SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs -- Fireteam Bravo [PSP]

SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo is the first portable entry of the popular PlayStation 2 shooter franchise. Despite being simplified compared to its bigger brother, it delivers surprisingly comprehensive gameplay in a modest package.

The game features a 14-mission campaign spanning four operational theaters, telling the same typical global terrorist threat story as the other games. However, the missions feel different; this is primarily due to losing half of your team. The other SOCOM games put you in command of a team of four, while Fire Team Bravo has downsized it to two.

The demotion may hurt your pride, but a smaller team works better with the simplified mission structures and AI. Both friendly and enemy units frequently make boneheaded moves, like not firing when they're directly in each other's sights. You can give your wingman simple orders to try to keep him alive -- and you'll want to, because it's mission over if he dies.

Missions are somewhat short, but they lack checkpoints. So if you die toward the end, it'll suddenly feel a lot longer. The level designs tend to be very linear in nature, and each mission's objectives are fairly straightforward. There are plenty of optional tasks that will unlock new weapons online or off, but for the most part, each level is a straight shot through.

Shooting straight is something you'll be doing quite a bit, thanks to the game's simplified control scheme. Without a second analog stick, you're stuck relying on just one for movement and aiming. Strafing requires holding down the left shoulder button, and while you can toggle a free-look mode by tapping right on the D-pad, you're stuck in place once when it's enabled.

To handle that shortcoming Fire Team Bravo sports a targeting system that locks you on to the nearest opponent by holding the right shoulder button. This gives the game a very different feel, and takes some adjustment. Alternatively, strafing and rotating to get around a corner will quickly become intuitive, but the game never feels as comfortable as it would with a proper controller.

Getting online is easy, as is maintaining a friends list, joining a clan, or finding games. There are always thousands of opponents online and, with a good selection of gameplay modes and maps, plenty of ways to kill them. If you pony up the extra $20 for Sony's headset, you'll be able to engage in voice chat that works every bit as good as the PS2 version.

The game's sound effects, voiceover, and music are just as good, too. Unfortunately, The graphics aren't nearly as impressive. Player models are reasonably detailed and explosions look nice, but terrain is blocky, wrapped in ugly textures, and shrouded in fog.

Online or off, Fire Team Bravo is extremely entertaining and a solid extension of the franchise. It doesn't offer the same mission or weapon variety as its big brothers, but its portability and wireless multiplayer more than make up for those shortcomings. And like its counterpart on the PlayStation 2, it's one of the best first-person shooters for the PSP to date.