688 Attack Sub
| 688 Attack Sub | |
|---|---|
Box art for the Sega Mega Drive version
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| Developer(s) | John W. Ratcliff |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Designer(s) | John W. Ratcliff & Paul Grace |
| Composer(s) | Rob Hubbard |
| Platforms | DOS, Amiga, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, NEC PC-9801 |
| Release date(s) | DOS |
| Genre(s) | Submarine simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
688 Attack Sub is a submarine simulator game designed by John W. Ratcliff & Paul Grace, published in 1989 for DOS systems and 1990 for Amiga computers by Electronic Arts. A Sega Mega Drive version was also published.
The player takes command of a US Los Angeles-class or Soviet Alfa class nuclear powered attack submarine and plays 10 missions ranging from into either Cold War scenarios or combat missions in a hypothetical global conflict.
As modeled in the game, the American submarine has more sophisticated electronics and more weapons. The Soviet boat has fewer weapons but higher sustained speeds.
688 Attack Sub is known as an early classic of the genre.
The pair followed it up with SSN-21 Seawolf in 1994.
This was one of the earliest games that allowed two players to play against each other over a modem (or null modem cable), and the first to run in 256 color MCGA mode.
Reception
Computer Gaming World in 1989 gave the DOS version a positive review, noting the game was designed to be a fun game, as opposed to a realistic simulator.[1] A 1992 survey in the magazine of wargames with modern settings gave the game two stars out of five.[2] Compute! named the game to its list of "nine great games for 1989", describing it as "swift and exciting as any Mach 2 flight simulator".[3] It praised the game's graphics and two-player modem option, but criticized the lack of more than ten missions.[4]
