voiceovers are top-notch, and often are done in the language of the region that you are currently in. While I can't vouch for the authenticity of the languages, they sounded pretty good to me, and helped in a little way with the immersion factor of the game.

There's also a bunch of Crosstalk unlockables that you can get by both beating missions in SOCOM 3 as well as completing special objectives in campaign mode. These, when connected to SOCOM 3 on the PS2, allow you to get even more bonus extras. If you don't own SOCOM 3, you're out of luck, but I suppose this is a gentle reminder from the developers that maybe you should buy it.

Fireteam Bravo is a good example of what online play should be like for the PSP. It's diverse and well-made, allowing for many hours of enjoyment. The controls are a little clumsy and take a while to get used to, especially for those that aren't very experienced with the PSP, but the addition of the auto-lock makes the game possible to get through, if not a little easier than it should be. If you enjoy the SOCOM series, you will probably want to pick this title up, though get ready for some mediocre AI to beat at you. Otherwise, a fairly good play.