Now Playing: SOCOM for the PSP is better than expected

Better late than never, they always say. I’ve managed to get a steal this weekend by snatching up SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 1 and 2 for the PlayStation Portable. Despite having the hots for the sequel, I’ve decided to begin my adventures with the earlier game.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Fireteam Bravo is a well-constructed FPS/third-person shooter for the PSP. Despite the absence of a second analog stick for the PSP, the game comes with surprisingly good controls. The scheme may not be perfect, but it’s a much better alternative to the peculiar Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror controls, which rely on the PSP’s face buttons for cursor/camera movement.

I’ve yet to engage in the game’s multiplayer. From what I’ve heard, cheating is common in Fireteam Bravo’s online component with mods such as infinite ammo and rank-up rooms. Why am I not surprised?

Because cheating seems to be rampant in handheld games’ online multiplayer, that’s why. I dipped my hand in Metroid Prime Hunters and I got burned. Since that day, I’m half expecting that some crazed teenager would find a way to get ahead in such games because it gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Here’s to a good, albeit limited, single-player campaign for PSP’s SOCOM.

Image for SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo is courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment.