Nerdicus Genesis Review #1 : 688 Attack Sub

Title :  688 Attack Sub

Publisher : Electronics Arts

Genre : Submarine Simulator

Players : 1 Player

Release Date : 1991

Estimated Value (as of today's date) : $5-$7

What better way to start off my Genesis reviews than by playing one of the more obscure games from the Genesis library. 688 Attack Sub. Some of you may think that this is just an epic remake of Battleship. Not really. There is much, much more to this.

The only reason I know about this game is because it was one of the many that my childhood friend owned and I played when I was a wee lad. The only thing was, I could never figure out what the hell I was supposed to do in this game when I was 10 years old. Then again, I still don't really know what I'm supposed to do now, but hey what the hell. I'm older and more intelligent (I hope), so maybe I can figure it out.

And I always dreamed of being a submarine commander.......of Sea Quest DSV...so this is a start.

Now you start off by choosing whether or not you want to pilot a US sub or a SOVIET sub and then you move on to the missions. Starting off, you'll likely not have a CLUE as to what you're supposed to do in this game. You get your mission first from the radio room, which gives you a break down as to what your objectives are. Now it's up to you to figure out just how you're supposed to succeed.

This isn't one of those just target the ship and blow it up games. No, this is all about strategy and utilizing everything in your subs arsenal as well as your surroundings.

It takes awhile to get used to it, but just fooling around with the different control windows gives you an idea as to what you're supposed to do. Control your coordinates and navigation, set way points, set targets, arm your torpedoes, set your sonar, track movement. You're literally the commander. Anything goes. 

This is one of those in depth strategy games that if you don't have the patience for a lot of slow movement leading up to some fast paced action (it does get rather fast paced when you are in a combat encounter), then this game wouldn't be for you. 

The missions become increasingly more difficulty, with more variations and clauses added to complete your objective. I mean, trying to take down 3 battleships without getting targeted in open sea is a lot harder than it sounds. 

The game has a pretty steep learning curve, but it's rewarding if you decide to just stick with it. The voice overs are comical, and the sound effects are actually pretty foreboding. When your alarms start going off, and you keep hearing the pings of incoming torpedoes, it gets pretty crazy haha.

Graphically, there isn't anything special about it. You don't really see much in terms of epic explosions, but more about the internal workings of the sub. Which is somewhat cool..but gets pretty tiring to look at.

So if you're into submarines, and you're into cold war era battles, give this game a shot. Just prepare yourself for a little bit of beginners frustration.

Final Score (out of 5) :

Until next time. Keep on gaming!