It gives a nice level of depth and meaning to the sim, something which I always like in games.:)

Well the theme of the poem is an address to Time personified. You could then likley compare this to John Donne's Death Be Not Proud, where he addressed a death personified speaking of how death is a slave and that he is not mighty and how that when all men have died (the rapture) death will himself die as there will be no more people for death to take.

'On Time' has a similar feeling to it. It talks in a similar mode about how we all fear age and death that come with time but that we will all triumph and survive forever in heaven.
This is similar to the end of Donne's poem:
Wee shall wake eternally obviously meaning all people going to heaven.

In other parts Donne also mentions how Death is subject to the randomness of people's lives ending and that he is a slave to the chance of how death comes about. This is alluded as well in the final line of 'On Time'.

So here the choice of 'On Time' seems appropriate because it can be seen as referencing how this game is associated with the memory of those that fought in WW2, particularly for the US, and how we shant forget them as a result.

More into the Sub mindset
 

I would prefer if they depict the Pacific side of things, like the dawn raid of Pearl to start the it rolling, the simultaneous invasion of Malaya & Philippines. Then they can cut to things they did with US Subs in the war like showing the marines being put ashore, attacks on Convoys and enemy ships.

the poem is nice but very artsy for a war sim.

I like the poem myself, the inrto is well done.

Regards,

Grell

It's a wonderful intro IMO - Very original and very touching. I find the poem "On Time" very suitable despite not having anything specifically to do with subs. It is a homage to time/history - a very appropriate subject for a serious WWII simulation. It makes me ponder and appreciate the lives of the real protagonists of the Pacific war.

It's a wonderful way to set the mood for the game - it makes it feel more like an experience than just a game.

I love the game, but that intro was shockingly bad to be honest. Cheezy in the extrem and a bit too pretentious to hit the right emotional spots. Good thought, poor execution. :)

Holy crap!:o

I just watched the intro on youtube for the first time (don't own SH4) and damn I gotta say that was brilliant. It felt very sad and heavy. I think that it was a brilliant choice. With the sped up visuals (TC eh?) it felt very sad and poignant.

I think it was outstanding. But I actually like that kind of poetry. If you don't get the poem then you don't get it at all.

EDIT. For anyone interested thats not yet initiated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSTRSqsm1VY

Never thought I'd see Milton described as 'cheesy and pretentious' LOL.

I thought it was a good intro for a hardcore sub simulation, although clearly it won't go over well with the arcade crowd.

I loved it simply because it had some depth, unlike all the other action/deep male Rambo voice cutscenes out there. I've grown to dislike them more and more. Silent Hunter III's opening film wasn't that bad, but it wasn't creative, either. It was just that typical "idyll shifting to army movement shifting to battle shifting to game logo" thing 99% of games make use of.

Another example of a good atmosphere-inducer is the credits song of Rome: Total War. No macho or cliché Rambo-ish nonsense - just a girlfriend worrying about her boy who's been sent to fight with the Roman horde.

I agree with Safe-keeper... it makes a great change from the usual fanfare-embellished gung-ho BS that precedes almost every other war-based game out there. If you actually listen to what is being said, it's really very poignant, especially the "Kiss". I applaud their daring, in trying to be different, and presenting the whole thing in a distinctly darker hue.

I thought the intro was excellent, although the narrator IMO sucked. I would've preferred a much older voice.

I'm not too "cool" to admit I liked it.

I really liked the opening, too.

While I would have preferred a poem that dealt more directly with the sea or naval warfare, the Milton poem fit in pretty well.

But what's really interesting to note is, unless I am mistaken, the sub we saw in the beginning was sunk. Much better opening than watching a U-boat make a surface attack against a convoy without ever seeing the aftermath.

One of the better non-hype openings to a game, in my opinion. Right up there with some of my favorite openings.

I didn't like the cliched TC clouds and the like, and I wanted to take a swipe at the narrator, but the poem itself was a good fit.

I'm not calling Milton cheesy or pretentious, I'm calling the intro cheesy and pretentious. There's a difference. :) And I'm neither among the arcade or cool crowd, it simply didn't go down very well with me, that's all. Most probably because of the narrator. A good thought in that they tried something other than the usual "blow sh*t up 'cause it looks teh cool"-approach. I prefer it a bit more subliminal, but that's just me. :)