Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

[John Channing]

Let's play guess the game based on the following reviews (all by different customers/players)...

Game 1

However, gameplay and control leaves something to be desired and much of the maneuvering for the submarine is unexplained. I liked the realism but not the lack of a guide to help explain the game.



A tutorial mode to help gamers master the submarine controls would have been appreciated but, unfortunately, isn't included.




Game 2


This game has some real promise but currently seems to have more bugs than a bee hive. I purchased a copy through Amazon.com and, after waiting several months for the game to be completed, was really excited about playing it. I have been toying with it for about 2 weeks now and simply cannot get it to work.



What a roach motel of bugs… Wait six more months and one of two things will happen. They will either fix this software or a competitor will release a better one, so we can throw this disc in the trash where it rightly belongs. Save your money



If they intended to create a poorly-coded, antiquated and historically inaccurate pile of unstable hacks, then congratulations. Without a doubt, this was one of the most disappointing games I have ever played, with glaring faults and bugs that should have easily caught by QA.




Game 3

This is supposed to be a game. It's supposed to be FUN. Paying $20 for something that simply doesn't work the way it is supposed to is no fun. Having to contend with a tech support which seems to shield itself from those who need support is even less fun.


Game crashes and/or freezes frequently Saved games are arbitraily lost. Time acceleration can dump you in the midst of attacking destroyers and bombers, even if it's the middle of the night in a rain storm. Sometimes, the destroyers are invisible! When you try to upgrade your submarine, you die. Only, you don't know it until the next time you start the game. My machine may not be the hottest thing going, but it's plenty good enough to meet the stated minimums for this POS.

Summary: This is a potentially wonderful sim wrtten by crappy programmers. If you get it for $9 you paid too much. If you spend your $ on this, good luck.



Save your games regularly. Career mode is boring... Patrol after patrol after patrol... Single mission is more eventful, but it's a shame that they couldn't have put some decent scenarios into the career mode. I had high hopes, didn't happen.

I give it a 2 for good graphics, good idea, pitiful execution and instability. I've never wrecked on Doom III, and find it completely unacceptable to wreck on primitive graphics such as these.



Let the guessing begin!

JCC

[Athlonic]

Ok :

Game 1 : Silent Hunter 2

Game 2 : Empire Total War

Game 3 : Silent Hunter 3

Maybe ?


PS : Why the title in French ? :DL

[Nisgeis]

Guessed and googled confirmed it, so it was a bit easy, but no spoilers from me, so I'll remain silent.

[John Channing]

Ok :




PS : Why the title in French ? :DL

Showing off!

JCC

[Lord Justice]

mmm.... all but 1 = :hmmm:

[Mick W]

The more that things change, the more they stay the same!

[Magnetyk]

Athlonic (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=216974) why: Game 2 Empire Total War??

I have purchased this game at release and he's been able to work perfectly.
"Tout marchait trés bien"
And yes some things in gameplay ,at start , are not good well balancing.But the patching planning since the release is consistent.
This not the case of Silent Hunter 5.

[mookiemookie]

I'm sure that a couple of them are SH3 and SH4, the "all time greats". The ones that everyone seems to have forgotten were just as buggy as SH5 upon release.

:03:

[IanC]

Unfortunately some bad reviews of past great games, won't change the reality of SH5.

[Athlonic]

Athlonic (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=216974) why: Game 2 Empire Total War??

I have purchased this game at release and he's been able to work perfectly.
"Tout marchait trés bien"
And yes some things in gameplay ,at start , are not good well balancing.But the patching planning since the release is consistent.
This not the case of Silent Hunter 5.

Yes I may be wrong, but I had experienced many CTD with this game before patches.

I hesitated to put SH 2 as n°2, but then n°1 is a mystery ^^
Maybe SH 1 but it's too far to remember.
I have a laugh when JCC in another thread remind me the "Ship spotted !" message every time you upped the scope ! :haha:

[theluckyone17]

Unfortunately some bad reviews of past great games, won't change the reality of SH5.
I'm not so certain about that... I love SH4 right now, after applying RFB and RSRD. Stock SH4, pre-patched? :har::rotfl2:

Same with SH3... I love GWX3. Stock SH3, pre-patched? I don't want to touch it with a ten foot pole.

Same goes for a lot of my other beloved games... Oblivion, Fallout 3...

So if the reviews were for the games unmodded, pre-patch... I'd agree.

[IanC]

I'm not so certain about that... I love SH4 right now, after applying RFB and RSRD. Stock SH4, pre-patched? :har::rotfl2:

Same with SH3... I love GWX3. Stock SH3, pre-patched? I don't want to touch it with a ten foot pole.

Same goes for a lot of my other beloved games... Oblivion, Fallout 3...

So if the reviews were for the games unmodded, pre-patch... I'd agree.

I understand what you're saying, but the thing is for every 1 bad review for vanilla SH3 or SH4, there is 10 for SH5. So what does that mean... :hmmm:

[kylania]

I understand what you're saying, but the thing is for every 1 bad review for vanilla SH3 or SH4, there is 10 for SH5. So what does that mean... :hmmm:

More "reviewers" are online with whatever blog/site/podcast/whatever now than there were 5 years ago? :O:

[IanC]

:haha: :hmmm:

[mookiemookie]

I understand what you're saying, but the thing is for every 1 bad review for vanilla SH3 or SH4, there is 10 for SH5. So what does that mean... :hmmm:

It means all these people that hold SH3 up like it's the perfect subsim are forgetting how many patches and mods it took to get it there. Something SH5 doesn't have yet.

[IanC]

It means all these people that hold SH3 up like it's the perfect subsim are forgetting how many patches and mods it took to get it there. Something SH5 doesn't have yet.

No, I was talking about the initial reviews and opinions when each game came out. I think it's safe to say that the reviews for SH5 are, by far, worse upon release than its predecessors. Sure seems that way to me anyways.

[Méo]

No, I was talking about the initial reviews and opinions when each game came out. I think it's safe to say that the reviews for SH5 are, by far, worse upon release than its predecessors. Sure seems that way to me anyways.

Yeah but those reviews include DR...

Personally, I would have prefered a review without it (i.e. a review that focus on the game itself and leaves a simple note about the online requirement).

Gamespot stated: ''Getting into online games is a significant challenge''...maybe for some people, but I didn't experienced any trouble with it (and I didn't have to put any effort to be connected).

----

Please don't quote me and start another DR... drama, we're all bored with it (except for few zealots).

I know DR... is part of SH5 but there are still people who don't really care about it and are more interested about the game itself.

[robbo180265]

Yeah but those reviews include DR...

Personally, I would have prefered a review without it (i.e. a review that focus on the game itself and leaves a simple note about the online requirement).

Gamespot stated: ''Getting into online games is a significant challenge''...maybe for some people, but I didn't experienced any trouble with it (and I didn't have to put any effort to be connected).

----

Please don't quote me and start another DR... drama, we're all bored with it (except for few zealots).

I know DR... is part of SH5 but there are still people who don't really care about it and are more interested about the game itself.

Give that man a prize:up:

[IanC]

Yeah but those reviews include DR...


Well I thought it was needless to mention that I was automatically excluding the negative comments about the DRM, and strickly looking at the gameplay bugs. Guess I should've known better..

[Méo]

Well I thought it was needless to mention that I was automatically excluding the negative comments about the DRM, and strickly looking at the gameplay bugs. Guess I should've known better..

What I meant is the review's score was influenced by the type of copy protection.

In other words, I bet that if SH3 had the online requirement, its score would have been pretty much the same than SH5.

I recognize it's a problem for some folks, but there are others who don't really care about it.

----

To the OP: when are you gonna give the answers? :DL

[John Channing]

Well... seeing as this has now degenerated into yet another DRM thread here are the answers...

Game 1: Silent Hunter

Game 2: Silent Hunter 2

Game 3: Silent Hunter 3

The point is not the volume of negative reviews but rather the content of them. I purposely did not include any of the hundreds of negative reviews of SH3 due to that DRM as I thought it would be a giveaway but it did strike me that the same issues that people are comlaining about today existed back then.

The reason SH3 got cut a lot of slack is that it was a revolutionary jump over what came before. There was so much new about it that that overshadowed it's many shortcommings and problems. Now we have lost the "gee whiz" factor and have nothing to focus on but the few flaws. And gamers, being the personality types they are, tend to magnify these just a weeeeeeeeee bit.

JCC

[Takeda Shingen]

I agree with your premise, John. Still SH2 was, indeed, a real lemon.

[John Channing]

No question about it.

I am reminded of Falcon 4.0. It too was the latest in an outstanding franchise but was released with bugs that make Silent Hunter 5 look like a model of software perfection. And least anyone forget it was developed by an independent software house that was owned and operated by one of the genres most dedicated enthusiasts. But on release it really was unplayable and a couple of the early patches made it even worse. It was a year before it was playable and even more years before it reached it's potential... largely through the efforts of the community.

I am sure there is a lesson here, somewhere.

JCC