From my 3 days experience, I see SH4 as a
nice raw material (semi-product) in a terms of making further Atlantic campaign... based on modern PC graphics.
So it takes one supermod that will change hundreds of elements into "real feeling".
... and guess which "bunch of fanatics" can do that
It's funny to make a comment from my "total rookie" experience, but I played more with installed files than with a game itself... it simply didn't draw me inside...
( contrary to SH3 that grabbed me from the first touch, long time ago )
I have a
full respect for original US campaign and modes, but it's contrary to my gameplay logic - to play campaign that gets easier and easier as the war progresses.
I played 9 months SH3 before i met the first royal battleship south of Spain... and in SH4 you are supposed to hunt Yamato as a rabbit in a bush.
Anyhow, SH3 engine is outdated in 2009, so for me it's just waiting and hoping... that "wolfpack" could get hungry again