SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 3 (PSP) Review

Ten-hut, soldier! It's time to return to the battlefield with another entry in the SOCOM franchise. So far, the action-oriented Fireteam Bravo games have left quite an impression on PSP fans, despite the heated competition on consoles. Now it's back with its strongest edition to date, U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3. Whether you're a long-time fan of the series or a soldier lacing up his or her boots for the first time, you won't want to miss it.

Fireteam Bravo 3 takes a nice break from the norm when it comes to story. Rather than taking orders from a higher-up screaming through an earpiece, you direct a four-man squad as Wraith, a highly trained military man who knows how to put someone down. You're sneaking in through heavily armed Soviet lines, in search of an operative who's gone silent. Previous rescue missions failed, so it's your job to make sure that your team succeeds.

This sequel has several advantages, the first of which is gameplay. Slant Six developed an outstanding system that relies on both gun-toting action and strategy. You'll be able to tag enemies by using an aiming and shooting system with both shoulder buttons and a quick tap of the X button. However, if you prefer to let your team do all the dirty work, you can pull up a sub-menu to have them charge in, throw flash bangs or cover whatever targets threaten you. This menu is broken down into three parts, and it takes a little while to figure out where all the functions are, but once you do, it'll feel like second nature.

Gameplay isn't the only thing working for Fireteam Bravo 3. You can also customize how you play through the Custom Missions option. Here, you can tweak how your mission plays out, choose your enemy (including their attack patterns and how many they are) and other things. More experienced players will take advantage of this option, since the game is too easy on the lighter difficulty settings; it's too simple to run in and shoot bad guys while their bullets whisk right past you, and even easier when you let your AI-driven teammates clean house.

Do well enough on a mission and you'll also unlock Command Equity points, which you can turn around to equip yourself and your team with awesome new commodities. These include thermal scopes (so you can see opponents easier in "blind spots"), outfits, weapons (we're fans of the shotguns) and more. There's no limit to how you spend these points, so complete whatever missions you feel like and spend away. This portion of Fireteam Bravo 3 really makes it worth coming back to.

If the Story mode and Custom Missions aren't enough, Fireteam Bravo 3 also supports multiplayer. You can join up with three other friends in co-op Story Mode, working cohesively as a unit or going hog-wild on whatever enters your target range. There are also five multiplayer modes: Tug of War, Free For All, Suppression, Demolition and (Protect the) Leader, which you can play in either AdHoc or Infrastructure with up to 16 people. From the sessions we tried, the missions run smoothly, although you'll want to play it cool. Respawning just doesn't happen here.

Although Fireteam Bravo 3 may not look as realistic as, say, Modern Warfare 2, Slant Six has done a kick-ass job recreating the tension of a high-priority military mission. Soldiers look good, and the enemy-laden environments they run through are varied, with lots of hiding spots and positions to put your team in. The indoor environments look just as good as the outdoor ones, and we rarely encountered glitches. The sound is also impressive, complete with quality voice acting and strong music, although there were times that the sync was slightly off.

We're happy that SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo still hits harder than ever the third time around. Despite slight confusion with the command system and occasionally lacking difficulty, the game is a well-oiled military machine that'll entertain you, particularly if you bring a few friends along for the ride. When this baby hits shelves next week, don't hesitate to enlist.