E3 2002: Larry Bond's Harpoon 4 preshow report

Ubi Soft has announced that it is publishing the long-awaited fourth installment in Larry Bond's Harpoon series, and it has also revealed that the game will be playable at the 2002 E3. The game features an all-new single-player campaign written by techno-thriller author Larry Bond. It also boasts a multiplayer component that supports up to eight players via a LAN or TCP/IP connection. Custom scenarios will be possible as well, thanks to the scenario editor that will be included with the game.

Context will be provided by highly detailed maps of Northern Europe and the Northern Atlantic Ocean, which the developer has created with the aid of satellite imaging technology. You'll be able to customize the map view with 25-plus overlays, which can be set to display various types of information, including weapons and sensor ranges, bathymetric data, and varying types of atmospheric and environmental information, including ice pack conditions, cloud cover, luminosity, and more.

More than 1,000 military craft will be modeled in the game, representing craft from 14 different countries in total: the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Finland, Denmark, and Poland. All these craft will be included in the game's exhaustive database, wherein you'll be able to learn more about their actual historical counterparts and devise strategies based on the information you find. Each craft's weapon systems and sensor arrays will be fully detailed in the database, which will theoretically allow players who delve into it to gain a strategic advantage. Furthermore, the system the developer used to build the craft will be released to the public, allowing you to create custom content for the game or alter the architecture of existing craft.

Some measures have been taken to ensure that the game is accessible to less-experienced players. Firstly, the game will feature a virtual Operations Staff Officer who will aid you in making key strategic decisions, as well as learning the intricacies of operating the various vehicles you'll be placed in. Also, much care has been placed on making sure that the game's interface is straightforward. According to Ubi Soft, the developer has focused on conforming to drag-and-drop and point-and-click models in order to maximize intuitiveness.

We'll have more information on Harpoon 4 for you once E3 commences, so keep your eyes on this space for hands-on impressions soon.