Silent Hunter III is simply the best WW2 sub sim yet. Silent Hunter III covers German U-Boat operations in the Atlantic from 1939 until the end of the war. There are more than a dozen individual scenarios as well as a dynamic campaign where you can pick the starting year and theatre of operations. I should mention that the game is on DVD (not sure if there is a CD version or not). It says this online and on the box but I didn't even notice because I've simply never seen a DVD game before. So if you don't have a DVD drive you may be out of luck. Also the game takes 2.5GB of disk space so be sure you have the room. The game comes with a nice campaign map as well as a full-color keyboard guide. The small instruction manual is excellent for explaining the basics but completely lacks information on more advanced features or operational matters (like what is the ideal firing distance for the various torpedoes, etc). The game also includes a number of well done video tutorials that will teach you the basic functions quickly. After you've watched these you can delete the files from your hard drive and reclaim about 500MB of space. Unfortunately, again, there are no tutorials on more advanced features or operations/tactics of the boat. Realism settings let the real sim diehards turn off external cameras and other aides. In general these are just too much fun to watch even if they are not realistic. Overall the graphics and sound are excellent. There are 3D views of many of the sub stations. You can freely rotate and look around at these stations but you can only jump from spot to spot not actually move through the sub like you would with a FPS game. There does seem to be a few issues with nVidia graphics cards (at least) where looking through the deck scope and binoculars causes major video slow downs through sea spray and fog. This is not a major problem because you can jump stations with keys and do the same functions from the periscopes but it would be nice to have the issues fixed. Sitting on the bridge and watching the waves, weather, sun sets, etc is simply gorgeous and adds tremendously to the immersion of the game. The various 3D crew members are rendered well but are stiff and have no facial emotions and little movement. One small quibble is that crewmen's beards don't grow over time nor do they don different attire for rainy/snowy days. Ship and aircraft models and explosions are very well done. Ships sink and aircraft crash in various ways commensurate with the way they were sunk/hit. In addition to your boat views there are torpedo/target cameras and even a free view where you can fly around and look at whatever you want. Again, not realistic but great fun and with the great graphics it enhances the experience considerably. Such view options are also of great use while learning the game and proper boat handling. You move about your boat either in the 3D mode or simply hitting keys to take you from spot to spot. You can run all the major stations yourself (radio, sonar, periscopes, deck guns, navigation, weapons plot) or let your crew handle them and just give orders. Crew management is a major task and you can freely assign crewman to the various positions (and the crew accrue experience and you can give them awards, promotions, and additional ratings between campaign missions). Unfortunately crew management is also one of the confusing areas of the game. Some crew seem to tire very quickly whereas others will go for days. It would be nice if the computer handled crew rotations and let you intervene only when necessary. It is also not explained what the various crew ratings do for you. For example, is a torpedoman good just for reloading torpedoes or useful as a weapons office as well or both? You don't know. Also confusing is the orders interface. You can click on various hotlinks or officers to access various game/ship functions. This works well for the most part but the problem is that functions that are not supported by your current boat still show up. Thus on the early boats you will try to do things such as radar sweeps, etc that you can't do. Worse the interface doesn't say the function isn't available it just doesn't do anything. It would be nice if these options changed appropriately from boat to boat. Individual scenarios (missions) usually begin right at the moment the action is going to start. Campaign missions start in port. For campaign missions you'll need to navigate to your assigned zone and patrol for 24 hours. After that you are free to do what you want (within the limits of your fuel and ammo). This has some advantages but isn't the most interesting way to run the campaigns either. Time compression up to 1,024 times real-time is available so you can move through the outbound and returning cruise portions quickly. The game automatically goes to 8x speed upon contact (I wish it would just go to real-time). It also doesn't seem to let you do anything silly like run into an island with time compression on, which is nice. You can man any of the major stations on the sub (radio, sonar, periscopes, deck guns, navigation, weapons plotting) or let your crew do it and just get reports. For best results you'll need to take some direct command on certain occasions. You have free reign to run the sub as you wish within realistic limits. The only complaint with gameplay is you actually have to know how a U-Boat works to play the game well. For example early torpedoes need to hit targets at close to 90 degrees to explode (mostly), etc. When spotting targets with the periscopes how do you use the stad lines to determine range, etc.? It is in areas such as these that the game does a poor job explaining. But those who know their U-Boats, or take the time to learn through trial and error, will have their knowledge/time rewarded with some rich gaming experiences. Missions (especially campaign missions) are overall slow affairs. The shortest is probably around one and a half hours and you can easily find three or four hours going by. Even with time compression there is considerable patience required to arrive on station, find targets, properly stalk your prey, attack, and most importantly, successfully evade attack. You'll also find yourself doing some of your own sonar work for best results. Often times you can spend hours on a mission without firing a shot or, worse, spend the time setting up a shot only to miss or have a dud torpedo. But this is what being a U-Boat commander was all about. If this sort of thing fits your temperament you will find Silent Hunter III an extremely enjoyable game. The game does a wonderful job of letting you run the boat and feel like a real U-Boat captain with all of the highs and lows that position experienced. The computer AI seems to be well done. Merchant ships will start to zigzag if they spot you. Escort ships will attack intelligently and even coordinate attacks. Your computer-run shipmates range from acceptable to poor. It is hard to tell if this is an AI problem or a result of their inexperience or lack of a rating. This is one area where the game could use some better explanation. If a close enemy contact shows up on the plot table why can't my sonarman hear it? Also, when spotting targets the ship can be identified for you but the nationality is not listed. So if you don’t know that a Type 45 Destroyer is German you'll be committing some fratricide. There is a great ID book available in-game organized by nationality but you'd have to flip through the half-dozen nations manually to find the target type. Most ships fly national flags but you have to be pretty close to see them even through the scope. Overall Silent Hunter III is a very well done game with a few rough edges that will hopefully get fixed in follow-up patches. It will definitely be worth your time to know your U-Boat history or do some reading to get the best results from the game as well allow you to appreciate what the game does provide. If you've always wanted to command a U-Boat Silent Hunter III is a must get. There are a ton of great books about U-Boats and their crews. I'd also recommend 'The U Boat Commanders Handbook' by The High Command of the German Navy, High Command of the German Army, Kriegsmarine, Wehrmacht, which is a reprint of the actual 1943 U-Boat handbook.
So, I'm sailing through the North Atlantic on a cold, clear evening. It just so happens to be 1941, and I am a fearless and intrepid Nazi U-boat captain, prepared to strike hard at the Allies. My goal: to sink as many en... Read Full Review
I wont describe the game, what it is about and how it is played. But consider this; this is not a chlid's play. It is for real players. As always i will get down to the pros & cons rightaway: Pros: + Increadibly ... Read Full Review
