GENRE
	Strategy
	DEVELOPER
	Konami
	PUBLISHER
	Konami
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
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As much as DS seems tailor-made for strategy games, there aren't many viable options. Age of Empires and Advance Wars: Dual Strike are pretty lonely on the short list of quality titles in the genre. While fans wait for Wi-Fi-enabled sequels to those games, Konami's got a sea-based World War II title to tide us over. In sails Steel Horizon, stage right.

visuals

Turned-based strategy games are known more for their stat tracking and chess-like battles of wit than any kind of visual flair. That said, Steel Horizon's poor graphics are still distracting. The simple map on which players command their vessels would pass for radar in most games. On the top screen, things are zoomed in a bit, but the bland landscapes and blue, TV-static water doesn't elevate it beyond Military Madness on TurboGrafx16. 3D visuals are featured in the battle sequences, but the terrible draw distance and muddy textures would make even PS launch games blush. The graphics in a game like this have to be functional, but besides some neat cutscenes, the lack of effort in this department really shows.

audio

Despite the little attention paid to the visuals, it seems like only a part of that was put into the music and sound effects. Drums roll and faux-horns perform their predictable military themes while players make their moves. Battle music fares worse, with shrill notes that want to be tense but end up being irritating. These cover up the dull and muted sound effects during combat. It feels as if any sound at all is only included because it's expected of a video game.

gameplay

Steel Horizon doesn't do anything remarkably different than any other strategy game out there. In fact, in most cases, it falls well below par. Commanding units around the field grid should be a cinch with the stylus, but the sensitivity and accuracy often prove troublesome. Sometimes a tap on one side of the screen will inexplicably result in an action on the other side. This seems to have been dealt with simply by adding the number of confirmation taps. But the lazy game design doesn't end there.

Three types of units are available to armchair captains: destroyers, battleships and submarines. Each has a strength over the other, which lends a paper-rock-scissors dynamic not uncommon in strategy titles. Mixing and matching in groups is encouraged, and in fact makes every enemy encounter a breeze. When one group of units attacks another, the game switches modes to real-time 3D combat. While the ability to reposition units and use special weapons give the illusion of control over what happens during these events, none of it ever seems to effect the outcome of any battle.

As the game wears on, upgrades become available for the command ship, but that's as far as customization and variety goes. Mission after mission pits the player against enemy vessels. Healthy amounts of resources are available to enlist more ships at ports, rendering most of the game without a challenge or strategy. So even though twenty missions lasts quite a while, they're never compelling or fun to play.

multiplayer

It's hard to find a strategy game that isn't more fun with another human being as opposed to a computer-controlled opponent. Steel Horizon isn't unique in this respect, but it does require that two players have the game in order to play. Finding another with the game probably isn't likely -- given the nature of the game, why not a hot-seat mode?

overall

A good strategy game will stretch the mind here and there. In theory, tactics should be applicable with actual results. In the simplest terms, strategy games should require strategy to play. Perhaps Konami thought they could slide by, being the only new game in town. Even though the wait will be months-long, fans will be better off putting their money towards a pre-order of Heroes of Mana, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 or even Revanent Wings; and if not one of those, hey, there's always chess.

4.0/10