- John Milton -

I thought a bit about how to start this. While saying that Silent Hunter IV is the best submarine simulator out there is true, it doesn't mean much, especially for new players. Saying it is one of the best simulator games out there is again accurate, but again, a bit of an understatement. Why? Well because... despite the high complexity and realism involved, Ubisoft Romania managed to develop a game that is appealing to the beginners as well, in a certain degree.

For the most part is because of the detailed settings the game has under the difficulty (realism) options. Being able to see only through the periscope for example raises the realism but somewhat lowers cinematic experience because you could roam freely with your cam otherwise.

I am new to the whole Silent Hunter franchise, and I can really claim Ubisoft made it a lot easier for a player like me to approach this game. After reading carefully the instructions and completing the tutorial you can get started on any mission really, including the U-boat campaign expansion.

In Pacific U-boat Missions, you've switched sides and are now in command of a brand new U-boat German submarine. The campaign takes place in the Indian Ocean and, of course, during World War II.

You start low at first, but as you gain fame, experience and higher ranks you are able to call in special abilities like scout planes, and have even battle groups under your command at the highest ranks.

The control of these groups is however indirect: you will give the order, and the AI will take care of the rest. You can't take control of an airplane for example.

Combined with that the newly added heroes: elite crewmembers, specialized in certain tasks, which bring you significant bonuses and have special abilities of their own. These heroes are based on reality, but they don't have real names of course. Pretty much like medals and ships other than US (mostly because of copyright laws active in the respective countries).