May 15, 2007

Treasures of the Deep




Treasures of the Deep (developed by Black Ops, released by Namco) is an adventure/action game made for the Playstation that involved deep sea diving, adventuring and exploring. The game is unique in that it is the only submaring game known. I picked this up over at Amazon.com, and there are only a few copies left around on the internet, albeit if you are lucky, your local video gaming store.


If you are picking it up today and never played the Playstation, but know the Playstation 2 very well, you will be sorely disappointed in the graphics department. This game is a GEM, and it is well over 10 years old. The graphics were great for its time, and the menu is simple and easy to navigate.


As the diver, you are sent on missions to diving/shipwreck sites around the world to collect treasure or perform special operations (The destroy the Nazi bomber level). Controls are fluid, easy, and its a lot of fun to explore on your sub and off your sub. Try not to get hurt: if you bleed you will attract sharks! Shooting any other diver (bad guys, called pirates) also leaks blood into the sea, and shooting endangered species such as the Manta Ray will release blood, which sharks can smell miles away.


You must, on your adventures collect gold to upgrade to better equipment, and it is actually fun and rewarding getting the next fastest submarine. There are a variety of ways to earn gold (cash): pick it up (think mario coins) pick up treasure chests, net lobster traps, kill jellyfish, loot pirates, and send injured sea turtles up to the surface to be cared for. There are many ways to earn money in the game, and as you advance you will need to to complete your missions.


The soundtrack is beautiful. Not to mention the scenery, but the level of detail for this early of a game is amazing. You don't lose health too quickly, and the enemies arn't hard, either. If you can find this rare gem, I highly recommend picking it up. Got mine for $20.00 USD off of amazon, and if you want it now (I played the demo when I was a wee lad and I loved it) Id suggest heading over there and purchasing a copy. None exist on Ebay. For a score, I give this game a 4 out of 5. I really don't have any quirks about the game: if one it is nearly impossible (I have done it once, forget how) to ride a manta ray.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I also played this game's demo as a kid. I loved it and I loved the music.

If I see it around I'll definitely pick up a copy. In the meantime is there somewhere I can find the soundtrack?

I think it'd be worth listening to just for nostalgia. I'm going ot see if I can find the demo in my CD collection but I really doubt it. None of my PS 1 games work on the PS2 anymore anyway. =(

Anyway, thanks for writing this review, it's nice to know the game hasn't been forgotten.

Rob said...

What's nice is the PS1 disks could also be played in a CD player to access the soundtracks. Give me a email at jadefalcon0@hotmail.com and I'll see what I can do for you =) I think there were 3-4 songs on the disk.