Battleship Fleet Command game

by Amanda Nettgen

(USA)

Game:
Battleship Fleet Command
Game download from:
Shockwave
Rating:
3.5/5

Quick verdict

BFC is Battleship meets actual battle in this clever upgrade to the usual board game. You’ll scoff at the game’s traditional mode after you play the Fleet Command it’s named after.

What’s it about?

Whether you opt to start with regular Battleship or head straight to Fleet Command, the goal of both is essentially the game: sink or be sunk.

You get to position your five ships wherever you please at the start of the round in both modes, but the distinction with Fleet Command is that you can reposition your vessels during your turns in an attempt to keep a boat that’s going down alive.

Both game types will find you firing shots in the enemy’s direction, “aiming” to locate each of their fleets and take them all out.

I really don’t know why anybody would want to bother with the original game kind, as it will seem painstakingly long and fruitlessly random after playing Fleet Command. Purists can expect the traditional type to operate much like the board game except, um, with graphics.

Action and purpose are found with Fleet Command mode, which resembles a mini war on your screen. No longer are you limited to single back-and-forth shots in the dark; you actually get three go’s at once, during which you can adjust a ship’s coordinates, set up a protection wall, or launch one of a small assortment of weapons.

Said artillery is the best part, having attacks that include a battery shot of four corners, torpedoes that cut throw an entire column, and even the ability to launch an airplane from your carrier to go kick some butt (or get shot down!). You can also scan your foe’s waters for fleet (or set up interference to prevent them from doing the same).

Pros and cons

+ Charming sound effects and animations.

+ Even for someone who would normally not be attracted to such action-based violence like me, it’s surprisingly fun if you keep in mind that it’s still based on the board game.

+ Different firing options are available for either mode: Single Shot, Triple Shot, Salvo (a shot for each ship not yet a Titanic), and Volley (keep going until you miss).

– Are the graphics from World War II?

– No multiplayer to speak of.

The verdict

You should give Battleship Fleet Command a “shot”, if only to experience a neat twist on the classic game for a little while. Whether it would be worth a buy depends on how much you enjoy dominating your enemies (real and imagined!).