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PC | Strategy | Carriers At War

There is no Boxart for - Carriers At War
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Review: Carriers At War

Review by CSL | 08/08/2007 | 16:18:42 PM PST

Over the past few years, there has been a steady stream of wargame releases. Among the most prolific developers has been SSG, an Australian outfit that has been in the business for well over two decades, and has developed, among others, Korsun Pocket.

Their most recent release is Carriers at War, a remake of one of their earliest titles focusing on the Second World Wars largest carrier battles.

The game covers every large carrier action in the Pacific theatre from Pearl Harbor onwards. There are seven scenarios in all, each with at least one ahistorical variant that allows players to spice things up with promising "what if" scenarios. While the number of these alternate history levels may be lacking, any concerns over the game's replayability are unwarrantedthe developer has gone to great lengths to ensure that each scenario plays out differently each time. Enemy taskforces never show up along the same routes twice and variances in computer behavior go a long way towards adding long-term value to the game.

During the carrier battles themselves the player's main goal is usually to seek out and destroy the opposing carriers. This is where the game really shines. SSG has managed to largely capture the tense atmosphere surrounding carrier operations. As each day begins planes are sent out to search for signs of the enemy, a crucial first step to defeat the opposition. When contact is made reports that are brought back can be frequently misleading and contradictory, placing question marks around most every sighting.

Luck is involved to a great extent when looking for the enemy, and on some occasions it may be days between contacts but at all times players need to be ready to send out strike aircraft at a moments notice. This, in itself, is a delicate balancing act, because with carrier combat every moment counts: planes need to be fueled and armed so that they can get the all important first hits in on the enemy, particularly if the enemy has a full flight deck of armed and fueled planes waiting to go himself.

Good as the carrier combat is some of the supporting elements in the game do have their flawsdirect surface combat for one is depressingly simplistic and rather devoid of the atmospheric tension seen in carrier combat. Likewise much of the game lacks helpful information: following strikes, for instance, there is little info given on important topics such as whether or not your flight deck has been trashed, nor are estimates on the damage taken by the enemy given. My pilots just attacked three Japanese carriers but don't tell me if the flight deck was full of aircraft ready to sortie at the time of my attack?

These points aside Carriers at War does what it sets out to dopresent carrier warfare in a realistically tense and atmospheric way. With naval strategy games coming about on an alarmingly infrequent basis this latest SSG release is a breath of fresh air, one that we will be repeated in the near future.