Shells of Fury review by Horsa

Onkel Neal · 11-14-07, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Horsa: Shells of Fury (SOF) has to be one of the strangest subsims released in quite a while. It takes on a neglected era (WWI), looks very retro, and appears to have been almost dumped on the market with no real ambition or pretensions. Having said all of that I believe it’s a little gem that’ll pay back its rather modest price with a lot of replay value and in a very fresh setting. I actually find it quite easy to love this little title.

FULL REVIEW HERE

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CCIP · 11-14-07, 10:24 PM

Horsa's assessment really seems to be in line with my idea of value in games.

I've been shy on getting it for a while, but between this review and CB's obvious efforts at tweaking this little gamelet... I think I'll part with my 20 ducks in a short bit :p

Well written there

Monica Lewinsky · 11-14-07, 11:21 PM

I bought the game tonight ($20.00 online). Looks cool. Can't figure out the interface without diving into the readme file. Nice diversion until the patch for SH IV.

Chock · 11-15-07, 02:36 AM

Nice review Horsa, and I think very fair too.

Chock

ReallyDedPoet · 11-15-07, 08:41 AM

I thought about picking this up when it was first announced, then balked after some early reviews. But it sounds like with a little patience and perspective it can be an enjoyable sim in its own right

Nice review.

RDP

Hawk U-375 · 11-15-07, 11:46 AM

I bought it due to all the work CB has done to enhance the game! I want to play around with the sound files...

. It's different...from SH3 but it does remind me of SH2....

nikimcbee · 11-15-07, 01:33 PM

Great review David!

Steel_Tomb · 11-15-07, 03:59 PM

Excellent review! Its nice to see a review that actually shows the game/sim as it really is, instead of the usual "graphical feast for the eyes...etc etc...Ubisoft have made a real gem" (anyone recognise what review I'm talking about here? :P) gamespot and IGN are particually bad for this...as they rate how good the game is on how much they are paid for the review lol...

DedEye · 11-15-07, 08:47 PM

Appreciate the review and now thinking of picking this up.

I have one problem with subsims in general however:

The sound of the ocean waves lapping against the hull and the drone of the diesels tends to put me to sleep!!!

I wake up with keyboard inprints in my forehead

I still get my hours in....but tend to play early mornings on the weekends with a large mug o' joe at hand as a result

Very cool that it depicts Q ships and minelaying operations

Onkel Neal · 11-15-07, 10:23 PM

I appreciate how David addressed the shortcomings of the game but kept perspective. This is a an interesting subsim, not in the same league as SH3 but worthy of consideration nonetheless, especially with its subject. Like many of you, I've played every single subsim out there, from Sub Battle to Tom Clancy's SSN, to SeaLance and Enigma, Aces and Fleet Command. While some fall short of pure brilliance, they all give the player a unique game experience, some new missions with screens and features you may not have come across before. That in itself is a nice thing.

bookworm_020 · 11-15-07, 11:05 PM

I'll buy it in the near future, buying a house at the moment that's taking up all my time.

Glad to see people are giving it a chance. For the price, it seems good value. It's no SH4 in graphics, but it seems to have good game play and some features that others miss.

Thanks for the review!

Sixpack · 11-16-07, 04:22 PM

Admirable review of an i.m.o. admirable new sub sim (era, apparently great AI). It's on my shortlist. SH4 being the other title

Graphics isnt everything. SOF sure looks interesting enuff to me. Grim, quaint, comic book style can be fine with me.

And then there's the promising modding part.

I predict a masterpiece

chavez · 11-17-07, 06:48 AM

How big is the download?

I only have a slow ADSL connection.

CCIP · 11-17-07, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chavez

How big is the download?

I only have a slow ADSL connection.

The installer is 455mb

chavez · 11-18-07, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCIP

Quote:

Originally Posted by chavez

How big is the download?

I only have a slow ADSL connection.

The installer is 455mb

thank-you

11-14-07, 10:24 PM	#2
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	Horsa's assessment really seems to be in line with my idea of value in games. I've been shy on getting it for a while, but between this review and CB's obvious efforts at tweaking this little gamelet... I think I'll part with my 20 ducks in a short bit :p Well written there __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

11-14-07, 11:21 PM	#3
Monica Lewinsky Grey Wolf Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 845 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	I bought the game tonight ($20.00 online). Looks cool. Can't figure out the interface without diving into the readme file. Nice diversion until the patch for SH IV. __________________ Sink them all!

11-15-07, 02:36 AM	#4
Chock Sea Lord Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a thermal layer in chilly Olde England Posts: 1,842 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Nice review Horsa, and I think very fair too. Chock __________________

11-15-07, 08:41 AM	#5
ReallyDedPoet Canadian Wolf Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: The one and only East Coast Posts: 10,775 Downloads: 946 Uploads: 5	I thought about picking this up when it was first announced, then balked after some early reviews. But it sounds like with a little patience and perspective it can be an enjoyable sim in its own right Nice review. RDP __________________ Back in the Day

11-15-07, 01:33 PM	#7
nikimcbee Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Patroling the Slot. Posts: 17,925 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	Great review David! __________________

11-15-07, 11:46 AM	#6
Hawk U-375 Engineer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Bottom of New York Harbor Posts: 203 Downloads: 518 Uploads: 0	I bought it due to all the work CB has done to enhance the game! I want to play around with the sound files... . It's different...from SH3 but it does remind me of SH2....

11-15-07, 03:59 PM	#8
Steel_Tomb Ace of the Deep Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cambridgeshire - UK Posts: 1,128 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Excellent review! Its nice to see a review that actually shows the game/sim as it really is, instead of the usual "graphical feast for the eyes...etc etc...Ubisoft have made a real gem" (anyone recognise what review I'm talking about here? :P) gamespot and IGN are particually bad for this...as they rate how good the game is on how much they are paid for the review lol... __________________ _______________________________________________ System Spec: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz \| 4Gb Corsair XMS2 Dominator DDR2 PC-2 6400 RAM \| XFX GeForce 8800GTS 640mb PCI-E \| Creative X-fi sound card \| 250Gb HDD \| *Rest In Peace Dave, you will be missed.*

11-15-07, 08:47 PM	#9
DedEye Electrician's Mate Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Edmonton Posts: 133 Downloads: 145 Uploads: 0	Appreciate the review and now thinking of picking this up. I have one problem with subsims in general however: The sound of the ocean waves lapping against the hull and the drone of the diesels tends to put me to sleep!!! I wake up with keyboard inprints in my forehead I still get my hours in....but tend to play early mornings on the weekends with a large mug o' joe at hand as a result Very cool that it depicts Q ships and minelaying operations __________________ U-Boot Spezial Cocktail......neidisch?

11-15-07, 10:23 PM	#10
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,289 Downloads: 534 Uploads: 224	I appreciate how David addressed the shortcomings of the game but kept perspective. This is a an interesting subsim, not in the same league as SH3 but worthy of consideration nonetheless, especially with its subject. Like many of you, I've played every single subsim out there, from Sub Battle to Tom Clancy's SSN, to SeaLance and Enigma, Aces and Fleet Command. While some fall short of pure brilliance, they all give the player a unique game experience, some new missions with screens and features you may not have come across before. That in itself is a nice thing. __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

11-15-07, 11:05 PM	#11
bookworm_020 Navy Seal Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sinking ships off the Australian coast Posts: 5,966 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I'll buy it in the near future, buying a house at the moment that's taking up all my time. Glad to see people are giving it a chance. For the price, it seems good value. It's no SH4 in graphics, but it seems to have good game play and some features that others miss. Thanks for the review! __________________ "There is always one person in any organization who knows whats going on, That person must be fired"

11-16-07, 04:22 PM	#12
Sixpack Samurai Navy Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: below North Sea level (iow Holland) Posts: 592 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Admirable review of an i.m.o. admirable new sub sim (era, apparently great AI). It's on my shortlist. SH4 being the other title Graphics isnt everything. SOF sure looks interesting enuff to me. Grim, quaint, comic book style can be fine with me. And then there's the promising modding part. I predict a masterpiece __________________ \"Navigare necesse est, vivere non est necesse\"

11-17-07, 06:48 AM	#13
chavez Nub Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 2 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	How big is the download? I only have a slow ADSL connection.