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CARRIER COMMAND (AST)
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Publisher: Rainbird.
Developer: Realtime Games. Released: 1988. Genre: Simulation. Other versions: AMI; PC; C64; CPC; SPC. Posted 25th September 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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Those first few moments exploring the living, breathing Liberty City of Grand Theft Auto III. Emerging into a huge valley basin only to be met by an enormous dinosaur, in Tomb Raider. A glimpse of the future courtesy of Mode 7 and the ferociously fast F-Zero. Gaming has forever been synonymous with leaps in technology, often culminating in extraordinary, cinematic moments that remain in the memory.
A few years before we’d enjoy any of the aforementioned examples, Realtime Games’ Carrier Command was busy creating its own jaw-dropping event. Your Manta fighter jet, loaded to the teeth with laser weaponry and missiles, rises on to the carrier flight deck. The camera tracks to follow as it launches in glorious, tangible, no-tricks 3D. A quick toggle of the menu and you're in the cockpit, staring down the crosshairs as you bear down on the enemy’s position. Fulfilling the dreams of Top Gun fans and then some, fully seven years before the European market would welcome the PlayStation and Saturn, a belated commitment to 3D gaming possibilities a long time in the making.
"Taaaake my breath awaaaaaaaay." Ahem, sorry.
Carrier Command remains one of gaming’s most remarkable technical feats. It’s also one of the few titles of the time that requires a degree in engineering to get your head around. The strength of its appeal will depend largely on your feelings toward the following statement: the instruction manual is 77 pages long and you’re getting nowhere without it.
Still reading? For those undaunted by such a commitment, the rewards are significant. Carrier Command offers a quite staggering level of detail, mixing the minutiae of management planning with the high-stakes arcade thrills of flying into battle. But it’s worth bearing mind that with icon-heavy menus, very specific procedures and next to nothing in the way of in-game signposting, it’s not a game you can twiddle around with for half an hour and hope to pick things up as you go. There’s plenty of admin required, particularly in the main simulation, where you’ll need to form a supply line via a sequence of connecting islands, in order to keep your carrier and crafts fuelled and stocked with weaponry.
Still reading? For those undaunted by such a commitment, the rewards are significant. Carrier Command offers a quite staggering level of detail, mixing the minutiae of management planning with the high-stakes arcade thrills of flying into battle. But it’s worth bearing mind that with icon-heavy menus, very specific procedures and next to nothing in the way of in-game signposting, it’s not a game you can twiddle around with for half an hour and hope to pick things up as you go. There’s plenty of admin required, particularly in the main simulation, where you’ll need to form a supply line via a sequence of connecting islands, in order to keep your carrier and crafts fuelled and stocked with weaponry.
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Loathed as I am to wheel out the old ‘not for everyone’ chestnut, it is certainly worth bearing in mind that there’s an unusual degree of commitment demanded of the player to get the hang of things. Reading the manual is a big help (and in this day and age, internet videos are handy too) because there’ll be an awful lot on your plate when things get started. Among other things, you can control and navigate from the carrier itself, making use of its mounted guns to pick off threats from the air. Thanks to the Mantas and the Walruses, you can mobilise attacks from air or water, and each has an array of different weaponry options. However, each has procedures that need to be followed: sending them straight into battle is pointless, as you’ll be without weaponry.
The huge 3D maps are a marvel, an incredible show of the ST’s technical capabilities. Clean, sharp visuals mean spotting the carrier, crafts and islands is a breeze. Furthermore, you can launch several crafts at any one time, switching between them as you please. There’s a lot going on, but Carrier Command manages to keep everything running smoothly, even during the more action-packed moments.
The huge 3D maps are a marvel, an incredible show of the ST’s technical capabilities. Clean, sharp visuals mean spotting the carrier, crafts and islands is a breeze. Furthermore, you can launch several crafts at any one time, switching between them as you please. There’s a lot going on, but Carrier Command manages to keep everything running smoothly, even during the more action-packed moments.
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Sound represents the only real blip where the presentation is concerned, with tinny and unconvincing firing effects again proving the ST’s Achilles heel. This is of no great consequence, however. The Action game mode allows you to go straight into battle and here you get to experience the wonders of 3D combat, where firing homing missiles at installations or enemy fighters is ridiculously cool. The Mantas handle really well, once you get the hang of juggling navigational controls and speed/altitude gauges. Even outside of combat, there’s something incredibly satisfying about kitting out the Mantas and landing them all on your flight deck. A true gaming sandbox if ever there was one.
Carrier Command marked a technical milestone for gaming. With the new breed of 16-bit consoles on the horizon, it also represented a serious statement of intent from the home computers, and particularly Atari, that they were up for the fight. This simulation requires considerable patience, but the depth of detail yields its own rewards. A true gaming labour of love, for those who can afford it the time it deserves.
Carrier Command marked a technical milestone for gaming. With the new breed of 16-bit consoles on the horizon, it also represented a serious statement of intent from the home computers, and particularly Atari, that they were up for the fight. This simulation requires considerable patience, but the depth of detail yields its own rewards. A true gaming labour of love, for those who can afford it the time it deserves.
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VERDICT
"Carrier Command remains one of gaming’s most remarkable technical feats. It requires a significant degree of commitment to get the most from it, but for those undaunted, it's a stunning simulation." OVERALL: 8/10 |