Cold Waters

A deceptively simple game, this sub sim is reasonably faithful to real submarine warfare while still being fun and engaging. There is an good amount of detail in the modeling of this game, but you also have the option to play entirely in a tactical screen, giving you an excellent amount of control over how real to life you want this to be. This is a game that I only play for an hour or two at a time, but find myself coming back to regularly. The core gameplay is pretty straightfoward in concept, but in execution there is a surprising depth to everything. This includes things like how your sonar works, local weather/conditions, weapons and equipment carried by both you and the enemy, tactics for fighting other subs, avoiding torpedoes and other attacks, etc. Its not too difficult to accomplish most of the objectives in the campaign missions. The admiral gives you one primary objective, with some secondary considerations. Those objectives are usually to sink specific enemy ships in certain areas. There are occasional special missions, such as attack an enemy harbor or infiltrate and deploy a seal team. However, the difference between getting a job done and getting a job done right can be massive, and will affect your next few engagements. All in all, a well made game that knows what it wants to do, and does it well.