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REVIEWS

The life of a computer game player is not an easy one. The problem arises upon setting foot in a computer store. The shelves are lined with games and, don’t lie, —they pretty much all look great. Of course, any experienced player knows this is not the case, and often times buying a new game becomes more like a game of chance. So there I was, in my local Electronics Boutique, when I spotted a title called Jane’s Fleet Command. Sure I had seen a preview or two for it, but since naval strategy games were never my thing, I pretty much brushed them off. But I had money, and there was no way I was leaving EB without a game. I read the back of the Fleet Command box, and it called to me with promises of an easy to use interface and great naval action. And there were pretty pictures too! So did Jane’s deliver on their promises? Well…mostly yes.

Upon opening the box, I encountered something rather skimpy. Not another damn registration card, I thought to myself. Wait a minute! It was the manual! Please allow me to sidetrack for a moment by stating that I don’t enjoy flight simulators. Once I get about 1500 feet in the air and am itching to blow something up, I am stalling, my landing gear isn’t up, and something is going on with the flaps. Would someone please explain to me what theses gosh darned things called flaps do!? But Jane’s always goes the extra mile and includes a superb manual with detailed instructions on anything and everything. So why does Fleet Command have a manual that is so lacking in content as to make it unacceptable? Beats me! It must be stated, however, that Jane’s did indeed deliver on an intuitive interface, because I was set up and blowing things away in no time.

The game is begun by a full motion video of some military personnel running around a ship shouting out orders. The acting is pretty good, and it gets you in the mood. You then have the option of choosing from about 30 single player scenarios, ranging in difficulty from one to four stars. There is also a campaign, but it certainly is not the highlight of the game. It is merely four larger scenarios tacked on to each other, and there is nothing dynamic about it. Lose three ships on one mission, you have them right back on the next. Jane’s did this? It’s almost criminal.

Once you begin playing you will see that the interface consists of four windows. There is the main window, which can be altered between the standard overhead view or the 3D action view. In the bottom left corner is a map of the full mission area, and opposite that is a listing of the selected unit’s heading, fuel, weapons, and other useful info. Stuck between those is another small window that can be the overhead or 3D view. Every command is given from the overhead view by clicking on the icons, which can be changed from the more realistic radar symbols to actual pictures of the vessels. Click on a unit, select your command from the drop down menu, and presto, there goes your missile streaking in toward the unsuspecting enemy airport! Anyone who has played a real time strategy game will feel right at home, and although things can get very hectic, you can pause the game to assess the situation and give some more orders. You can also assign flight groups using the keyboard, and can select multiple units by clicking and dragging a box around them. The 3D view is merely eye candy, and it is definitely sweet. You can switch the 3D view to fullscreen, and although you can’t give orders from it, it is great fun to follow your missile to its target. The graphics on the overhead view are simple but adequate, and everything is complemented by decent music and great sound.

Sound is the last thing you’ll be concerned about, however, because the game is challenging, and requires you to keep a constant eye on things. But I found that challenge to come not from enemy AI, which is competent albeit a little straightforward, but from the scoring system. I never had any trouble completing a mission, but you lose points for every mistake you make, and then receive a score in the form of a percentage. The real fun comes from trying to perfect your leadership, and I found myself wanting to play a mission over just to erase that 68% from my record, which you can view from the main menu. Adding to the replay value is a pretty good map editor, which allows you to recreate or create ANY conflict you can think of in any part of the world. I’ve already seen user made scenarios popping up on the web. Speaking of the Internet, there is multiplayer using either a network or Jane’s free Combat.net. Although when I tried to play on it there was never more than a handful of people there.

In conclusion, I liked this game. But don’t think there aren’t any flaws. The manual becomes a MAJOR issue when you are trying to select which weapon your Tomcat should fire, and you don’t know what is what. To Jane’s credit though, they did include a good weapons and platform encyclopedia that can be accessed during gameplay. There are also lots of more detailed commands and tactics that can be issued from the keyboard, but the manual merely lists the keys to use them. Hello? Can I get an explanation on why I should tell my F18 to fly at low altitude, and what is the scale display do? Those of us that are not of the military mindset will be begging for this info. Also, those of you that had a blast with the Harpoon series because of its complexity will probable laugh at this game’s simplicity. But then you get into the gameplay, and when you realize how much fun you are having, nothing else really matters. I mean, that is what games are all about, and in this area, Jane’s delivers admirably.

If you like to comment on this review, please post a message at the forum.
Reviewed by Anthony Micari

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