Some funny or "funny" experience I had with them recently.
I have all the games apart 5 (due to drm), on discs.
I tried installing the first one, I couldn't on my Vista 64 main PC, I tried it on my XP32 netbook and it installed fine, but whenever I tried to run the game I would get a blue screen of death.
I gave up on it.
I couldn't find SH2 disc so I bought the GOG version. I installed it on my netbook, ran fine. It's quite the experience playing a sub sim at night with no lights, while in bed on a netbook. :)
Yesterday I decided to install SH3 and 4 on my main PC. I got them when they were released, but never got to play them! (weird reason too, I am a Silent Service guy so I see SH as an "enemy" lol)
I couldn't make SH3 run at all. It would come up with a OS is not one of those required error. I tried all the usual tricks, but nothing. It was just one of the games that wouldn't run under Vista 64 (very very few). Or at least that's what I thought at first. I searched and searched and found some solutions. Downloading newer version of Starforce drivers (I k now I know), and fiddling with cfg files etc. I wasn't in a good mood so I decided to download a no CD crack. Guess what, it fraking worked. Game runs fine. It was the DRM causing the issue.
Second time this happens to me, previous one was with a Codemasters' title.
SH4 installed just fine.
I played 2 single player missions on SH3 and 4. Very similar experience. SH4 feels a bit more updated in terms of GUI, like a newer version or something :p
Still, the 3D graphics are very similar IMO, apart from the 3D characters in the sub, in SH3 they look bad.
Not sure if this thread had any point. I guess I just wish I had a new Silent Service.