You have to hand it to
Zipper Interactive and SCEA, each year their SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs games
keep getting better and better on the PlayStation 2 and each year there is
something fans of this military shooter series have to rave about whether it’s a
massive online multiplayer mode or vehicles. Thankfully, the series has also
come to the PSP and the first game was, without a doubt, an amazing portable
version worth buying. So imagine my delight when SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALS
Fireteam Bravo 2 was announced and having played it I must say that even on
a portable format this series does keep getting better and better.
Fireteam Bravo 2
single-player Campaign mode puts you in the
military boots of highly trained and familiar Navy SEAL Sandman who is now a
Commander. Along with his select group of Fireteam Bravo teammates, the
Commander takes on various missions that put the team into harms way in order to
carry out each objective for God and country. Instead of putting gamers through
a linear story mode, you can pick your mission campaigns (there are 14
single-player missions in total) and take them on in any order you like.
Spanning a number of different locales, the mission scenarios have their own
threats the team must deal with as well as keeping their performance in mind
seeing as there are civilians watching.
Local Influence is but one
of many new features found in this sequel and it’s one of the more interesting
ones seeing as your behavior on the field dictates how much trust the locals
have with the U.S. military around. You can storm into a house and start
unloading a clip inside but in the end civilians will not warm up to you or
offer any helpful Intel or access to their black market arms dealers (to
purchase new weapons). You’ll find early in the game that there are good ways of
securing civilians and there are wrong ways of doing it as well (shooting in
their general direction to make them stop running just isn’t a good way of
winning points with the locals). The game’s new Command Equity feature also
tracks your overall performance during a mission. It basically adds points for
each mission campaign as it deducts points for not completing a bonus or
secondary objective or getting your teammate killed or severely injured on the
field. At the end of the mission, you can use the points to unlock new weapons
as well as call in air strikes when you need them most during a mission or call
for supplies when you’re running low on ammo or medical supplies.
The 14 missions offer
plenty of variety whether you attempt to secure a downed helicopter and the
survivor in the fiction country of Adjikistan or attempting to destroy a number
of heroin caches in the warehouse of a drug cartel. Those familiar with the
SOCOM series will find the similar mission format in that the game has main
mission objectives as well as bonus ones to complete. In some missions you are
asked to photograph certain objects with your photo binoculars, secure civilians
or drop hostages to a safety point. The good news is that once you successfully
complete a Campaign mission you can go back and replay the same mission as a
Dynamic mission complete with a new set of mission objectives.
The game’s controls remain
relatively the same from the Fireteam Bravo, although the game does feel
a bit tighter when it comes to movement. Targeting enemies can still be a bit
twitchy at times but thankfully, there are weapons that allow for a more
accurate aiming. You’ll need since some of the enemies are capable of taking
cover or fall back at the appropriate moment. Then again, some enemies will
simply take cover behind the most baffling locations (behind an empty shelf in
the middle of the room or behind a chain link fence).
Where Fireteam Bravo 2
really shines is the multiplayer mode. You can play with up to 16 friends
using Ad Hoc mode and it runs perfectly. Yet the real treat is playing online
using Infrastructure Mode. Online the game runs smoothly and better yet it is
able to handle up to 16 players without much of a stutter. At the time of this
writing, I was able to enter a 16-player multiplayer match and, for the most
part, the game handled beautifully. It was good too see that the game included
three new multiplayer modes as well as the ability to create your own mercenary
or SEAL (male or female) as well as decide on their choice of attire. With a
multiplayer mode this good you will be playing this game long after you finished
the single-player campaign.
Fireteam Bravo 2
also includes a number of extras and an
improved Crosstalk feature. Crosstalk allows you to upload or download new
content from this year’s SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Combined Assault for the
PS2. At the time of this writing I wasn’t able to unlock any new features but
the game does promise a nice number of new content for both games. Another neat
feature allows a friend to download the Fireteam Bravo 2 demo.
The game’s graphics have
also been improved so expect environments that are even more detailed. You’ll
find yourself admiring the scenery this time around and thankfully, the game
does give us different locals to look forward to while making your way to your
mission objectives. Even the character models move more realistically,
especially when it comes to your teammates opening doors. Long gone are the
awkward open and clear movements of the first game. What will really capture
your attention are the visual effects, most particularly when it comes to
explosions and smoke effects. Call in an air strike and watch the fiery
explosions pound the very spot you indicated.
The game’s sound is also
handled nicely enough with a wonderfully cinematic score that plays during key
moments throughout the game as well as the mission briefing and animated cut
scenes. What works beautifully throughout the game as well are the detailed
sound effects that are more noticeable wearing earbuds. The voice acting in the
game is equally good and you will hear constantly from your teammate who will
make quick observations or offer a witty comment or two.
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs
Fireteam Bravo 2 is a vast
improvement over the excellent first game and one of the best online multiplayer
experiences you will find on your PSP. Just the wealth of new features, a
fantastic single-player game and loads of extras alone will keep you busy but
it’s the multiplayer aspect alone that is worth the price of admission. SOCOM
fans, this is a game you will not want to miss so go ahead and buy this one
or make this one of the games you need this holiday.
|
|
Gameplay: 8.9
The game just feels tighter this
time around and while targeting can still be a tad unreliable at times there is
no denying how cool it is to swap weapons on the fly or how the locals react to
your behavior on the field. Top that off with new weapons like the M16A2 with
scope and some interesting mission scenarios and you have a game that plays
better than the first game.
Graphics: 8.8
Shaper visuals and detailed
environments make up Fireteam Bravo 2’s graphics and, while the character
movement is a bit more realistic this time around, the real change comes in the
special effects. Explosions look more impressive as does smoke. The cut scenes
look great too.
Sound: 9.0
The dramatic soundtrack is back and
so are the detailed sound effects that bring combat situations to life. Hearing
your teammate chime in with a witty remark also makes each mission feel like you
actually have a living breathing person who is smart enough to question bad
decision making on the field.
Difficulty: Medium
At times the enemy can be as dumb as
rocks while other times they will fall back to regroup or fire at you behind
cover. Some might even try to outflank you, which makes mission objectives quite
challenging to complete. The mission scenarios start to feel more challenging
pretty quickly in this game.
Concept: 9.5
Crosstalk was a slight
disappointment with the first game but this time around there some excellent
unlockable extras. Command Equity is a brilliant as is the Local Influence
feature that I would like to see more of in this series. There’s online and
offline multiplayer for up to 16 players and with the three new multiplayer
modes that means you will still be playing this game long after you finished the
single-player mode.
Multiplayer: 10
The multiplayer action is where
Fireteam Bravo 2 really takes off and having taken on a whopping 16 players
online through Infrastructure mode you can count on gamers playing this one for
a long time to come. While I was only able to play against a friend through Ad
Hoc mode, the multiplayer ran smoothly enough. The game also supports
tournaments and clan challenges. This is a dream come true for online
multiplayer fans.
Overall: 9.0
Fireteam Bravo 2
is not only a major improvement over the first
portable SOCOM game but it is also the best game the series has produced
thus far. With a wealth of juicy multiplayer options, a solid single-player mode
and some surprising extras, this is a PSP game you will not want to miss if you
love military action games or your PSP.
