If I was stuck on an island and could only have one game to play---it would be SOCOM.
Yeah, the game is that addictive. So exercise caution when buying this or you might end up with dark circles under your eyes like me.
The game starts off great with a quick cinematic and then throws you right into the briefing room to review your objectives, maps of target location, and weapons. When you're ready, you get deployed into Chile, which is 1 of 4 different countries you'll be operating.
The basic controls are easy to learn and master, but because the psp doesn't have a 2nd analog stick, free viewing is a little awkward. But then, how would other handhelds which don't have any analog sticks handle this? Like a lot of other things, it just takes a little getting used to and after some practice, it'll be 2nd nature.
The music is excellent. Performed by a full orchestra, the music fits the scenes and even the action. For example, when you have to order your team member to defuse a bomb, the music has a suspenseful theme to it and if you manage to accomplish that task, the music becomes triumphant.
Speaking of the audio aspects of the game, the sound effects are great. Everything from wind, water rushing, bullets whizzing past your ear, and buzzing from electric wiring are done well. If you can't get a visual on an enemy, that's okay. Listen carefully in certain areas and you'll be able to locate where an enemy is lurking from the muffled sounds of his footsteps.
The voice acting is performed well. Your team member helps out at times with the comments he makes. However, at times there seems to be a delay. There were a few moments when my team member would comment about doing something a few seconds after he's already done it. But no biggie.
The detail in graphics is sparse in some areas, but that's necessary in order for a handheld game of this type to not lag.
The missions are varied enough to keep things interesting. You can use different approaches (postal style or ninja style) to accomplish some missions. In other missions, it'll be more important to use stealth and some planning.
The cutscenes are well animated, add to the story, and set up a feel for the character and environment you're going up against.
As if all that wasn't good enough, you've got online play which is more addictive than crack. Not that I've tried crack, but SOCOM has gotta be close to it. There are always other players online so finding a game is no prob. Some of the environments online are exclusive to online play so there will be new things to figure out even after you've memorized every nook and cranny in the offline locations. If you plan to go online a lot, I would definitely recommend the headset. A chat room with keyboard is available in the waiting rooms, but typing on there is a pain in the ass. While deployed, there are certain commands you can send over to your team mates through a menu selection, but having a headset to communicate with your team gives you a huge advantage.
In summary, if you like action, get this game. Just be prepared to give up sleep.