Ship Simulator 2008

Tom meditates over this new sim

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There is a fine line between game and simulator and Ship Simulator 2008 pushes that line to a hair's breadth. I'm not here to pass judgement to gamers on what particular styles and genres 'float their boat' (couldn't resist, sorry) but the urge to sail the seven seas with the wind in my hair has never really taken my fancy let alone doing this virtually at my computer. Always one to try someone new I threw caution to wind and said 'full steam ahead me hearties'.

Upon hearing that this delightful title would be falling through my post box any day caused slight apprehension, would I be able to sail a ship? The only other experience I've had to date with true simulators was an old Microsoft flight simulator my dad got hooked on that with its host of complex flight maps and procedures ensured that I stayed well clear of sims in the pursuing years. My first thoughts being surely a ship is as hard to control and requires as much planning as flying a plane but to my delight and somewhat relief the controls are kept to a simple level, allowing any newbie captain to take control of a vessel of their choice. The basic controls are simply a steering wheel with a left and right throttle. A lack of any tutorial missions hindered my early process resulting in hunting down the tutorial video which according to the manual was located within the installation but was nowhere to be found, though thankfully the development website provided a download which runs through the controls of the ship and then you're away.

Ship Sim should fulfil most avid sailors requirements with the range of craft on offer from little speedboats and tugs up to mighty container ships and even the infamous Titantic, unfortunately unsinkable in the mission but the developers are aiming to correct this issue along with a host of improvements that can be viewed at their website. Other enhancements have arrived in the form of more real world environment, players will be able to navigate their way along the Solent in England, New York and Marseilles and another 4 destinations. These environments heighten the slight enjoyment to be had when recognising certain city characteristics. Weather and locations have been improved with extensive night/date conditions, it's worth tweaking the weather settings to see what Poseidon can do when he gets angry, sea sickness tablets should be included in every box though! Gameplay modes break down into two categories, those of missions where you aim to complete the set objectives such as saving broken down ships, towing an oil rig down a river to the more mundane sailing of the Red Funnel ferry from the Isle of Wight to Portsmouth harbour. Next up is the Free roam mode enabling the choice of a ship, location and weather attributes and then sailing off into the sunset until your heart's content.

There is nothing essentially wrong with this game, bar a few glitches, it does what is set out to achieve but certainly the sex appeal factor of this game is low. The one main issue I have with the game is the pace, in a world full of high octane explosions and split second thinking plodding along the open seas just doesn't cut it. Its so slow that it almost becomes meditative.

Graphically, if your computer can cope, its truly outstanding with particular attention to the most important aspect of the game, the sea. Depiction of the ship cutting through the waves is done in high detail and the scenery is just as pleasant to look at and trust me you do spend a lot of time doing this as once set on the course there isn't a lot to do except look around. The title has included the feature to take a stroll around the vessel when in mission which can break up the tedium but every boat has the Mary Celeste feel with only minimum detail having been applied.

Simulators are hard to review by definition they are not really games merely simulations of real life scenarios that some people find mild enjoyment in, in the way that someone enjoys their job. The fun to be had is in taking control of one of these mighty ships but a very keen interest is needed in the subject matter to retain the gamer's mind and the most casual gamer would pick this up and place it back down within half an hour. The tasks involving the crossing of a large amount of water resulted in me setting the course and power and then walking away to make myself a cup of tea and then coming back to check on the progress.

Obviously I'm not in the key demographic that the developers are aiming to sell this game to, more the older gentleman with a love of the sea I'd presume fits the category. In doing so I thought I'd try and find out what the people that buy the game actually think of it, although this comes from the dubious source of sale site reviews I've never seen so many high scores with most giving it top marks and loving the improvements made since its last outing. If you're getting to that age where FPS' are losing their interest and you truly are looking for something different in gaming experience this might tick the appropriate boxes. A future patch should help work out some of the more annoying features, the main being the inability to save a mission once started, considering these can span 4 hours its worth clearing the afternoon schedule before settling down. Other improvements include multiplayer options and mission creators. In addition to this more damage aspects should improve the pleasure and the completeness of the game. It's most definitely a sink or swim title, but for those eager to take to the seas they could do a lot worse.

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By Tom Carpenter