Steel Diver (3DS)

I bought this game as I was looking for something a bit different for my 3DS from the usual fare and was pleasantly surprised.

The main bulk of the game sees you piloting one of 3 different types of submarines through some increasingly tricky levels. I found this great fun and very different from anything I've ever played before.

While the controls seem a bit slow and unresponsive at first, after a couple of goes it all starts to make sense and you really get the impression that you are actually piloting a submarine. To progress in the game you really need to plan ahead and its almost a cross between a RTS and a side-scrolling shoot-em-up.

Many reviews are critical of the apparent short length of the game but to complete all the levels on Expert level with all subs is a genuine challenge. And once you've done that there are the medals to win by beating the staff ghosts on each level (very tough!) and bonus decals to collect to improve your subs abilities.

The 3D is the game is pretty well done. Its mainly quite subtle and adds a bit of depth but there are some really cool effects every now and then that really add to the experience.

So if you are looking for something different and like the sound of the game why not give it a try!

A game combining strategy and action sections should be a lot more fun than this. The main missions, the sideways scrolling sections, are very slow paced and largely uneventful, and the controls (using the stylus to alter dials which in turn affect your movement) never feel natural. The strategy sections fare equally poorly - the pace is glacial. I enjoy strategy games where the rewards match your patience, but these quickly become simply boring. Better were the action sections, using the 3DS built in gyroscope to sink enemy boats and subs. Sadly, in practice it's almost identical to the 3DS' inbuilt "Face Raider" game and as such it's relegates Steel Diver to being three mini-games rather than a cohesive whole, and none of the three parts is in any way strong enough to keep the package afloat.

Okay, no more bad puns, honest.

This game has a lot of low rateings because of its size etc. But i got this because its different, i think its a great launch game for the 3ds ,the 3d is great its played with the pen,uses the gyro on the 3ds for the scope , it plays at a slow pace & is a type of simple strategy sim.