Software:Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific

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Short description: 2007 submarine simulator
Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific
Developer(s)Ubisoft Bucharest
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Producer(s)Emil Gheorghe
Designer(s)Dan Dimitrescu
Tudor Serban
Composer(s)Rod Abernethy
Platform(s)Windows
Release
Genre(s)Submarine simulator
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific (known in the United States as Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific) is a computer submarine simulation for Windows developed by Ubisoft Bucharest and published by Ubisoft in 2007. It places the player in command of a U.S. Navy submarine during World War II and takes place in the Pacific theater. The game allows players a variety of play modes including career, single war patrol and single battle engagements. An expansion pack, The U-Boat Missions, was released in 2008.

Gameplay

The simulation uses detailed and accurate 3D graphics to immerse the player in the environment of a World War II submarine. The systems of the vessel are largely functional and the player is exposed to many aspects of submarine warfare of the time. The game allows the player to choose how realistic and challenging the game experience is to be and it is designed to allow new players to easily master the basic game play, while allowing for experienced users to manually control systems such as crew management, torpedo allocation, radar, sonar and target trigonometry.

Anti-aircraft gun view

Like its predecessor Silent Hunter 3, the simulation features a dynamic campaign. The game gives players various mission objectives and unique rewards, and attempts to make each campaign a unique experience. The major naval battles of the war in the Pacific, such as the Battle of Midway, are re-enacted and players are informed of them by in-game radio messages. Unlike the earlier title, however, the game gives more specific and varied mission objectives during the campaign—including rescues, reconnaissance and agent insertions—rather than just assigning a specific patrol area.

Multiplayer

Until Ubisoft shut down the servers for the game in 2013,[4] Silent Hunter 4 featured an online adversarial mode and gave players the opportunity to command Japanese destroyers and pit them against US submarines. Servers supported up to eight players and let them choose from several scripted and generated missions.

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic79/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comB−[6]
Edge7/10[7]
Eurogamer8/10[8]
GameSpot8.3/10[9]
GameSpyStarStarStar[10]
IGN(US) 8.8/10[11]
(AU) 7/10[12]
PALGN8/10[13]
PC Gamer (UK)87%[14]
PC Gamer (US)78%[15]
X-PlayStarStarStar[16]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[5] Due to concerns relating to the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, as well as U.S. federal laws regarding depictions of the Medal of Honor at the time, the original release of the game awarded players with fictional decorations which in no way resembled actual United States military awards. This drew heavy criticism from many players, leading to several mods which altered the game to display actual United States decorations. The original "shelf version" of the game was never updated; all game versions, including those downloadable on Steam, continue to depict fictional awards in lieu of actual United States combat decorations.

Expansion pack

On October 31, 2007 Ubisoft announced The U-Boat Missions add-on to Silent Hunter 4. It was released in Europe on February 29, 2008 and in North America on March 24, 2008. The expansion focuses on the German U-boat campaign in the Indian Ocean (the Monsun Gruppe). The U-boat Missions add-on features new strategic elements, new playable submarines, an improved navigation map, and an improved upgrade system.[17]

With the arrival of the German campaign, players gain control over additional strategic resources other than their own submarines.[18] These resources can be used towards the goal of sinking enemy shipping by either helping the player locate enemies – i.e. the scout planes – or by directly attacking them.[19] These strategic support features are available only for the new German campaign in U-Boat Missions. The unlocking of these auxiliary units are based on the player's rank, and the rank is achieved based on the number of successful patrols and renown that has been gained.[19]

Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific Gold (Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific Gold Edition in North America) was released on October 11, 2008. It includes the main game and the expansion pack.

See also

  • Allied submarines in the Pacific War

References

  1. ↑ "Silent Hunter 4 passe gold" (in fr). 2007-03-07. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2007/00020034-silent-hunter-4-passe-gold.htm. 
  2. ↑ "Silent Hunter 4 goes gold". March 8, 2007. http://www.ubi.com/AU/News/Info.aspx?nId=4446. 
  3. ↑ "What's New? (23rd March, 2007)" (in en). Eurogamer.net. 2007-03-23. https://www.eurogamer.net/whats-new-23rd-march-2007-article. 
  4. ↑ "Online services update". Ubisoft. http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/1241617-Why-can-I-no-longer-connect-to-Multiplayer-in-this-game?p=10959069. Retrieved 28 November 2015. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/silent-hunter-wolves-of-the-pacific/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  6. ↑ Lackey, Jeff (3 April 2007). "Silent Hunter IV: Wolves of the Pacific". Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160607190746/http://www.1up.com/reviews/silent-hunter-wotp. Retrieved 24 April 2016. 
  7. ↑ Edge staff (May 2007). "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific". Edge (175): 91. 
  8. ↑ Clare, Oliver (28 March 2007). "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/silent-hunter-4-wolves-of-the-pacific-review. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  9. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (26 March 2007). "Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/silent-hunter-wolves-of-the-pacific-review/1900-6168086/. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  10. ↑ Chick, Tom (7 May 2007). "GameSpy: Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/silent-hunter-4/786237p1.html. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  11. ↑ Butts, Steve (21 March 2007). "Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/03/21/silent-hunter-wolves-of-the-pacific-review. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  12. ↑ Ring, Bennett (2 April 2007). "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific Aussie Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/04/02/silent-hunter-4-wolves-of-the-pacific-aussie-review. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  13. ↑ Booth, Neil (8 April 2007). "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific Review". Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100315224151/http://palgn.com.au/pc-gaming/7190/silent-hunter-4-wolves-of-the-pacific-review/. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  14. ↑ Stone, Tim (May 2007). "PC Review: Silent Hunter 4 [Wolves of the Pacific"]. PC Gamer UK: 84. Archived from the original on 24 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080224155217/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=161863&site=pcg. Retrieved 24 April 2016. 
  15. ↑ "Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific". PC Gamer: 64. June 2007. 
  16. ↑ Peckham, Matt (10 April 2007). "Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific". X-Play. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070505180427/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1489/Silent_Hunter_Wolves_of_the_Pacific.html. Retrieved 22 December 2014. 
  17. ↑ "Expansion set announcement". http://silenthunter4.uk.ubi.com/. 
  18. ↑ IGN staff (24 March 2008). "Ubisoft Announces Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific U-Boat Missions Now Available For Download". http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/24/ubisoft-announces-silent-hunter-wolves-of-the-pacific-u-boat-missions-now-available-for-download. Retrieved 6 October 2015. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Bishop, Stuart (19 November 2007). "Silent Hunter 4: U-Boat Missions - first screens". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/silent-hunter-4-u-boat-missions-first-screens/?page=2. Retrieved 6 October 2015. 
  • Silent Hunter 4 Official Homepage
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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