14 DAY TRIAL // 
First there were the German U-boats at your disposal in Silent Hunter III. The WWII inspired simulation games got to a new level at the time with a wonderful story straight from the bottom of the ocean. After a quick skydive from the Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII, Ubisoft promises a new time expensive adventure on board the U.S. subs in Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific.
Story & Concept In short the story goes like this: hunt, hide and kill as you take command of U.S. submarines and crews and navigate the treacherous waters of the Pacific during WWII. Silent Hunter series, the industry-leading naval warfare simulation franchise for over a decade, returns to its roots with next-generation graphical realism, immersive gameplay, innovative crew evolution, and more action than ever before.
Developed by the same Ubisoft team that delivered the ?king of sub games? Silent Hunter 3, the 2007 installment offers the most memorable, accessible, and empowering submarine simulation experience ever. The game at hand follows the same principles set down by Sid Meier?s Silent Service (the first submarine simulation) and builds up on the reputation and gameplay style of the previous title in the series.
Featuring a new interface and redesigned crew management with RPG-like crew evolution system, Wolves of the Pacific puts you fully in charge of an U.S. sub that will make careless (and sometimes surprise even the well defended) Japanese forces go down in flames (beautiful smoking flames). You?ll have to deal with about 80 different ships of various classes, from patrol boats to convoys and battleships and also about 10 different aircraft models (they had a small advantage here since they already simulated them in Blazing Angels).
You?ll be able to take control of everything on board your sub from the engine room, sonar screen to AA guns, periscope scouting and torpedoes command. The overview map also enables you to set a precise course to your destination while allowing you to concentrate on the rest of the action maneuvers rather than just steering the ship. You can even enjoy a birdeye?s view of your actions (very impressive especially when you turn around after your enemies are slowly headed for the bottom of the ocean).
Gameplay The first thing that comes to mind as you enter the game is ?Gosh, there are so many things to do here I may actually need a +100 pages manual to learn just how to steer this thing!?, but don?t get yourself down. You?ll soon find out that everything is pretty intuitive with the new interface and you?ll be able to make full use of every function in no time. Unfortunately, the tutorial isn?t very friendly and you?ll pretty much have to learn how to command the sub by yourself. Look at the bright side: at least there are not many moving targets around or, worse, enemies shooting back at you (it will eventually come to that too, but it will take a while).
Being an island nation, Japan imports tons of goods. One of the main tasks for the US subs was to cut this shipping line, hence discouraging the enemy through a lack of supplies (for more info on the enemy ships check out the Tips & Tricks section). The 10 instant action missions will ask for your skills at sinking as much as possible while also trying to stay alive, while the 5 patrol missions will allow you to look for trouble on your own. As you progress along in the campaign you?ll earn renown. This can be traded for new upgrades enabling you to make use of better detection equipment and more powerful weaponry.
Managing your crew is also a vital aspect of the gameplay (and don?t try to shoot them down using your on board weapons as an attempt to speed them up, ?cause it doesn?t work that way). You?ll obviously have to direct your personnel from the less important tasks to crucial ones (such as repairing). Navigation and naval combat are the two attractions of Wolves of the Pacific. Please keep in mind that if you hit the shores your sub will sink and will cause you to loose the current game. Otherwise you can safely get advantage of the course setting that allows you to define your own route may it be as intricate as you wish.
The realistic aspect of the actual combat is provided especially thanks to a logical placement of enemy ships ? usually going in and out of big ports and along the important shipping lines. Depending on the level of realism that you?ve selected (or maybe I should say either ?easy? or ?realistic?) the firing system is more or less complicated. When playing the easy way all you need to do to fire a torpedo is lock on the target and fire away. The realistic simulation demands that you input various data in the torpedo data computer and hope that you got it right. Either way you?ll have to wait a few minutes until you can see the actual effect (meaning you managed to hit the target or not).
Due to the multitude of actions at your disposal (some of which you have to perform and some of which that you can leave it to your crew to attend to) and the extensive period of time that it takes to complete the missions, I?d say the game was created for the fans of this type of simulators. Silent Hunter IV is far from being a fast paced action game that you can enjoy for half an hour and then go on with your life. Some missions will take up a few hours, while some may take up even days to complete.
Video Though it doesn?t benefit from cutting edge graphics, the visual aspect of Wolves of the Pacific is very appealing. The realistic feeling on board the sub is provided by the RPG-like view of crew members and control rooms, while on the surface you?ll be greeted with painting-like views of the ocean (that even reflects moonlight and fire or smoke) and other ships. The environment could have been more detailed, but the process of the enemy ships sinking make up for that along with detailed ship and port design. You?ll be able to watch them burst into flames and slowly diving into the abyss. Overall, the game makes a very good visual impression.
Sound The sound effects are pretty impressive. You?ll be able to hear your crew mumbling about your orders (along with a desolated look if you are on the verge of loosing) and the rampart firing. The amazing thing is that you can even hear the creaking of your sub's hull under pressure. The sound effects really add up to the overall realistic aspect of the game, enhancing the drama of the action.
Multiplayer There are two multiplayer modes ? adversarial and cooperative. In adversarial mode one player controls the Japanese surface vessels while the other players control the mighty submarines. In cooperative mode you?ll team up with other skippers against the common enemy. The game allows for up to 8 players in LAN and 4 players over the internet. Each of the two game modes comes with 5 missions to test your skills. Well, don?t let yourself be sad just because you won?t get to be the bad guy. There is a nice selection of historical US submarines to choose from and you?ll still play the hero.
Conclusion A true successor to Silent Hunter III, Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific manages to blend great simulation value with an easy to understand interface. It is definitely a game for the true fans of this genre, yet it can be interesting for newcomers as well. Just make sure you have plenty of spare time so you can really allow yourself to get caught in the multitude of actions. Like in many other cases, the brilliance of the game is a little shadowed by some bugs. Fortunately Ubisoft is working on that and patches will make it shine again. Except for these small ?difficulties?, there isn?t much to complain about: the graphics look wonderful and the sound is truly completing the gameplay. Complex and catchy, Wolves of the Pacific is a must have for the fans of this genre.
