![]() ![]() Rather than playing like a traditional career mode, Silent Hunter II is more of a globe-trotting showcase for the U-boat's greatest hits. The single-player campaign tries to capture the epic nature of the U-boat struggle by following the flow and ebb of Germany's fortune through the course of the war. On both counts, as a nod to that period of history and that style of warfare, Silent Hunter II does a decent job. From hunter to hunted in the launch of a torpedo. You get one opportunity to land a blow, and from then on, you're the prey. You spend most of your time stalking your prey and waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Submarine warfare is more about stealth than combat. This is also rich subject matter for a simulation because of the nature of the action. This was a struggle of mythic proportion, captured beautifully in movies like Wolfgang Petersen's Das Boot, books like Herbert Werner's Iron Coffins, and games like Dynamix's Aces of the Deep, one of the finest sims ever. In the end, Germany traded the lives of nearly 30,000 of her sailors to sink approximately 3,000 enemy merchant ships. Men, steel, and technology were poured into the Atlantic. ![]() Since both the Axis and Allies knew the stakes, the battle was fierce, prolonged, and expensive. Hitler almost succeeded in cutting Europe off from the United States' industrial and military might. German U-boats prowling the Atlantic were perhaps Germany's best chance to win World War II. ![]() This is rich subject matter for a simulation. Silent Hunter II is set in the German U-boats of World War II, ranging from the coast of Norway all the way down to South America. Silent Hunter II lets you command a German U-boat in a linear campaign. It's not quite all wet, but it's hardly in shipshape, either. But once you go a little deeper, you'll find the functional equivalent of screen doors on this sub sim. On the surface, it looks good and seems to get all the details right. The bad news is that it's only the second sub sim to come out this year, Electronic Arts' Sub Command being the first. ![]() The good news is that Silent Hunter II is the second best sub sim to come out this year. ![]()
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