Naval Ops: Commander

World War II fans will love it?others may be left scratching their heads.

The Naval Ops series, like P.T.O., has always catered to the type of World War II fans who will sit and identify the different ships and planes that appear on the History Channel. Naval Ops: Commander is no different. With the endless array of weaponry and familiar ship types to choose from, it brings to life every war geek's dream.

Much of the game remains the same as the first installment. There's the Strategy phase, where players can build ships and research technology, and the Battle phase, where players escort suicide-prone naive ships, sink whole fleets, and bombard hapless bases for money. The most notable difference is the bird's eye view of battle. Although this view makes it easier to see the surroundings, it leaves the graphics flat and unremarkable.

The freedom in designing a ship reveals the true virtue of the game, enabling you to tackle missions with a speedy jack-of-all-trades cruiser, a long-range-attacking aircraft carrier, or a battleship with impractically huge guns. Intense battles provide addictive fun, and diverse bosses force you to adjust strategies and building styles.

However, getting into the game takes time with needlessly convoluted controls and interface. Also, the 80 stages seem excessive, and by the time half of the missions are done, the game falls into an all too familiar rhythm.

Despite its quirks and graphics that fall short of the original?s, Naval Ops: Commander packs enough firepower to keep fans of the series stoked. Nonfans, however, may quickly get left in its wake.

Comments [0]

post a comment

Post a Comment