Naval Ops: Warship Gunner

"A solid strategy/action game with many drawbacks"

Contrary to appearance, Naval Ops: Warship Gunner is not the Dynasty Warriors of the Pacific Theater of Operations series. The action is slow paced, the graphics are dated and the controls have a very steep learning curve. Still, even through all of that, NO:WG remains intuitive, fun and varied with ships you design and command yourself and an assortment of level objective to keep things fresh.

Controls: 7/10

The controls found in Naval Ops will take quite some getting used to before they even begin to feel natural. The overall button layout will seem daunting and complex at first, but eventually it will become second nature as you adjust and learn. Control responsiveness is fine, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.

Graphics: 5/10

While ship models appear detailed outside of battle, when engaged in combat you will barely be able to see your own vessel. My major complain about the graphics is that in-battle models used are just too small. It would be much more enjoyable to command a huge warship, being able to witness multiple weapons firing off in a picturesque battleground. Instead, extremely small warships are yours to command accross a large bland ocean with terrible water effects (such as the horribly animated wake effect). Not to be confused, the small warships still call for a fun experience and the poor water effects detract very little from the game, it's just a complain of mine.

Sound: 6/10

Music is something that really makes or breaks this game. Unfortunately, it breaks this game. Pulse pounding and exciting music really would've helped players get into the actions a lot more. Unfortunately, you will rarely notice that a track is playing. Sound effects are done will, with many effects for the different weapon and engine types. Voice overs found in this game, whether during the mission briefing or the actual battle, are clear and well done.

Gameplay: 8/10

Gameplay of Naval Ops: Warship Gunner is essentially a more action-oriented take on Pacific Theater of Operations. It is far from being the Dynasty Warriors of that series, but it does bring much more action into the strategy genre. You obtain warship parts by destroying enemies or by purchasing them with reward funds. New parts can be added to your existing warship or used to create entirely new vessles all together. A great feature about the design part of the game is that anything can be created. Battleships with 100's of guns, destroyers with high speed and little armor, aircraft carriers that house 100's of planes or one of many variations on the games 5 ship classes, destroyer, cruiser, battleship, carrier and battlecarrier. There is also great strategy found in design mode, such as how the placement and location of your engine will affect how damage is received to that area. Such things will need to be considered when designed the ultimate warship, granting many possibilities to design and test out numerous warships.

Battles are mission based, either through the main story mode or World War 2 mode, where only WW2 ships are used to complete the main story mode missions. In story mode, however, many high tech and futuristic designs will appear later in the game. Actual battles are rather slow-paced, ending up much like the classic game Battleship. You position your warship and use guages to place your shots. You then modify your weapons position based on your last shot and fire again. But it will be the variety of weapons that keeps this seemingly monotonous cycle from getting stale. Firing salvos of topedos, dropping depth chargers, firing machine guns and main cannons all control very differently. And depending on your ship's design, the number of cannons you fire at once will vary. Unfortunately it is quite annoying to exit the map once a mission is completed. Moving the ship can take quite some time yet once a mission is over the stage is not exited until you move off of the playing field (map). While this gives you extra time to hunt down enemy ships for further bonus points, it also wastes time you could otherwise be playing missions and it compromises your safety after your main objective is already completed.

Replay: 7/10

Mission objectives are varied and plentiful. Unfortunately, every country (America, Japan, Britain and Germany) and mode (WW2 and story) share the same missions. While you can replay missions to keep designing bigger and better warships, I question how long the fun will last. Though I have yet to complete this game, it does seem like once it's completed the game is over. Still, it will take a while to complete this game with battles lasting close to an hour, not to mention the time you will spend beforehand designing and upgrading your warship.

Secrets: 8/10

There are hundreds of ship components to integrate into your design. You will gain new pieces by fufilling objectives, completing missions and by purchasing upgraded ''stats'' (Air Tech, Engine, Metallurgy, Weapons and Electronics), which will make more items appear for sale at the depot. There are also many hidden weapons that you will come accross by defeating a certain number of enemy vehicals, which are kept track of in your Log.

Overall, Naval Ops: Warship Gunner is a solid experience as a thinking-man's action game. While the control scheme is complicated and the sound and graphics are dated, these are all things that you will adjust to and come to terms with while enjoying a multitude of ship designs and mission objectives. Obviously this game is not for everyone, but for those fans of KOEI strategy, Battleship or those just interested in building a bigger warship, this game is sure to please.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/03, Updated 07/28/03