Critical Depth (2001)

Critical Depth is a vehicular combat game made for the PlayStation 2, XBOX, PC, Dreamcast, GameCube and Game Boy Color, developed by the game studio Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft Montpellier. It was released on November 21, 2001.

Critical Depth is based on the concept and engine of Red Storm Entertainment's original best selling Twisted Metal franchise (a demolition derby which permits the usage of ballistic projectiles), but occurs under water. All vehicles in the game are submarines. Players choose a sub and an arena in single mode to engage in fights with opposing sailors. A variety of weapons and upgrades are obtainable by pick-ups scattered throughout the stage as well as each sub having their own exclusive "special weapon". The goal on an arena is to retrieve all five pods, which are scattered throughout the level, and find the escape gateway. Each pod gives its holder an extra power.

The game features three modes of play: a mission/story mode, where the player (or two players cooperatively) can battle through eleven levels; a battle mode, where the player captures pods in a selectable level; and deathmatch, where the player battles against the computer or another human in a split-screen mode.

Story
The story is set in 2017, and it is based on the disappearance of British undersea explorer Isaac Bagnios and the discovery of five mysterious and powerful alien pod-shaped objects. Eight different factions enter the sea to find out more about these forces and uncover their mystery, each for its own reasons. Each faction battles several competitors in order to retrieve the pods.

Gameplay
The playable ships are divided into factions, one of which the player must align with at the beginning of the game. Once he does, a mix of the eleven other ships will constantly stand in his way. Four additional characters can be unlocked by reaching certain goals in the game.

Levels are cleared by recovering the five pods found in each level to open a slipgate to the next level

Maps

 * Battle of the Baja Gulf
 * Battle of the Pacific Rim
 * Battle of Bermuda (Boss: Estros Research Barracuda)
 * Battle of North Arctic Sea
 * Battle of Indian Ocean
 * Battle of the Tasman Sea
 * Battle of the Coral Sea
 * Battle of the Mediterranean
 * Battle in the North Atlantic (Boss: Precursor Ship)

Factions

 * 1) United Nations Security Council: They believe the pods to be of extraterrestrial origin and intend to keep anyone else from discovering its secret. Pilots the Hannibal.
 * 2) European Agency of Global Affairs: a group of European black ops agents attempting to get the pods in order to unite Europe under one country. Pilots the Europa.
 * 3) Church of the Broken God: An Christian extremist group believing the pods to be a sign of the Second Coming of Jesus. Pilots the Evangelion.
 * 4) Estros Research: An private research group from Arizona employed by the United States Armed Forces to gain the pods and use it to enforce total American hegemony. Pilots the Barracuda. Can be unlocked by beating him in his boss fight
 * 5) Shandong Research Division 89: Operating out of Shandong Province, China, they seek to instate an Chinese New World Order, and are in a race against time as Estros Research seeks to gain the pods. Pilots the Yellow Star.
 * 6) Neo-Nazis: A team of Neo-Nazis who see the pods as an way to reinstate Nazism on the world. Pilots the Mannheim.
 * 7) Doctor Manslaughter: A Dutch Mad Scientist who wishes to wipe out the rest of humanity and repopulate it with a more superior race. Pilots the Butcher.
 * 8) Whitetails: A Resistance group from Juneau, who wish to liberate Alaska from American control, as they believe it was robbed from them. Pilots the Patriot.