Enigma Tide Rising Gold Edition is a polished version of the original WWII naval sim Enigma Rising Tide. You will take on missions that use multiple ships and submarines and do battle in the high seas. You can play a campaign or take on 90 individual missions including training operations. These patrols as they are called can be played in any order and may play any faction. Campaigns are sequential story linked missions organized by faction and either surface or submarine service. Though one might think each mission in a campaign may get increasingly difficult this is not always the case. This is not a bad thing, like real naval service sometimes a simple mission is well accepted especially after a grueling battle with multiple ships. In either case even the easiest setting can still be quite difficult, and the key to success is knowing what to do.

You have many facets of gameplay that you participate in. You can try and do everything which will have you point and clicking frantically during battle. This is not a bad thing for you vets out there, but this deck scrubber is about as green as they get. You do have the option of having the AI controlling all the firing from the deck guns which in itself takes out the frustration of trying to do everything and leaves you to pretty much sail your ship. Thankfully the Gold Edition allows your crew to fight and put out those annoying deck fires to further your ability to command. If you want to opt and take control of a gun, you can still do that too. The choice is yours In short it’s a combination of FPS, RTS packed into a naval simulation. Three different modes of gaming found in one title.

Ok now this is the good part. I mean the really cool awesome should be in every sim feature. You can actually yell out commands with the use of a microphone to make your ship and crew do what you want it to do. This takes 90% of the frustration and learning curve right out of the game. Yes true you may have to memorize the commands, but the more you utilize this feature the quicker you learn. You don't have to choose between voice activation and typical point and click either. You can do a nice combination of both if you like, which is what I do. This is especially helpful when manning a deck gun and you need a little more port rudder or speed to get a better shot. I cannot tell you enough how this really immerses you in the game. Not one other sim had me feeling like I really was part of the game like this one has!

Gold Edition Changes:

•  2 new historic weapons
•  New historic ships
•  Original ships and weapons fully redone
•  Complete soundtrack included
•  Player commanded battle cruiser
•  Live ocean and weather
•  new missions
•  Improved audio FX
•  Enhanced gameplay with new weapon control
•  New voice pack

NEW ADDITIONS:

•  Improved AI. Play it and discover the changes.
•  Fully remodeled aircraft.
•  All new high detail aircraft skins.
•  Planes now have squadron specific camouflage patterns.
•  Planes now have squadron and individual specific designation system.
•  Redone boat textures, now with more realism and detail.
•  New FX including explosions, water bursts, damage effects, smoke effects and bullet tracers.
•  Game can now be played in 16-bit texture mode for improved speed.
•  Added a slider to allow user to control distance that particles are displayed to help frame rate.
•  Also added a slider to control FX ranges to give even more flexibility for frame rate.
•  Ability to select targets by right clicking in main view or by centering on them in binocular view.
•  New voice commands. See in-game help (F3) for a full list.
•  New optional camera mode. Now players will really feel like they are on the high seas.
•  Optimized and compressed our textures to conserve memory on video cards.
•  New random patrols for a true challenge and infinite variety.
•  Fixed mission bugs.
•  New environmental effects including a sun position that is accurate to the current time and location of the battle.
•  Smoke is now properly affected by wind.
•  Fixed LOD issues when using binoculars and periscopes.
•  New flags that move realistically and flap in the wind.
•  New custom, context-specific cursor.
•  Improved ship sinking. Cumulative damage results in a faster trip to Davey Jones' Locker.
•  Ships now come with a fire team to put out those annoying deck fires.
•  Some aircraft now have the ability to put out their own fires.
•  Improved collision code, now ships and subs will react better to a collision.

Overall this felt like more of a patch then a stand-alone game. I was disappointed to find that the quick start manual was very broad. In fact it really did not give you the key commands or how to get started using the voice option. At best it offered the very minimum to get you started. I was discouraged to find that the real manual is on the disk. Reason being this gamer likes to thumb through the manual while learning how to play. Yes you can print it out, and yes there are in game help menus, but I for one feel a manual should be provided. According to Warfleet.net (the official web site) every three months following release, you get free expansions to the game, including new vehicles, additional features, and dramatically enhanced gameplay that you can download from the website. This should add a ton of replayability. This is a stand-alone game so I will rate is as such. If you like naval simulations, or even if you thought about trying one for the first time, I would give this one a shot, I’m sure you will enjoy it. 

Gameplay: 8
Difficult at first but the voice command option of the game make things much easier as does the enhanced interface. Most missions get you pretty close to the action so there is not a lot of cruising around getting bored.

Graphics: 8
Well, for a game that you can run a 750 MHz computer it’s not too bad. Even with all the features turned up high. The graphics were definitely tuned up a bit, but I still would have liked to have seen more detail on the ships, especially after a few shots hit their mark. (hull damage, guys being blown overboard, etc) The aircraft looked great and sport their own camouflage patterns. The environments were nicely done especially the water effects. There was a time there where I started feeling a bit seasick with all the high waves on stormy seas. Despite a few shortcomings, they do not take away from the game.

Sound: 8
Pretty typical for a naval sim. Not anything new just your typical deck and AA fire, sonar pings, torpedo propellers, depth charges etc. May not be new, but they are convincing. Playing with head phones sounded pretty darn good if I do say so myself. The musical score is nicely done and the fact that your crew responds to your commands and let you know of in coming fire is a welcomed new bonus.

Difficulty: Medium-Hard
It takes some getting used to. Just learning the ship commands is a small feat in itself. Now add in battle tactics into the mix and now you have a tough game. This is a good thing because it provides a good shelf life.

Concept: 8.5
Ok I know it is not exactly a new concept (a WWII naval sim), but this is my first sim that uses the voice command feature and it truly pulls you into the game. Quite honestly the best naval SIM this gamer has ever played.

Overall: 8.3
It looks as the developers listened to the reviews and made some noteworthy upgrades to the original. If you did not buy the first Enigma, this is a must have for any fan of the genre. Voice commands that’s just plain AWESOME!