For PSP owners who haven't picked up Zipper Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment's SOCOM: U.S. NAVY SEALs Fireteam Bravo, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. Best Buy is offering the game for US$ 14.99, a very low price for one of the best games released on the handheld.

The game is the first iteration of the series and offered two features that really captured the interest of gamers. The first one being voice controlled AI characters. While some players found it a bit shaky, it was still a very innovative addition to the game.

Of course, you also have the much-lauded online play of the game. Sure you'll find your share of players who cheat, but if you've got a few buddies you can play with it's really awesome. With the low price Best Buy is offering, it shouldn't be too difficult to convince your friends to buy a copy anyway.

That said, click on our read link to head on down to the Best Buy online store. Be sure to keep checking back here for the latest deals and bargains for the PSP.

Zipper Interactive, the developer of SOCOM: Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo and its sequel SOCOM: Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo 2, was recently interviewed by IGN as part of their series which inquires on the opinion of developers about the PSP. In the interview, many things were discussed, including the difficulties of developing the game for the PSP, as well as the PSP's future.

According to members of the SOCOM team, a feature called  "SOCOM CrossTalk" has been incorporated into the game. This feature makes use of the PSP headset and microphone. When asked about the difficulties of such a complicated task, they modestly replied, "Implementing headset support into PSP games is relatively straight forward. It is not difficult if a development team feels that it is important for their product."

It was also mentioned during the interview that the biggest challenge they faced was implementing the control scheme of the game. They said that SOCOM "used every button and stick on the Dual Shock 2 controller, so adapting the controls in a way that was easy, fun and yet maintained the depth expected was a challenge." In addition to this, they also mentioned that the 16-player ad-hoc network was "a big challenge" because of the bandwidth limitations involved.

Finally, they were asked about how they see the PSP's future, they replied by saying that the PSP "is a great platform, but very few publishers and developers are creating games that really take advantage of the platform", and that they are hoping that this trend will change.

For the full interview, just click on the "Read" link below.

The sound of rapid gunfire signals the start of a bloody encounter with enemies atop a treacherous mountain. That's the first thing you'd see when you watch SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 mountain assault gameplay video.

The video highlights the use of the zoom scope to lock on enemy targets. Your first attacks go unanswered but when hidden enemies start firing back, you know you're up against a deadly force. Use of tactics and stealth are key to disposing your enemies.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2 features non-linear missions in multiple terrains amidst different weather conditions. Your goal is to command an elite team of soldiers and defend America and her allies.  The game is slated for a November 7 release.

Download: [SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 2: Mountain assault gameplay]
Buy: [SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 2]

What's hot and what's sizzling hot! That's what these charts from Amazon.com is all about. The list is updated every hour but this is how the charts looked at post time.

PC Games
The still to be released World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade is already smoking at the top of the PC games charts with pre-orders so we guess its one of those guaranteed hits just waiting to happen. Meanwhile, World of Warcraft is entrenched at No.4.

1. World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade (pre-order)—Vivendi Games
2. Microsoft Flight Simulator X Deluxe (pre-order)—Microsoft
3. The Sims 2: Pets exp. (pre-order)—EA
4. World of Warcraft—Vivendi Games
5. Battlefield 2142 (pre-order)—EA
6. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War Dark Crusade exp.—THQ
7. Nancy Drew: The Creature of Kapu Cave (pre-order)—Her Interactive
8. Neverwinter Nights 2 Limited Ed. (pre-order)—Atari
9. The Sims 2—EA
10. Warcraft III Battle Chest—Vivendi Games

The top ten PSP and Xbox 360 games on Amazon.com after the jump.

Well gamers, if you're a fan of Uni-terror and Omlette's Imposter Name Maker for Fireteam Bravo, then now would be a good time to combine your forces to defeat the new threat on their little name maker. There seem to be problems with the script, and so the most recent symbols added onto the Imposter are broken.

How can you help? Well, if you're one of those people who actually used the most recent additions to the Imposter and got it to work, then now would be a good time to let Uni-terror and Omlette know. Let's take it straight from Omlette: "If you successfully used the new ('TM', Euro 'E', Silver stripes, etc) symbols, PLEASE let us know! Send an email to omlette@ omlette.net with the subject 'BUTTS'. Include the exact name you used if you can remember it."

Just so you know, Omlette was serious about the butts thing. In any case, help them out if you can, and show your support if you can't.

Buy: [SOCOM Fireteam Bravo]

Love it or hate it, it seems that Uni-terror and Omlette's SOCOM Fireteam Bravo hack is here to stay. At the very least, they're open about their doings, and you can expect them to tell you a bit more about the actual Impostor Name Maker for Fireteam Bravo in the coming weeks.

According to their website, European players can now join in the subterfuge. They've managed to add European support for their name maker, so their current version should now work with both versions of the PSP game.

They're also going to open up a new branch of their site. The new branch is supposed to be a blog of sorts for their activities, to allow people to comment on their work. People will also get a glimpse of what they did to hack Fireteam Bravo, and maybe they'll also tell us why.

Now... all they have to do is evade any potential lawsuits, and it should be pretty peachy.

Buy: [SOCOM Fireteam Bravo]

Well, this isn't a revolution, and it certainly isn't meant to overpower the game and such, but it's a nifty little hack. It's called the Imposter Name Maker for SOCOM Fireteam Bravo.

Uni-terror and Omlette developed this little tool, allowing you to name your characters past the usual limits, even letting you add additional symbols and get past the usual bannable words such as ****, **** and **** (sorry, this site filters 'em too). All you have to do is make your name of choice on their site, click submit to save it as a .prx plugin, and follow the readme that comes up on the next screen.

Of course, it's a hack, so if you don't know what you're doing, it'd be best to leave it alone. If you do happen to see someone with a weird name while playing online, you can probably figure out where it came from. Just don't go shooting us for posting new developments for you, alright?

The guys over DRDesign Online releases the first ever illusion cheat device for SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals Fireteam Bravo. This one is sure to create havoc for it was six months in the making, they also plan to release three BETA versions.

Over the past months, three major updates had been done to the Illusion Cheat Device. At first, it only works on 1.5 PSPs. The developers didn't delve with the KXPloiting though 1.0 ones are just good to go, they added. Then Illusion started to work for some, it still did not for others unfortunately. They figured then, it was because of the different UMD versions and concluded also that it doesn't work with ISO at all.

After a little bit of thinking and tinkering, the team found the answer where else but at the back of the UMD disc itself. According to them: If you see a small #2 Illusion will work. If not...wait a few days until I make it compatible to the other versions. This device does work online.

Using this actually a moral debacle. On one hand you want to have every sort of advantage you can get your hands on, but on the other side of the coin lies the idea of fair play and honesty. We leave it upon you to make that call.

Thanks to YouTube, budding film directors and actors can now have their little movies viewed by thousands of people. Take Life of a SOCOM Player. This seven-minute drama (it feels longer, much longer than seven minutes) gives the audience a glimpse at the depraved world of video game addiction. It chronicles a young woman's descent into a life of shattered friendship and deception, forced to play SOCOM in the can to hide her SOCOM addiction. Eventually, the game seeps into her unconscious giving her nightmares.

We're no movie critics so we're not going to thumbs up or thumbs down this film. We're not even sure if this is a drama or a comedy. But as one movie critic said about American Dreamz, "the best part of the film is that they didn't charge me a cent to see it." End scene.

Gamefly.com has dropped their used game prices putting Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories at $32. This is a great chance for anybody who doesn't have it, but wants it (either for the game or for the eboot loader) to pick it up. Shipping at Gamefly's shipping is fast and cheap and the games are in good condition with case and manual - they're the only online retailer I'll buy used games from.

GTA isn't the only deal at Gamefly, Socom: Fire Team Bravo is $30 and Prince of Persia: Revelations is $24. No game in their store is more than $35 and no movie is more than $20. Now might be a good time to pick up that game you've been wanting.