Okay, so let me just get into it. Picture this: you’re plopped in front of a screen, and bam! You’re the boss of an aircraft carrier. Yeah, you. “Carrier Deck” from Ultimate Games throws you right into the thick of it, dealing with planes and helicopters buzzing all over. It’s a game packed with frantic button-pushing moments. Check out what I thought of it!
So, you’re this Air Officer on a CVN-76 – in the middle of live combat scenarios. You’re the one calling the shots for all things airborne. Sounds intense, right? You’ve gotta be quick; I mean, if you blink, things blow up – probably. Anyway, you’re juggling everything on deck to keep the war effort ticking.
But, I dunno, pretty quickly it got overwhelming. The tutorials? Way too in-the-weeds. They throw techy stuff at you and somehow skip the basics. I remember being stuck on a level for at least, like, ten minutes because the tutorial was as clear as mud. Once you kinda know what’s going on, you realize the controls feel overly complicated for no good reason.
I should mention, this is on PS5, but it feels like they’re still holding onto its PC roots too tightly. Everything takes a hundred steps. Like, intercepting an enemy. You see it on radar, you’re supposed to choose the right plane (without a guide!), then dive into menus… Honestly, by clicking the radar, it should already kickstart something. If you mess up the sequence, no dice. It’s just… rigid and kinda clunky, ya know?
Let’s not even talk about the visuals. Every mission happens on the same darn aircraft carrier. Feels like groundhog day. It’s got this super basic look which kinda bleeds into the UI. Using a mouse-pointer setup on a console? Feels like trying to eat soup with a fork! Oh, and background music sorta drones on, but… in a “it’s 2 a.m. and you’re in some dive bar” kind of way. It’s catchy but repetitive.
If you’re into trophy hunting, there’s a long list here. Platinum contenders, rejoice! There’s this series of 13 Bronze, 16 Silver, and 4 Gold trophies. It’s all about beating missions and hanging in there during tricky spots. As long as you’re patient (or stubbornly refuse to give up), you’ll manage. Just haul those cargo pallets while you’re at it.
Ultimately, it’s like: the idea’s cool, but man, the execution… not so much. With a stronger setup on consoles and better, clearer instructions, it could’ve been more fun. Right now, it’s $11.99 on PS5 – same on PS4, if you’re wondering.
Oh, by the way, Ultimate Games gave me a PlayStation copy for this review, just so you know.
