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SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 (Bravo 3) will be a big relief for fans of the series. If you’re one of the many that has been following SOCOM for years, then 2007’s Tactical Strike for the PSP most likely threw you for a loop. Well worry not because, as part of the Fireteam line, Bravo 3 eschews any aspirations of grand strategy and returns to the series’ traditional run-and-gun style. You’re back in the thick of things, firing off orders and rounds.
As Calvin “Wraith” Hopper, you’ve been tasked with hunting down a deadly former KGB agent who is thought to have knowledge of a planned terrorist attack. Deep in enemy territory things go wrong – surprise! – as a war breaks out between a private military contractor led by an ex-SEAL and his former client, a terrorist group known as the KRA. The story is decent, thanks to the solid voice acting, and is strongly reminiscent of a mid-to-late ‘90s action thriller – whenever the US and Soviet Union still found ways to go at it. Then again, the story doesn’t have to be too engaging because the game’s length prevents it from really making (or having to make) an impact: I finished the eight three-chapter missions in a brisk three hours and forty-three minutes.
The missions vary only slightly, but that is to be expected as much of the game takes place within the same area. Although, while one concrete building tends to look like the next, a bit of detail or character would’ve gone a long way. Standing between you and your objective are handfuls of some staggeringly inept enemies. While a few squads might pose a challenge, which is often due to an ambush or rushing from an inaccessible area, the vast majority are fodder that can’t decide whether the guy shooting them in the face is a threat or not. I ended up looking at them more as fodder – target practice for when I went online. In that regard, the enemies do serve as an excellent way to try out tactics and weaponry. Cranking the difficulty up helps to a degree, offering a bit more of a challenge while justifying use of the game’s light tactical element (e.g. flanking an enemy the other squad has pinned down), but the experience is a far cry from its predecessors.
Now that weapons can be customized in a variety of ways to increase their potency – scopes for range, grips for distance, lasers for accuracy, etc. – you will not only need practice in order to find the optimal combination but cash to afford the goods. Command Equity (CE) is the in-game currency, earned at the end of each mission based on success and performance, which will be used to buy the weapons, their mods, as well as items that are unlocked through play. Items for online customization can also be purchased with CE. With a primary weapon, secondary weapon, and a handful of additional items (primarily various grenade types), there is plenty to save up for and practice with – over 70 items, in fact.
You can also earn CE by playing custom missions. Previously completed campaign missions can be replayed for additional equity that is rewarded according to a variety customizable factors: enemy density, enemy type, grenade use, objective type, AI squad mates (none means you play solo), and difficulty. I had a good time with the custom missions, cranking up the difficulty and putting a high density of KRA Elite troops for maximum challenge (and CE), and it picked up a good bit of the slack left by the campaign.
To get the most out of the game, you’re going to either want to go online or have a local friend with a copy. Supporting infrastructure and ad hoc multiplayer, Bravo 3 offers versus and cooperative play. Campaign co-op is a first for the Fireteam series, allowing you and up to three others the chance to go through the story together. I really cannot think of an instance when co-op made an experience worse, and it certainly delivers here; ordering your AI squad mates around is one thing but reviving, covering, and pulling your weight in a real squad is far more satisfying. Bravo 3 also offers plenty of competitive modes when you don’t feel like being friendly. Up to 16 players can go at in free for alls and team battles in several modes, including deathmatch and leader hunting. The interface and setup is very accessible, with full Clan support, allowing newcomers to be in a game in no time. The Fireteam titles have always had healthy, satisfying multiplayer components, and Bravo 3 is no exception.
By and large the production values are very good. Aside from random syntax hiccups with the subtitles, the game looks and sounds solid. The controls will take some time to adjust to, however. With only one analog nub, and a rather stuff one at that, aiming can be pretty tricky; the controls can be largely acclimated to, but there will always be problems. To compensate, the game offers a busy control scheme with the left shoulder used for strafing, the right used for targeting; the directional keys for zooming, weapon and command selections; and the face buttons used for firing, opening doors, gathering intel, issuing commands, and adjusting body stance (prone, kneeling, or standing). On top of all of that, most weapons do double duty by either using them in combination with another (e.g. tapping the left shoulder button while targeting with the right will switch to another target) or double tapping (e.g. you can do a full reload, saving additional rounds, or a quick reload that sacrifices the remaining bullets in a clip). As convoluted as the scheme is, I think that it handles all of the commands and actions fairly well given the system’s limitations. There is one annoying aspect, though, and that’s the inability to blind fire or shoot around corners. Despite the fact that you can duck behind cover, are ostensibly a trained SEAL, and run with squad mates and enemies who can fire while concealed, you cannot. Thankfully, a lot of these problems aren’t a factor online, as your responsibilities go from leading a squad to simply keeping you and your fellows alive in the fast, chaotic firefights.
Overall: 7/10
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