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Old 03-07-18, 02:04 PM   #1
rusirius
Bilge Rat
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
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Default Another "Old" newb

Sit right back and I'll tell you a tale...

1987 I believe it was when I fire up Silent Service. Back in the days when starting up a game and seeing that Microprose logo meant you were going to be in for a FANTASTIC gaming session. I have to give a quick shout out to F-19 and F-117A here. Man I loved those games even if that paper/cardboard keyboard overlay was a little crazy. Anyway.... I did my best, but being 11 years old at the time I wasn't exactly up to speed on my finer submarine tactics. Most sessions were generally me fumbling around having no clue what I was doing, launching a few torpedoes and remarking at how awesome I was quickly followed by my sub blowing up. Perhaps the submarine life just wasn't for me. Or perhaps I should at least wait till I have to shave.

Fast forward about 3 years and now I'm loading up my copy of 688 Attack Sub (the original by EA, not the follow up EA/Jane's version) and begin anew as a 14 year old Captain. Perhaps it was the age, but a fared a bit better this time around. I still had my fair share of getting blown to pieces. Ok, honestly I blew up much more often than I blew anything else up, but I felt more accomplished in general. I played it a LOT, and if I remember correctly I think I even managed to get through all 10 or however many limited missions it had. LOL. At the end of the day (or few years I guess you could say) I had played this a TON and loved every minute of it. It left a lasting impression and has often been remembered fondly while reminiscing of my early "video game" days.

Turning on time compression and zooming ahead about 7 years ahead we arrive somewhere around 1997. A college student now I remember walking through Incredible Universe. For those unfamiliar there were a giant warehouse store of sorts that was ALL electronics and such. A joint venture by Tandy/Radio Shack I believe as you often found Tandy/Radio Shack merchandise mixed in with their stuff. Anyway, I remember walking through one day and spotting a copy of Jane's 688(i) on the shelf. The name immediately caught my eye and hearkened back to all those many hours spent playing 688 Attack Sub. One look at the back of the box and I knew I just had to have it. Off I went to install it on my PC and begin reliving my childhood.

Explosion after Explosion after Explosion... But it was me exploding... Over and over. LOL. It seemed there was no end.

"The only way to win the game was not to play at all..."

Off to the corner it was sent, and never really thought about again. Often times over the years I would think back to those days, but never really had the time to go back to it.

I'm not exactly sure how, but somehow I managed to miss the Silent Hunter series altogether. Work, life, family, etc took over and went into high gear and my gaming pretty much went away.

A couple years back I had a brief moment where I thought to myself, "Gee, I really had fun with those submarine games back in the day. I should see what's out there now and snag something."

Almost immediately I found Silent Hunter 5. But then I found lots of people talking about how terrible it was. Then there were those saying to just get Silent Hunter III, but others talking about how dated the graphics were, etc.

To be honest it was all very confusing, so finally I just said, "screw it" and walked away having purchased nothing.

So recently I stumbled across Cold Waters. Realizing it was a pretty recent release, and that it seemed to have really good reviews, I figured it was time to plunge back into the ocean waters.

I have to say I really love the game. Sometimes with the camera views and stuff I almost feel like I'm cheating, but on the other hand I keep reminding myself that this is what the game is intended to be. I don't have to sit there and try to figure out how to calculate the triangulation to get an idea of distance while getting a depth charge or torpedo rammed up my rear. I can let the men man their stations and do the leg work for me. I just have to command. Well, sort of.

I love the game and have played a lot and will probably continue to play.

I've also considered revisiting the Silent Hunter series, but honestly still haven't come any closer to making a decision. Sure I could buy III, 4, and 5... But I really didn't want to try to get into 3 different games at the same time. So perhaps at some point I might actually make a decision and get started in one of those as well.

In the mean time, here I am... In all my glory... Saying Ahoy.

I've run on far too long, so it's time for some shore leave.
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