Here
we have the sequel to the popular U-Boat game Crash Dive from 2014.
This time you are playing as the U.S. skippers with their superior American
fleet boat subs. Capable of longer ranges and equipped with more torpedoes
than German boats, your mission is to find and sink all merchant and
Imperial Japanese warships you come across. Crash Dive 2 features all the
great playability interface features that made its predecessor so well
loved. There's a ton of reality settings to get the kind of action you
prefer, from Easy to Sim more. If you want you can turn on god-mode view
where you can see all the enemy ships, or you can do it the hard way, where
your visuals are more realistically encumbered.
Your sub is equipped with American radar which gave the
US a real advantage of seeing the enemy before they can detect you. However,
just as in real life, if you cruise too closely to enemy escorts, they can
and will spot your periscope and launch an attack on you. So you will need
to manage your periscope discipline carefully.
Aircraft are prominent in Crash Dive 2, they will come
out of nowhere at times and make your like hell. You can stay on the surface
and slug it out with your AA gun, and you can get results this way. However,
you do run the risk of drawing additional aircraft as well and long-range
patrols to your position.
One of the many bright spots of this game are the special
missions and intel reports. From time to time you will get a radio message
instructing you to a place on the map where a crippled Japanese battleship
is limping undefended to home port - you are tasked with plotting an
intercept course and taking him down. Also there are harbor intrusions which
are really fun. The harbors are aggressively defended with shore batteries
and sub chaser patrols, as well as minefields. Getting through the
minefields takes carefully ship management, not to mention strong nerves.
But getting into the enemy's sanctuary and feasting on the docked ships and
supply depots is real thrill.
Enemy escorts can be really tenacious. If you take damage
from their deck guns or depth charges, your sub can be hobbled, making
escape a challenge. The game has random convoy encounters, random war
patrols, and a great dynamic campaign mode. You also have the option to
manage your crew or you can let the game handle it. Conditions range from
still, clear summer days to misty nights and typhoon weather.
Overall, Crash Dive 2 is a deep, enjoyable subsim that
manages to combine the best of simulation design with action game fun. It
doesn't try to be a realistic as Wolfpack or Silent Hunter 5, but it doesn't
need to be. Give
it a try, I think you will find this a richly rewarding game.
