Growing up as a kid in the 1980s, with the very real threat of imminent MAD hanging over our heads all the time, it was natural for me to start playing war-games focusing on the conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. I loved tactical and simulator games, especially the ones from Microprose, and one of my favorites was Red Storm Rising, based on the book by Tom Clancy.
I must have played hundred of hours of this game, and loved the tension and excitement of controlling a nuclear attack submarine, patrolling for Soviet surface groups or submarines, and having to sneakily avoid the inevitable counterattack after launching torpedoes or missiles at the enemy. It led to some very intense gaming moments.
So naturally I was very excited to learn a new game was under development, called Cold Waters, and claiming to be a Spiritual Successor to the Microprose Classic “Red Storm Rising”. According to the developers, the game is ready for release within the next week or so, and it looks very much like delivering on the bold claim.
Focusing on the tactics of submarine warfare instead of having to deal with every single detail of controlling a massive vessel is in my opinion a good idea, as one of the reasons I could never get into most later submarine sims was the complexity and steep learning curve. Abstracting this away will hopefully allow the player to focus more on tactics and lead to more tense and exciting game play.
Really looking forward to playing this one very soon now!
Source: Cold Waters – Killerfish Games