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Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific

by Ubisoft, 2007, $49.99.

Set in the Pacific Theater of World War II, Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific is an intense and accurate simulation of submarine warfare. U.S. subs dealt a severe blow to Japan’s war efforts by performing reconnaissance, intercepting troop transports and destroying its merchant fleet. The game highlights this period of unrestricted submarine warfare, featuring such major naval engagements as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Midway and Guadalcanal, as well as offering routine recon missions and patrols.

You’ll command a U.S. submarine from one of six upgradable classes in combat against the Imperial Japanese navy. Once you’ve identified a target, your sub must maneuver into attack position while avoiding detection by armed escort ships. After acquiring a precise torpedo solution, you’ll give the order to fire. But your job is far from done. You’ll still need to avoid enemy hydrophones, radar, sonar and the occasional depth charge as you skulk back to a safe depth and make your escape. Fully scalable difficulty and realism settings allow inexperienced submariners to jump right into the fray, while enabling the saltiest armchair sub commanders to micromanage nearly every aspect of their ship, including torpedo allocation, target trigonometry and even crew shifts.

 

Originally published in the August 2007 issue of Military History. To subscribe, click here