Portable Subsim
 

I can dream.

Just bought a DSi XL. I sigh at the wasted potential of the handheld. With the stylus as a substitute for a mouse, the DS is perfectly capable of running a subsim. Who cares about 3d graphics. Just give me a clickable (touchable?) map, sonar, and a blurry telescope. Sturmovik made it to the DS so a subsim shouldn't be too much of a dream, right?

Umm that would be nice.

There appears however no hope with Sonalyst currently exclusively developing the sim for the military.

Now if I could be a US citizen and applied for the navy submarine branch maybe just maybe


Well . . .
:damn:

Have a look at the E3 coverage. There was a side scrolling sub game announced. Looks fairly tame compared to what they could do with the DS hardware

As I said, such wasted potentials. What looks like a true wargame did make it to the DS this March: T.A.C. Heroes: The Big Red One. It reminds me of Advanced Squad Leader. Game reviewers slam it; understandable given where they come from.

Dangerous Waters is perfectly portable to the DS. The problem lies with profitability. Nintendo probably charges developers a fortune just for allowing a game to be released on the DS. I guess homebrews are our last best hope. Here's a subsim for palm: http://www.subsim.com/ssr/review_shiphunt.html

Yes, it seems to be a rather tortuous process for devs to get permission for an Nintendo release I know that the devs of "Ports of Call" the maritime business simulation (which first appeared on the Amiga) have been trying for over 2 years to get a license from Nintendo to release a version for the DS. It does make you wonder how many other great games are waiting in the wings!

In the meantime the only naval themed game is Steel Horizon a strategy title with 3d tactical sequences. The strategy part is not bad but the tactical sequences are a bit of a let down as they are time limited to a mere sixty seconds in each encounter.

http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/arti...1225841477.jpg

Instrument panels are sexy, aren't they?

Meanwhile Fast Food Simulator 6 is going gold. I could rationalize with the fact that DS is made for the general non-gamer gamer market. Nintendo is interested in maximizing its profit, not funding the revolution; nothing wrong with that. Just an old guy complaining... :zzz::zzz::zzz::zzz::zzz::zzz::zzz:

Here are two more Japan exclusives:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/data...MYrNKlWgj/2Q==http://attach4.92wy.com/upload/2008/...80839_info.jpg

The Senkan (The Battleship), a testerone-driven Yamato-simulator in which you fire main guns, AA batteries. Gets old fast.

http://www.jokergameth.com/nds/gamen...1400/1345a.jpg


And

http://www.gamefever88.com/games/3339/3339_tn.jpg

Taiheiyou no Arashi (Pacific Storm)

http://images.gamebase.com.tw/gb_img...158/158816.jpg

Plays like Advanced Wars in the sea, i.e., unrealistic. None of these hit the spot for me.