Vivendi launches Navy Challenge
Battleships gets a reinvention for the wireless generation
Vivendi Mobile Games has announced the European launch of a new mobile game based on the classic naval strategy board game, Battleships.
Commanding either an American, Italian, Japanese or Chinese naval fleet in a World War II setting, players take turns to launch a strike into one of the cells on the game board in an effort to sink all of their opponent's ships before their own fleet is taken out.
Ships appear on the board in isometric 3D, and the Vivendi promises "superb fire special effects" to show damage to the vessels - as well as an advanced AI system which increases in intelligence as players progress through the game.
New weapons and special moves can be unlocked by completing levels, including a radar which temporarily reveals any enemy ships in a 4x4 zone, plus Torpedo, Cruise Missile and Air Strike attacks.
VMG President Paul Maglione commented: "Aside with our console and Hollywood based franchises the release of Navy Challenge shows our determined dedication to mobile mainstream gaming. Our 2006 line-up equally addresses the gamer community and the mass market."
Navy Challenge - nominated for Best Mobile Strategy Game at the recent E3 expo - will be available for both Java and Brew technologies and is compatible with more than 500 handsets.
The game will shortly be available through major European mobile operators and independent gaming portals, and is the first in a new range of casual mobile games scheduled for release in the coming months from Vivendi Mobile Games.