A global oil shortage... ...radical terrorists... ...international crisis... ...and one man can make the difference. From Jim Walls, designer of two of the most exciting and realistic graphic adventure games ever written, comes a story as chillingly authentic as tomorrow's headlines. Action and intrigue combine with the latest in simulation technology to create a thrilling adventure. The scenario: a kidnapped U.S. ambassador and the only man who can save him- Codename: Iceman. Oil shortages, international politics and radical terrorists form the backdrop for a powerful story of world crisis, superpower conflict and high tech escapades. Use authentic Naval intelligence charts to pilot a nuclear submarine into enemy territory in a race against time. Sierra's 3-D Adventure Game Format, enhanced graphics and sound capabilities add to your gaming enjoyment. Contains a realistic submarine simulator- the newest in simulation technology for a new kind of computer entertainment. Penetrate the deadly security of an enemy harbor on your way to a rendezvous with destiny. A hostage waits in a terrorist stronghold for rescue... or death!
Reviews View More
Lets start with the core gameplay. For some reason, despite this being billed as a spy-heavy game, the designers thought the best way to show you getting from place to place would be through submarine travel and not just any submarine travel, im talking clumsy submarine simulation travel where manuvering is clumsy, clunky and provides little to no margin of error. This is also paired along with submarine combat which again, feels clunky, drawn out and full of fussy detail that just gets in the way of actually doing the thing you want to do. This pretty much accounts for a good third to a half of the game which... aaaagh.
Outside of that? You've got a whole array of classic Sierra 'screw you' moments such as busted copy protection which requires you to perform CPR by following a manual guide (not that the game actually tells you this properly, it just throws you into the game and expects you to know that it wants you to do it).
You've also got lots of text parser issues where the game feels overly picky in what it wants in order to do what you need to do. This wouldnt be so bad but this came out AFTER Kings Quest and Space Quest, both feeling miles ahead of this overly picky parser which often wont allow you to do a thing because you forgot things like 'In' or 'the'.
And then you have the usual unwinnable situations which this game is full of. Have fun missing key items, or worse, the game GIVING you fake items without any clue or indication until hours later. Its PAINFUL.
Finally theres everyone's favourite, the crappy minigames. This time we have both the 'Reload your save constantly' gambling games and the 'Get lucky lol' buggy action games. One of these moments even contains a skip feature which really drives home how even the developers knew how bad it was... AND THEY STILL KEPT IT IN.
Notice I havent even mentioned the story yet? Thats because its just forgettable in every single way. Its a James Bond-esque spy plot removed of action, wit or relevance. All of the characters have the personality of cardboard and provide nothing. Its just dullsville.
What should have been a fun spy-themed romp is just a soulless, tiresome and nitpicky mess that forgets that videogames should occasionally have an interesting story to tell or have fun moments but because its so wrapped up in micromanaging detail, it never once meets either of those criteria. Dreck.