Sea
Strike by Island
Labs, Price: $14.95
Reviewed May 2003
Lucky Chicken has been developing games for all gaming platforms including
PS2, Xbox and GBA. Now with help from Island Labs, Lucky Chicken has
ported their Sea Strike game, originally developed in Shockwave for
desktops, to Pocket PC and the Sharp Zaurus (Palm version coming soon!).
Old school submarine gamers should remember the game where you operate
destroyers and drop bombs on those poor submarine suckers. In Sea Strike,
the tables are turned. You get to operate the speedy U-boat with zippy
rockets. The only catch is you are running on limited air.
The game play is very simple yet addictive.
You control a submarine, and your goal is to destroy a given
number of enemy battleships both above and under the water
to complete a level. You can move your sub in any direction
to avoid bombs and mines as well as the rockets shot from
enemy submarines. You can target and shoot your missiles
at the enemy boats on top of you and the U-boats coming from
the right. Your ammo is unlimited, but your air isn’t.
The air runs out pretty fast, so you must catch enough fish
to re-supply the air while in battle. As you advance to higher
levels, you will face more intense battles with bomber planes
and other added attacking military forces. The intensive
game play provides you with enough rush for more replays,
but the game gives you no options to set up the game controls
or difficulty levels.
The graphics and animation will make your
hectic battle look good. The port from the big screen to
the PDA didn’t lose any sharpness or style in visual
effects. The various background themes, weapon special FX
and smooth animation will enhance the gaming experience.
Even though the U-boat doesn’t look like the real submarines
in commission nor could you figure out how fish can provide
air for your U-boat, you will nonetheless appreciate the
futuristic U-boat design and the imagination used to create
more interesting game elements.
While the graphics enhance your game play
experience, the sound FX provides just enough audio effects
to get by. The rocket shooting and boat destruction sounds
count for most of the audio effects. Sea Strike currently
runs on Pocket PC supporting ARM/Xscale and MIPS as well
as Linux Zaurus PDAs including SL-5500 and SL-5600. A version
for Palm OS PDAs is coming soon.
It’s a great thing when you
see your old favorites made their way to a new gaming platform.
I would bet my next U-boat that submarine game addicts
will find Sea Strike equally addictive compared to the
old classic. The major face lift in graphics will give
this old hit a new look. So if you haven’t join up,
pack your bags- your U-boat is waiting for you!
Playing Hint and Tips
Move your boat around in the later levels
to avoid those zippy enemy submarines and the smart bomber
jets. |
