Submarine Commander is a shoot 'em up video game for the Atari 2600, developed by Matthew Hubbard at Atari, Inc.[1] It was released exclusively under the Sears Tele-Games label in 1982.[3][4]
Gameplay
The player controls a submarine going through enemy territory, and must shoot targets in order to win the game.[4] The player views the action via a periscope that can be rotated 360 degrees, a rarity for the time. Information provided to the player includes a radar scope, a depth charge detector, a fuel gauge, and an engine temperature gauge for detecting engine overheating. There are eight modes of play, made up of single and two-player mode and four different levels of difficulty for each.
Development
The game was one of three 2600 titles developed by Atari exclusively for Sears, the others being Stellar Track and a port of the arcade game Steeplechase.[5] Submarine Commander was based on the 1978 Midway arcade game Sea Wolf II, which was played with a periscope.[6]
Reception
A December 1982 review in Joystik magazine described Submarine Commander as a "very basic shooting-gallery type game."[4]
A retrospective review at 8-Bit Central said the game was "not a visually pleasing experience", but that it the complexity of the gameplay made it "worth playing". 8-Bit Central gave the game 2.5/5 overall.[7] A December 2012 review on the Video Games Critic website called it "an eye-opening experience", praising its faux-3D graphics and action; the review gave the game an overall grade of "B+".[8]
References
- Atari 2600 VCS Submarine Commander Atari Mania^
- Atari VCS game release dates Atari Archive^
- Bret Weiss. Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984 A Complete Reference Guide McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 20 December 2011, retrieved 20 February 2021^
- Submarine Commander Joystik Magazine, December 1982, retrieved 27 February 2021^
- Jamie Lendino. Adventure The Atari 2600 at the Dawn of Console Gaming Steel Gear Press, 2018, retrieved 27 February 2021^
- Tim Lapetino. Art of Atari (Deluxe) Dynamite Entertainment, 26 October 2016, retrieved 27 February 2021^
- Sears Submarine Commander 8 Bit Central, retrieved 27 February 2021^
- Submarine Commander Video Games Critic, 8 December 2012, retrieved 27 February 2021^