Being a bit aquaphobic, Les Ellis wasn't too eager to play at being Captain Nemo - his fears were justified
Hear about the Iraqi submarine? It sank. How do you sink an Iraqi submarine? Knock on the door when it's submerged. Hear about the Iraqi football team? They flooded the pitch to bring on the sub. Okay, okay. Enough! No more submarine jokes, I promise. Back to the game...
You never realise how lucky we are in Britain till you read some of these game scenarios. For instance, just four years ago, the tiny island nation of Balderia was under attack from a horrific monster called the Meta-creature. Luckily for the inhabitants, a brave young navy captain by the name of Mikan, devised a cunning plan to lure the creature into a cave and trap him for ever.
For the past four years, the small, peace loving island community has been hard at work trying to rebuild their lives after the chaos and destruction of the Meta-creature. Recently, though there have been unexplained reports of fishing boats not returning from their trips and planes mysteriously disappearing off the radar (cue Twilight Zone music). But there are a few people who have seen all this before. The Meta-creature has returned! Now an Admiral, Mikan volunteers to lead a crew of men into the underwater caves and caverns beneath the island of Balderia. However it seems the evil human element of the world has sought out the Meta-creature and built many protective defences around it. The bad guys hope to use the Meta-creature as a bargaining tool for their planned world domination.
Submarine Attack is. to put it simply, R-Type underwater. This would be great if it was as attractive and contained as much content as the super Sega version of R-Type, but it doesn't. In fact the longevity of the product is shortened even more by the pointless addition of unlimited continues. People who play shoot-'em-ups as frustrating as this won't be able to help themselves from continuing and finishing the game on the first go.
THE (UNDERWATER) WORLD'S A STAGE
STAGE 1 - The initial attack happens just after leaving your base.
STAGE 2 - Travel under volcanic islands, both dead and active.
STAGE 3 - The space starts to narrow in this underwater cavern.
STAGE 4 - Travel through the lost city and face one of the toughiest big guys.
STAGE 5 - Travel down a corridor facing fire from all sides.
STAGE 6 - The Meta-creature s chamber; victory here means peace for Balderia
WE'VE GOT THE POWER
A - Makes your shots more powerful.
H - Restores your sub's condition.
S - Makes your sub faster.
? - Appears alter you've blasted 100 nasties and gives you an extra life.
MASTER SYSTEM
GRAPHICS 69%
✘ Very small enemy sprites.
✔ Detailed backdrops; smooth scrolling.
SOUND 62%
✘ Squeaky music plays throughout.
✘ Poor blasting effects.
PLAYABILITY 68%
✘ Limited lasting appeal; no challenge.
✔ Fast and playable.
SEGA 67%
£29.99 • OUT NOW
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