Submarine games have been few and
far between, and to make matters worse the GOOD submarine games are a very rare
find. The reason for this is that when creating a submarine game it takes a lot
of work, because there are so many different things to account for. Silent
Hunter has been a good submarine game in the past, so it was inevitable that the
developers would create another sequel for it. This time they hold nothing back
when they created this latest game in the series, and players will be able to
tell this from the minute they load the game. Read on to find out more.
The story for this game is taken
right out of the history books and it starts right as World War II begins. Many
German U-boats (submarines) have been launched into the world’s oceans, and they
caused general havoc in the sea. After the war ends, since there was a huge
causality rate among the sailors who manned them, only several U-boats remained.
Even though this was the case, the advancements with the U-boat had been
extraordinary during this short time frame. Silent Hunter III will allow gamers
to play as either Axis or Allied submarines and see how life and fighting was
like for these brave sailors.
If you ever wanted to know what life
was like for the brave submarine individuals, then this is the game for you.
Silent Hunter III simulates everything about commanding a submarine. Unlike many
other war videogames, in order to be successful in any given mission you will
have to hunt your enemies in silence, and then wait for the perfect opportunity
to strike, and then run away before the any other ships can find you. If you go
in guns blazing you will be scrap metal sinking to the bottom of the ocean in a
matter of moments.
As the commander of a submarine you
will be in charge of various tasks during the course of the game. First thing is
the ship control and movement, you will always have to be aware of how deep the
place you are in is, because if it gets shallow you can seriously damage your
boat. Not only that but you will be in charge of the firing of the torpedoes,
which can be a lot harder than it sounds as if your pitch is off slightly you
can completely miss your target. The enemy AI is really clever and will do many
things to try and sink you, including launching myriads of the dreaded depth
charges. Everything in this game is so realistic, that it makes the game fun to
play, and give the purists out there a real treat.
The graphics for Silent Hunter III
are really great. Everything in this game is modeled to be historically
accurate, so players will be in for a real treat once they boot up the game for
the first time. Everything about this game has been redone with a new 3D game
engine and players will be able to tell this immediately. The game offers highly
detailed views of inside the submarine so they will get a better understanding
of the conditions that the sailors had to live with back then.
The graphic engine really shines
during the course of a battle. If you start getting hit, you will see pipes
start busting open with water pouring in your submarine. If depth charges get
fired near you when they explode the lights will flicker on and off which makes
the game even more realistic. The best part is when you sink an enemy ship,
because depending on how and where you fired at them, will show a unique way of
sinking, just like in real life.
The water modeling and animation for
this game is extremely lifelike. When you are crossing the ocean and see the
water in front of you, you will be amazed at how the water moves around as the
ship cuts though the water like a hot knife cutting though a tub of butter. Not
only is your submarine highly detailed, but all of the enemy ships are brimming
with details. When you get close to a ship you will be able to see rust stains
and even cargo on the ship. It is little things like this that make the game
more realist and fun to play, because you will want to do everything in your
power to keep from getting hit and accomplishing your missions without being
detected.
The sounds for this game are really
good as well. The music truly fits the entire game’s atmosphere and gives
players the sense of really being in that time period fighting a war. The sound
effects that the developers used are great. From the splashing of the water as
the ship moves forward to the explosions, everything sounds extremely lifelike.
One of the neatest things is doing a dive and hearing the water pressure against
the hull of the ship, it sounds just like what you hear at the movies.
Not only do players get to
experience several missions alone, this game supports up to eight players over
your LAN or four over the Internet. They can play scripted missions, which are
taken from the game, or generated missions, which are taken from the campaign
data. This really helps expand the game’s longevity, and as always it is more
fun to play with friends than with just the game’s AI.
Silent Hunter III is rated T for
Teen for mild violence.
The system requirements for this
game are:
Pentium III 1.4 GHz or better Processor
512 MB of RAM
Windows 2000/XP
4X DVD-ROM
Direct X 9
Direct X compliant video card with 64 MB of VRAM
Direct X compatible soundcard
2 GB of Hard Drive Space
Keyboard and Mouse.
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Gameplay: 8.6
The game is really fun, once you learn how to play it. If you do not
run though the tutorials you will be a sitting duck and dead quickly. Even after
completing all of the exams it will take a while for you to be proficient at
being a submarine commander.
Graphics: 8.8
The graphics for Silent Hunter III are some of the best I have ever
seen for a submarine simulation game. The water looks really realistic, and the
interior of each submarine is highly detailed as well.
Sound: 8.5
The music for this game fits the entire environment perfectly. The
sound effects are also well done, from the sound of the machinegun fire to when
you dive under the ocean.
Difficulty: Medium
The AI in Silent Hunter III can provide quite a challenge to you. The
biggest challenge will be understanding and overcoming the controls that it
takes to play the game. Once you get that down you will be in for some smooth
sailing.
Concept: 8.2
You have to love the submarine game because it is so few and far
between that you will see one on the shelves. Plus this game is as close to
realism that you can find on the market at this time. That makes it a really
good game.
Multiplayer: 8.5
Silent Hunter III offers a nice multiplayer mode. It is always better
playing with humans than the game’s AI.
Overall 8.6
If you are a submarine fanatic then Silent Hunter III is a game
that you will want to own. You will be able to control almost every single
aspect of what went on during World War II campaigns to see if you have what it
takes to be a good commander and stay alive. You will regret it if you don’t
purchase it now.
