Review | Naval Assault: The Killing Tide

Let’s face it, the vast majority of console gamers want to shove a disc in and expect within minutes to be shooting, fighting, driving or knocking a ball around. They don’t tend to be too tolerant of spending long periods of time staring at a screen full of blue while hurtling at a snail’s pace towards their target.

When I first receive Naval Assault: The Killing Tide I looked it up online to see if this was some port of a pre existing PC title. Nope, this game is made exclusively for the Xbox 360. A submarine game for a console seems about as appropriate as a salad is for a pride of lions — they don’t really match.  Simulators are great and have their place – on the PC where the keyboard and mouse can allow for a realistic and complex control system, which clearly can’t be achieved on an Xbox controller.  It’s why we have games like H.A.W.X on consoles rather than Microsoft Flight Simulator.

So what the hell is Naval Assault doing on the Xbox? I think we’ve got a case of a title which doesn’t know whether it wants to be a sim or an arcade game and unsuccessfully tries to be both. Case in point, when you’re surfaced and manning your deck gun. Complete with unlimited ammo this thing can take down opposing ships and aircraft. Of the latter there are plenty of times when the game throws dozens of the buggers at you (aircraft would realistically be the bane for surfaced subs) and you’ll be swatting them out of the skies like there’s no tomorrow with nary a scratch. There is, of course, a good deal of satisfaction when a spread of torpedoes impacts on an enemy target.

Torpedoes on the other hand are limited in number and because of this need to be used on the most vital targets. Naturally these targets are often defended by warships and minefields and this is going to be where most players are going to find their beef with Naval Assault. It’s very very slow. Submarines don’t traditionally move very fast – especially when submerged which you’ll need to be most of the time. The end result is you’ll be spending significant amounts of time staring at the shadowy hull of your vessel and of course plenty of water.  I had a book on my lap and was comfortably able to flick through many pages without so much as looking at the TV while I travelled from A to B.

There is a storyline of sorts. The game is set in some parallel universe WW2 where Hitler forces Stalin into peace resulting in an even more dominant German war machine complete with a navy powerful enough to attack the United States directly. Overall it feels contrived; merely providing context for the first mission which sees the Nazi’s launching a sea and air attack in New York harbour.

The game does have multiplayer, supporting up to 4 players. Unfortunately I can’t pass any feedback on this part of the game because I simply could not find anybody else online to play with. If you’re tempted by this idea I suggest you make sure a buddy grabs his own copy of the game.

Naval Assault: The Killing Tide is about as niche as it gets and its slow pace will drive most away, except for hardcore submarine or WWII nuts. Still if you simply have to have a submarine game the controls are about as user friendly as they could be. In fact your average trained monkey wouldn’t have too many problems managing the sub’s armory, speeds, views and depths.