Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic

Developer(s) Ubisoft Bucharest
Publisher(s) Ubisoft
Producer(s) Alexandru Gris
Designer(s) Dan Dimitrescu
George Alexandru Ilea
Mihnea Ilicevici
Stefanel Adrian Ion
Andrei Istrate
Lucian Istrate
Stefan Net
Tudor Șerban
Programmer(s) Nicolaie Dan Costaş
Artist(s) Gabriel Barbu
Writer(s) Jörg Ihle
Composer(s) Jason Graves
Series Silent Hunter
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: March 2, 2010
  • AU: March 4, 2010
  • EU: March 5, 2010
  • JP: April 30, 2010
Genre(s) Submarine simulator
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer

Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic is a submarine simulator for Microsoft Windows developed by Ubisoft Bucharest and published by Ubisoft. It is the fifth and latest installment of the Silent Hunter franchise and the successor of Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific. Like Silent Hunter II and Silent Hunter III, it places the player in command of a German U-Boat during World War II, more specifically the Battle of the Atlantic.

Overview

Screenshot of a U-boat in Silent Hunter 5.

Silent Hunter 5 takes players behind the periscope of a German Type VII U-boat to take on the Allied Forces in battles across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Players command the U-boat after the first captain, Rahn, departs for another submarine. They assume the role of the next submarine captain from a first-person view in a campaign that spans 1939-1943.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic62/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer5/10[2]
GameSpot5/10[3]
GameZone5/10[4]
IGN5.7/10[5]
PC Format81%[6]
PC Gamer (UK)77%[7]
PC Gamer (US)55%[8]
PC Zone49%[9]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[1]

GameZone's Steven Hopper said, "The game offers some deep elements, but the overwhelming interface and steep learning curve make it very difficult to get into. The campaign missions are fairly low-key, with quick missions not really matching the depth of the gameplay. Many bugs and performance issues will also bog down your ability to enjoy the game."[4]

GameSpot's Brett Todd said, "Silent Hunter 5 has promise, but this buggy and unstable game needs to be sent back to the drydock for some serious refitting."[3]

3DJuegos' Álvaro Castellano Córdova said that "Silent Hunter 5 is the most accurate simulation of World War II submarine conflicts in the Atlantic. With more testing and less bugs this game could have been the best in the series",[10] while PC Gamer UK criticized the bugs and DRM but said that without them, "it would be the best Silent Hunter yet."[7]

DRM

Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic uses Ubisoft's Uplay for digital rights management. Initially Uplay required a constant connection to the internet for Silent Hunter 5 to run, halting the game if the connection was lost during gameplay.[11] The scheme quickly came under fire after a denial-of-service attack on Ubisoft's DRM servers in early March, 2010, rendered Silent Hunter 5 and Assassin's Creed II unplayable for several days.[12] The always-on requirement was quietly lifted towards the end of 2010, being changed to a single validation on game launch.[13] Silent Hunter 5 was later made playable in Uplay's "offline mode" the following year, effectively eliminating the online requirement entirely.[14]

Germany recall

The Collectors Edition of the game has been recalled in Germany, after it was discovered that the publisher failed to remove a portion of Silent Hunter 5's World War II symbols, such as swastika flags which was not in accordance with German law. German law prohibits the distribution of video games with certain Nazi symbols such as swastikas and SS runes.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ Smith, Quintin (March 10, 2010). "Silent Hunter 5 [Battle of the Atlantic]". Eurogamer. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Todd, Brett (March 24, 2010). "Siltne Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Hopper, Steven (March 30, 2010). "Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic Review - PC". GameZone. Archived from the original on April 2, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  5. ↑ Butts, Steve (March 29, 2010). "Silent Hunter 5 Review". IGN. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Altantic". PC Format (239): 99. May 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic". PC Gamer UK: 102. May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic". PC Gamer: 68. June 2010.
  9. ↑ "PC Review: Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic". PC Zone: 80. June 2010.
  10. ↑ http://www.3djuegos.com/juegos/analisis/4555/0/silent-hunter-5
  11. ↑ "Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic". Giant Bomb. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ubisoft's New DRM System Falls Down, Locks Out Paying Customers". Kotaku. March 8, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Constant net connection no longer required for Ubisoft games". PC Gamer. December 31, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Ubisoft Relaxes Silent Hunter 5 DRM". All About the Games. February 11, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  15. ↑ http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27651/Report_Ubisoft_Recalls_Silent_Hunter_5_CE_In_Germany.php
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