A highly-realistic World War Two submarine simulation that is not for the faint of heart or impatient.
The virtual skipper of the sub must use all the tools available to successfully accomplish their mission. Missions mostly are patrolling a certain area of water, seeking out enemy ships to destroy. It is very satisfying to sink an enemy merchant vessel, but the real challenge comes when the ship under fire can fight back. From time to time the player will run into destroyers, cruisers, sub chasers, and even carriers. Many times the warships will be grouped together in a task force, which makes it difficult to destroy more than one of the enemy ships at a time, since the others will attempt to locate and destroy you with guns and depth charges. Threats will also come from the sky, since search aircraft and coastal patrol bombers will engage you. Be prepared to man the anti-aircraft gun!
There are numerous levels of complexity, ranging from easy to realistic. In easy mode, the skipper simply acts as the captain of the boat, giving orders to their crew and watching them carry them out. In the harder modes the skipper must take complete control by actually taking control of the guns (similar to a first-person shooter) or more commonly computing firing solutions for torpedo attacks with no assistance from the crew. A good balance between easy and hard can be accomplished by customizing precisely what is assigned to the crew or the player. Your sub can also be given unlimited fuel and compressed air if you so desire, making it unnecessary to refuel at ports on the way to your assigned mission.
A number of US submarines have been modeled for the user of the game to enjoy. These include the S-class subs, P-class, Salmon, Tambor, Gato, and Balao class submarines. Each has their own individual characteristics, weapon arrangements, and crew makeup. The included game manual gives a good description of each of these including their performance.
There is a crew awaiting your commands! Each compartment within the submarine must be manned in order for the boat to function properly. Individual crew members have a rank and specialty. For instance, the skipper may assign a Chief with a specialty of torpedoes to lead a few young Petty Officers and Seaman in the forward torpedo room. Officers and Petty Officers are also equipped with specialties. If you do not have enough of a certain type of specialty, you can always transfer a crewman off the boat while in port and select an appropriate replacement. There are enough crewmen to support a three-shift rotation for a 24-hour day, and the watches will rotate based on the time of day while the off-going crew hits their racks. General Quarters (Battle Stations) can be sounded by the skipper, which will awake the sleeping crew and put everyone on duty, maximizing efficiency throughout the vessel.
The graphics within the simulation is simply stunning. One often gets the impression they are watching a movie, and not playing a game. The ship models are complex and lifelike. While peering through your periscope, you will see sailors walking around the decks of the ships carrying out their assigned tasks. During battles, explosions are immersive and very colorful. Actual ship damage can be seen, giving the captain a good estimate at how badly they have dealt the enemy a blow. Sound is equally incredible, which is extremely important for submarines, since their main method of detecting enemy ships is with acoustics.
This game is not for the faint of heart or impatient! Each mission, if left in real time, would take several weeks to complete. Fortunately, Ubisoft has given us the ability to advance time rapidly cutting down the actual mission time (depending on your tasking) anywhere from an hour to several hours. Even so, attacking with a submarine is very tricky business. The skipper must use stealth and surprise to effectively destroy a target. Many times the surface vessel will be able to outrun your sub while submerged, so the attack must be carefully planned. This truly is an accurate simulation, so the user must not rush to war.
Initially, the game was released with numerous bugs which gave many users a bad impression. However, since then there have been several update patches which have cleared up nearly all the problems and game crashes. In addition, Ubisoft has announced an add-on pack for "Wolves of the Pacific" to be released in the Spring of 2008 which will give users the ability to command German submarines in the Indian Ocean.
What could be improved upon: some users will have difficulty to run the simulation on their computer. An up-to-date system with a good graphics card should be utilized in order to run the game at a playable level. There is no doubt the graphics are immersive, but the level of complexity may give some a hard time. In addition, the multiplayer mode in fairly unstable and could use some improvement.
The "Silent Hunter" series has come a long way from the early days of the initial "Silent Hunter," and the manufacturer can be proud at how much they have helped to improve on naval simulations. "Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific" is recommended for those who have a serious interest in realistic combat or naval simulations. This is not a blood-thirsty, first-person shooter. Tactics must be employed for successful engagements. Anchors aweigh!