// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the TigerShark say? "Jaws drop at my fin-tastic name.
| TigerShark | |
|---|---|
 PlayStation Cover Art | |
| Developer | n-Space |
| Publisher | GT Interactive |
| Platforms | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre | Combat flight simulator |
| Modes | Single player, multiplayer |
TigerShark is a 1997 video game published by GT Interactive for the PlayStation and Windows, and the first game to be released by its developer, n-Space.
Story
[edit]TigerShark is set in the Japanese archipelago in the near future, where the Japanese Economic Collective have turned to sources of geothermal power known as 'geothermal taps' in the faultline across the Japanese coast. A series of major earthquakes caused by tapping into this faultline destabilise and sink many of the Japanese islands. Sensing an opportunity, a rogue commander of the Federated States of Russia invades and occupies the remainder of Japan, planning to continue to mine the faultline for energy. The player is tasked to launch a counter-invasion by the United States against the rogue Russian commander, and in turn save the world.[2]
Gameplay
[edit]TigerShark is a naval combat game in which the player operates the titular Tigershark, a futuristic hydrofoil powered submarine. It features a unique mechanic in which the player alternates between navigating the vessel both at and below the ocean's surface in 3D. Players encounter varied enemies, including small and large ships, cruisers, fixed and moving guns, and mines, and can use a number of weapons, including torpedoes, flak, and main guns.[3]
The game features one training level and nine regular levels, assigning players with multiple targets, from radars to large installations, which the player must destroy to reach the next mission.[4] Some missions require the player to complete additional objectives, such as escorting and protecting allies, or escaping a volcano before it erupts.[3]
Development
[edit]The development of TigerShark ran on the game engine that was planned for use by the company's intended first product, RazorWing, a title that was developed in association with the product development division of Sony Computer Entertainment America (which itself was absorbed into the larger Sony Imagesoft and was renamed to Sony Interactive Studios America),[5][6][7][8][9] but after Sony cancelled the title,[10][11] the company shifted its attention to GT Interactive Software, where it developed TigerShark.[12][13]
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| PC | PS | |
| Computer Games Strategy Plus | 3/5[14] | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 5.0[15] | |
| GameSpot | 5.7[16] | |
| IGN | 6.5[4] | |
| Next Generation | 3/5[17] | |
| PC PowerPlay | 74%[18] | |
| Official Australian PlayStation Magazine | 7/10[19] | |
| PlayStation Pro | 4/10[20] | |
| Computer Game Entertainment | 76%[21] | |
Reviews for TigerShark were average. Positive reviews focused upon the novelty of the gameplay, with praise for the originality of its mechanics. Peter Sharpe of PC Powerplay remarked that "being able to quickly submerge and surface is enjoyable as the action dynamically changes depending on your depth".[18] A reviewer for Computer Games Strategy Plus agreed, praising how the "controls available expand considerably at the same time that you have to start thinking in 3D" when in the underwater mode.[14] A reviewer for Next Generation stated that TigerShark's premise is "promising and earns points for uniqueness".[17]
Negative reviews of TigerShark critiqued the repetition and difficulty of the gameplay. In a particularly low review, Peter Sharpe of PlayStation Pro expressed that the game "plays badly", stating that "variation is something that doesn't feature strongly in TigerShark", as "players will soon bore of blasting the copious, bland and uninteresting enemies".[20] Reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly expressed frustration for the "unfair" and unbalanced difficulty of the game, as "enemy opponents are everywhere and are practically unstoppable".[15] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot also expressed annoyance that "many of the missions are very difficult, and you must start each one from the beginning every time if you die".[16]
Reviewers provided mixed opinions about the presentation of the game. A reviewer for Next Generation critiqued the lack of detail in the game, noting "the undersea and surface environments are not very graphically compelling".[17] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot stated "Tigershark's graphics are decent, but the murky sea depths lack detail...The game moves smoothly enough, though the objects could have use more polygons - as it is everything looks square".[16] Reviewers also expressed mixed opinions on the graphics requirements. Peter Smith of Computer Games Strategy Plus stated "TigerShark looks good normally, but throw a 3Dfx accelerator card into your rig and it looks spectacular".[14] Peter Sharpe of PC Powerplay critiqued the system requirements for the game with other cards, stating "a stock standard Pentium 133 will move the frame rate along at an acceptable rate, but the graphics are best described as average.[18]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-06-06. Archived from the original on 1997-06-06. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ↑ McNally, Steve (April 1996). "You're A Tiger". PlayStation Pro (6): 76–77.
- 1 2 Engel, Barak. "Tigershark". Games Domain Review. Archived from the original on Jul 27, 1997.
- 1 2 "Tiger Shark". IGN. 13 December 2018. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- ↑ Sony Electronic Publishing Co. renamed; Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. is established. Business Wire, August 17, 1995.
- ↑ Harmon, Amy (August 18, 1995). "Company Town". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ↑ "News Notes". Play Meter. September 1995. p. 3.
- ↑ Meston, Zach (August 1995). "PlayStation Hits the Nation". Videogame Advisor. p. 3.
- ↑ "Ghosts of Consoles Past". Game Players. July 1995. p. 31. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Wade, Kenneth Kyle (August 18, 2005). "Meeting n-Space". N-sider.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
- ↑ Lee, Bruised (June 1996). "TigerShark". GamePro. p. 34. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
- ↑ Wade, Kenneth Kyle (August 18, 2005). "Meeting n-Space". N-sider.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
- ↑ Lee, Bruised (June 1996). "TigerShark". GamePro. p. 34. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Smith, Peter (August 1997). "TigerShark". Next Generation (29): 95.
- 1 2 "Tiger Shark". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 92. March 1997. p. 52.
- 1 2 3 Gerstmann, Jeff (2 May 2000). "Tigershark Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- 1 2 3 "TigerShark". Next Generation (29): 150. May 1997.
- 1 2 3 Sharpe, Peter (August 1997). "Tigershark". PC PowerPlay (15): 72.
- ↑ "TigerShark". Official Australian PlayStation Magazine (3): 56. Autumn 1997.
- 1 2 Sharp, Andy (December 1997). "TigerShark" (PDF). PlayStation Pro (15): 54–55.
- ↑ Mooney, Shane (August 1997). "TigerShark". Computer Game Entertainment (2): 105.