Graham Mitchell
03-31-2011, 03:14 PM
So, I've been playing Steel Diver a bit over the past couple of days.
For the uninitiated, it's a launch 3DS game that's based on submarine combat. There are three types of games in it. One is a strategy game similar to Nectaris that utilizes sonar as an integral gameplay element. There are also periscope-based battles that use the gyroscope in the 3DS to tell when you're moving the machine itself, simulating what it would be like to look in a periscope and rotate the whole apparatus on a real submarine. The third type of game, and definitely the most interesting, is a 2.5-D side scrolling action game that appears rather similar to the old Hunt For Red October game on the original Gameboy.
I'm posting this thread for a couple of reasons. One is that I don't think there's been a submarine-based game released since the NES era, so I'd like the shed some light on something kind of unique in the current era. The other, more important reason, is that the 2.5-D stages are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS in 3-D. They are as detailed and atmospheric as the side-scrolling segments in Ecco the Dolphin for the Dreamcast/PS2 (Which is a painfully underrated game in its own right). The 3-D element really adds immersion and depth to this, and I can only imagine what a team like KCET to could do with a MetroidVania-style Castlevania game using this type of engine.
Though I haven't checked myself, I'm sure that Steel Diver is getting shit reviews. Game Informer wrote a little blurb about it in the last issue, saying that they thought it was slow and boring. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it's not boring. The 2.5-D segments are about patience and navigating through tricky areas using the clunky controls of a submarine, and when there's a lot happening on-screen (which occurs during later levels) it gets pretty tense.
Anyway, I think it's pretty cool, and I can't wait to see more stuff like this.
For the uninitiated, it's a launch 3DS game that's based on submarine combat. There are three types of games in it. One is a strategy game similar to Nectaris that utilizes sonar as an integral gameplay element. There are also periscope-based battles that use the gyroscope in the 3DS to tell when you're moving the machine itself, simulating what it would be like to look in a periscope and rotate the whole apparatus on a real submarine. The third type of game, and definitely the most interesting, is a 2.5-D side scrolling action game that appears rather similar to the old Hunt For Red October game on the original Gameboy.
I'm posting this thread for a couple of reasons. One is that I don't think there's been a submarine-based game released since the NES era, so I'd like the shed some light on something kind of unique in the current era. The other, more important reason, is that the 2.5-D stages are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS in 3-D. They are as detailed and atmospheric as the side-scrolling segments in Ecco the Dolphin for the Dreamcast/PS2 (Which is a painfully underrated game in its own right). The 3-D element really adds immersion and depth to this, and I can only imagine what a team like KCET to could do with a MetroidVania-style Castlevania game using this type of engine.
Though I haven't checked myself, I'm sure that Steel Diver is getting shit reviews. Game Informer wrote a little blurb about it in the last issue, saying that they thought it was slow and boring. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it's not boring. The 2.5-D segments are about patience and navigating through tricky areas using the clunky controls of a submarine, and when there's a lot happening on-screen (which occurs during later levels) it gets pretty tense.
Anyway, I think it's pretty cool, and I can't wait to see more stuff like this.