KOEI's second attempt at arcade style naval combat returns for another round on the PlayStation 2 and the game is just as charming this time as when it was first introduced. For those not familiar with the first game Warship Gunner, the game is best described as a naval combat game where players take control of a variety of medium to large sized vessels and combat targets at sea on land and in the air using a variety of equipment and armaments.
The game is set in an alternate universe where World War II hasn't happened and you're a captain of a royal Navy of Wilkia, a country that has been taken over by a dictator madman that has put the world on notice. While this dictator may not be quite a slippery and subtle as the real madman of that era (Hitler), it allows KOEI to tell a war story without having to stir up anyone's emotions..
So in the game you're captain of a small liberation force of naval ships that is doing its best to defend the honor of the old country and to help various allies in the oceans of the world as Wilkia forces go about causing all kinds of chaos.
And that's pretty much the plot of the game, played out in classic 2D cutscenes in-between missions that mesh nicely with the action you'll find yourself partaking in again and again. Don't worry though - chances are you'll love every minute of it.. So what's new in Warship Gunner 2 that will brings fans of the first game back to the table? Lots. But first an introduction to the gameplay for those that have never had the pleasure of this game's first foray onto the PS2.
The Game
The core gameplay of Warship Gunner is retained in the sequel, but some new key elements have been added to refine the gameplay a bit more (they are detailed more closely below). Basically Warship Gunner 2 is a linear story-driven game that offers a branching storyline depending on how well you do in each mission.
The gameplay is pretty straightforward. Players control the engine of the ship by using the cross (up and down) and use the right and left arrows to steer. Players can cycle down the weapons system menu using the X button or up using Triangle, while the Circle button allows you to fire the selected weapon. The weapon system menu is pretty straightforward once you get used to it and lets you select whatever is equipped on your ship including big long range guns, machine guns, torpedoes, aircraft, depth charges, etc.
To aim you simply use the left analog stick and to get a zoomed in view simply use the right analog stick.
Of course there are plenty of other things you can use in the game, but these are the key elements you'll be fooling around with as you take on air, land and sea targets.
As you begin each mission you'll get a briefing complete with manga style artwork and visuals pointing out your targets or objectives in the missions. Missions are vary from escorting other ships and protecting them to taking out land targets like radar or gun turrets. As the game progresses the situations get stickier and more pressing, with multiple objectives that will keep players on their toes until the very end. Most missions usually have a secondary objective that will further your rank and give you additional funding that you can use to build a ship in the game's ship designer.
When the mission is over you receive a score and earn cash and prestige, but if you want to return to specific mission the game lets you access anything you've completed - and the good thing is that you are rewarded for it every time with more funds, rank and sometimes even spare parts or unique technology.
The second most important component to the gameplay is the ship design. We detail below what's new here, but it's a pretty impressive system that lets you tweak just about every aspect of a ship. This includes everything from weapons systems to hull strength to platforms systems that support aircraft to sonar - and all stops in between. There are vast number of improvements to the ship design component in Warship Gunner 2, but it's relatively the same easy-to-use system players enjoyed in the first game. And that's the gameplay in a nutshell.
What's New
New Ships
In addition to the usual ships you could control in the first game, Warship Gunner 2 offers a number of new types of ships including Submarines and Frigates. Frigates are like the destroyer class, except they are a lot larger and are capable of dealing with ship-to-air and ship-to-sub combat because they tend to offer more space for weapons platforms and more space for aircraft much like a carrier. Frigates are capable of being equipped with an immense amount of weaponry and systems including torpedoes, machine guns, high end engine parts, and five types of aircraft.
Subs, on the other hand, allow players a more stealthy approach to combat, hypothetically allowing you to sneak up on unsuspecting enemy ships and sink them before they know what hit them. They are also one of the best defense against other submarines for obvious reasons.
