Rating: 
Summary: Great Sub game if you're into U-Boats
Review: Personally I love submarines and I have been waiting for this game for awhile. The graphics on the outside of the sub aren't that sharp but on the inside they are much better. The action can get tense but the worst part is getting to your destination. Also for most of the U-Boats the torpedoes take an extremely long amount of time to reload and that can be a pain but I get used to it. However overall it's a realistic and fun game
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing...but worth the money.
Review: I wanted a WW2 U-boat simulation game ever since the old commodore 64 version of SILENT SERVICE came out. This game is a perfect version of that simulation/product...However I must agree that I'm sad because not enough time and money went into the production values. The main menus DO LOOK like something a child would draw and might have come from an old commodore 64...But still it is worth having as I see no other WW2 U-boat sim out there.
Rating:
Summary: Should have been released 2 years ago...and it shows.
Review: I've enjoyed sub simming since first playing "Sub Hunt" on my Intellivision and have bought practically every sub sim since. Needless to say, I've highly anticipated Silent Hunter 2's release since I first heard of it 2 years ago. (Honestly, it's been so long I can't remember exactly when it was first announced.) Release dates were pushed forward so many times I can only assume that the game had severe production and finance problems. Well, it's finally here and it seems obvious that the extra time taken in releasing the product was not spent on improving the program. I wanted so much to really love this game. I feel for the small teams of software developers that don't have the big $$$ that companies like Microsoft do and I like to support them in their efforts with my purchases - but this program lacks some key elements and took way to long to arrive.
The graphics, or lack thereof, betray the game's age. I was hoping for a look comparable to "Sea Dogs", but no such luck. The highest resolution the game supports is 800x600, and on a 17" monitor that just doesn't cut it. As mentioned in earlier reviews, the title screens are poorly done, as well. The sim does have wave and sky effects along with decent 3d models, but they just don't match up to the graphics of today's games. Don't get me wrong, the graphics are much better than the original Silent Hunter and there simply aren't any other WW2 submarine simulations on the market to compare, but after 2 years of waiting, I expected more. Aside from the graphics, the game has two other GLARING flaws: no multiplayer available yet and no free-roving campaign. I guess the folks at Ubi soft figured we wouldn't need multiplayer yet, since their upcoming destroyer sim (meant to be played with Silent Hunter 2) won't be out for a couple of months. They're promising a patch, but this is still an obviously incomplete product. The game also comes with predisigned missions that can be edited, but I loved the option in previous sims to spend the whole war roaming freely around the ocean, looking for prey. The lack of this limits the sim big time, in my eyes. On the positive side, the sim, itself, is acutally pretty good. I thought the overall AI was impressive and enemy destroyers were none to easy to evade. The sound room (something I hadn't seen in a sub sim before.) added an eerie touch of realism. For dedicated sub simmers, you'll find all the bells and whistles of earlier sims, including advanced realism settings to let you control as much or as little as you want. The waves and weather do add an extra layer of variability that has been lacking in sub sims until now. The subpar graphics also have a positive side as far as performance on lower-end machines is concerned and the game has been very stable on my computer, so far.
The bottom line is, beggars can't be choosers and, as Silent Hunter 2 is the only WW2 sub sim to come out in a LONG time, we sub lovers can't be too picky. I guess the market simply isn't out there to encourage companies to do a top-notch job on a submarine simulation, so SH2 will have to do.
Rating: 
Summary: Silent Hunter 2 Limps into Port
Review: Silent Hunter 2 is nice upgrade from Silent Hunter 1 but falls short in 2 major catagories.
Graphics: Very nice artwork that is ruined by the 800x600 resolution limit. Main menu screens that look like they were drawn by a 2 year old with crayons. Not very "Real" looking.
Multiplayer: NONE! Thats right folks. This title shipped with no multplayer support. This game was suposed to be built for multiplayer.
A very good AI and easy to use interface is the only thing that saves this game from being a total disaster.
Rating: 
Summary: A good continuation of an excellent series
Review: The original "Silent Hunter" was released in 1997 and put the player in command of several different types of US submarines battling the Japanese in WW2. It also took its history lessons seriously and included a narrated video of a tour around an American fleet submarine and a short pamphlet about US submarine tactics and history during WW2. It quickly became the benchmark of WW2 submarine sims - the symbol by which all other sub sims were measured. Three expansion disks followed with additional terrain, missions, and a scenario editor. Although the software was written for DOS, the faithful sub captains learned how to set up "desktop shortcuts" to play the game with Windows 95, 98, and ME and the game continued to live on the harddrives of players around the world. "Silent Hunter II" continues this tradition and puts the player in command of several different types of German submarines in WW2, and is designed to run under Windows 95, 98, and ME (so no more editing the properties of shortcut icons). The game is very stable on these Operating Systems and is quickly surpassing the benchmark set by the original game, particularly in graphics, sound, and gameplay (the training missions can be quite enjoyable). Unlike the industry trend to put the game manual on the cd, SH2 includes a full printed manual (always a good idea). The controls are very intuitive, particularly if you've played a submarine game before and know the difference between a periscope and a sonar head. If you prefer to learn by doing instead of reading, there are training missions to help you along. For extra fun during the navigation training, you can try to dock the boat yourself (ahead 1/3, back 2/3, all stop, aye!). The only detractions to the sim are (a) lack of multiplayer capability and (b) lack of a scenario editor that will save custom missions, both of which are scheduled to be corrected with the release of the second half of this sim pairing - "Destroyer Command" - which will place the player in command of a US destroyer that will (ta-daa!) hunt the German u-boats of "Silent Hunter II". "Silent Hunter II" does include a quick-mission builder similar to the first "Silent Hunter"'s tool, where you can specify convoy size, escorts, time of day, wave/weather/visibility, aircraft interception, etc., so the game does have good replay value, but captains wishing to recreate the attacks they read about in books like "Shooting the War" and "U-Boat Adventures" and sending the files to friends will have to wait until "Destroyer Command" comes out. As a stand-alone sim, "Silent Hunter II" is a good start but comes up short without the multiplayer and scenario builder tools. Once these two features are added, SH2 will be the crowning achievement in submarine simulations (and a whole lot of fun to play, too!). But don't just wait for the add-ons. This game is good enough to stand on its own merits. I would highly recommend this game to my friends and family, and anyone else that enjoys action, strategy, and history in one very entertaining package. Buy it for your kids and they may actually start paying attention to school history lessons. And to really drive home the lessons, take them to visit the u-boat on display at the Chicago Museum of Science and Technology or the SS American Victory (a favorite target of u-boats) in Tampa, FL or the American submarines SS Clamagore in Charleston, SC or the SS Cavalla in Galveston, TX, or any of the other handful of vintage WW2 submarines - visit them while you can because they're rusting away on shoestring budgets and well-wishing volunteers.
Rating:
Summary: To Play or Not to Play
Review: I read with amusement the comments about playing a U-Boat Captain. I was three when WWII started and grew up hating Hitler, U-Boats and Japanese. I also spent 2.5 years in Vietnam. To its detractors I say get real. It is only a game. Play it and enjoy it and if you are serious about not being a German then get killed every time or buy Destroyer Command and pitt your skils against the U-Boats.
Rating:
Summary: Will it EVER be released ???
Review: Played the first Silent Hunter and LUUUUUUVED it . Been waiting for over 2 years for Silent Hunter 2 with "6" pre-orders to my name in those 2 years (all have been cancelled).If the game EVER appears on the store shelves it should be a real WINNER . For now Iam pretty content with the new release of "Sub Command" (it too is great) . I still look forward to Silent Hunter 2's release .
Rating:
Summary: Greet Game
Review: Wow, The game looks great and ww2 era is the most interesting period for subsims.I heard some of you couldn't just play it because you play german side.As for me, it's not a problem at all.Playing a game german side doesn't mean your a nazi.the game is great and the u-boot period is the most interesting submarine era.I personnaly owned a Mauser k98 rifle (ww2 germany regular rifle) being a regular shooter and competitor.While this rifle has seen combat,possibly killed some guys in the french army ( i'm french)doesn't means i'm a french traitor and a nazi.The rifle's great, that's all.No matter if it's german or american.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad Taste
Review: There is a limited market for this type of thing - and I do not want to be part of it. I enjoy submarine simulations, however I do not want to hunt down and destroy friendly forces. I will buy other products that at least try to conform to traditional values. It is hard enough these days to instill a sense of tradition and fair-play in our youth. Software games should try to reinforce good values, traditions and taste.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't buy it.
Review: The game may be great but, for what it's worth, although I was a fan of GATO, that old DOS sub game, I couldn't buy a game in which I torpedo American and British shipping. I just couldn't do it. There may be others like me who will wait for a realistic American based sub game, even against an imaginary enemy.
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