Dive! Dive! Dive!
The Silent Hunter series of submarine simulators is perhaps the go-to franchise for anyone interested in such things and makes for a compelling and satisfying experience. This fourth entry is perhaps not quite so good as Silent Hunter III but it remains a top-notch game which is packed with tension and detail. This one returns players to the Pacific theater of war and picks things up shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The main focus of the game is on the dynamic campaign which takes you through a series of narrative-led missions where you'll take your sub and its crew through their paces and really learn if you've got what it takes. There are also some historical missions where you replay actual scenarios from the war and which again give you a good feel for what it must have been like to live through such things. Silent Hunter 4 is very much a detailed sim with a lot of realistic mechanics but it's also very accessible as there are a lot of options to tweak according to your experience. Management of crew and other elements has been streamlined so it doesn't all feel like a chore but those looking for an authentic experience need not worry as there's still plenty of realism here. Wolves of the Pacific really is a cracking submarine game. It gets all the essential elements bang on, from the tension of lurking beneath the ocean while destroyers seek you out above, to the various managerial aspects which are challenging but entertaining. Throw in the splendid visuals and you have a first-rate sim.
