With futuristic sub combat there's not a lot to choose from, but there is Sub Rebellion; and it's fun enough.

User Rating: 6.5 | Sub Rebellion PS2
Some game themes never seen to get a wide range of titles released for it. In my experience, the sub combat theme falls in this rarely explored category. Sub Rebellion however comes at you in a fairly simplistic format where you to get to drive around underwater and blow things up.

Seek and destroy activities make up the core of the game-play. Most missions will have you tracking down enemies submerged, however there are some missions where you'll be taking down enemies above water. These could be airships, boats, and land targets like gun turrets and bases. It feels fun and unique for a while, but because the hunting barely changes throughout a generous amount of missions and a lack of intensity in the action, it can get to feel repetitive before it's over.

One of the things that is done to try and mix things up was providing weapon and sub upgrades. Your main weapons are a machine gun (of sorts) and torpedoes. As you progress you can purchase more powerful versions of these weapons. You can also get special weapons such as sub decoys, nuclear warheads, mines, and more.

The last component of the upgrade system is for the sub itself. You'll be able to purchase new engines, armour, and shields. A little bit of planning is required when choosing which weapons and upgrades to use if you want to make the most effective approach in each mission. For example, with the shields you can get ones that work better under water or one that works better when on the surface.

Treasure hunting is mixed in to the game-play to balance the action with something a little more passive. Using your sonar, you'll be able to see where artefacts are buried in the ground and into the walls of underwater cliffs. You follow the age old precision method of excavating ancient remains by blasting the area with your guns until the item floats up. Collecting items will allow you to unlock new upgrades and paint jobs. It also serves as your second method of collecting money (with shooting down enemies being the first) so that you can purchase your upgrades.

If you don't collect all the artefacts available in each level the first time around you can revisit any previous mission to try again. Because the enemies for the levels also re-spawn when you replay them, it's a great way to rack up extra cash.

As you progress through the levels you'll come across many boss battles. These include tougher subs, large surface ships, and ancient monsters. Sadly the applicable strategy to these battles are often repeating, making the number of them seem redundant. The last couple of fights though are fairly challenging with the final one being downright frustrating. This is particularly true thanks to the omission of check points.

If you should die on any of the missions you have to start from the beginning. It's rather aggravating, especially if you spend say 15 – 20 minutes of extra time hunting down all the treasure and then lose it all because you died at the end-stage boss. At those times I just wanted to rush through the level and be done with it.

That was probably my biggest upset with the game, although there are a few other items to be aware of. Yes the game-play can get repetitive, which is re-enforced by a mediocre selection of enemies. I don't often discuss music in games unless something really stands out. What stands out here are some incredibly cheesy songs that detract from the experience, and only a few decent tracks spread throughout game. Perspective caused some concern as well. The game can be played with a 3rd person view, however I found it a little easier judging distance from objects when in 1st person mode. I attribute this to a number of poor textures that make objects look bigger (or maybe you smaller), and therefore closer than they really are. I also found aiming to be easier in the first person mode. And finally, you may want to expect a bit of a learning curve at the beginning with controls. But once you get the hang of them, they work very well.

Sub Rebellion provides a unique take on the action game with environments and game-play not often seen in other titles. I commend for taking on something different, but it hangs it success too much on the novelty of driving a sub. It's still a fun game overall, just a little to long for what it offers. It provides reasons to replay it, but none of them are enticing enough for me to want to rush back to the ocean. If you can find it in a bargain bin give a whirl; but don't break your budget to acquire a copy.