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Ship, The

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7.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 24 critic reviews
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Based on 417 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Valve

Developer: Outerlight

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Adventure

Players: Multi

ESRB Rating: RP (Rating Pending)

Release Date: July 12, 2006

Summary

The Ship is primarily a multiplayer, online murder game with a unique set of game rules. The Ship is owned by the mysterious Mr X and as one of many "lucky" recipients of a free ticket you arrive on board The Ship to find there's a catch to your luxury cruise. You are coerced into a brutal Hunt to indulge Mr. X's fantasies, under threat of death for not only yourself, but also your family. Your only chance to save yourself and your family is to play the Hunt and win. [Outerlight]

Cheat Codes & Hints: GameSpot Hints & Cheats

Also On The Web: Official Website Steam

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

The New York Times

An ingenious multiplayer game.

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AtomicGamer

For its budget price, it won't work if you're looking for great graphics or a lot of all-out action, but once you get into the game's wacky style of play I think you'll find it's wonderful and very satisfying.

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Cheat Code Central

You never know what character is out to get you, so this adds an extra dimension of cloak and dagger, as well as paranoia. You simply can't go around killing everyone, so you have to keep a careful watch of all characters and try not to draw attention to yourself.

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GameSpot

This wildly different take on "Quake," "The Sims," and "Clue" is off the wall and innovative.

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Just Adventure

One great game. After a few hours I was so addicted that I couldn’t stop playing. The gameplay is simple once it becomes familiar, the idea is unique and the hunt is for once more enjoyable than the actual kill.

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Boomtown

The utter diversity in gameplay, the sometimes nail-biting tension coupled with the often laugh-out-loud deaths and kills are exactly what makes The Ship into a brilliant, if flawed game, and just the change in scenery that the FPS genre needed.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

The Ship is a fresh and different slant on multiplayer death-matching; one not dependant on speed of reflexes and advanced techniques. It’s fun and innovative – something that some of the big name games dominating the charts seem to forget about every so often.

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VideoGamer

While it may not be the refined, leisurely paced kill-'em-up many eager landlubbers might have signed up for, The Ship does quickly prove itself a subtly addictive, relentless nail biter that will only get better as those already aboard learn to rule the bloody waves. Notch this one up as another killer for Steam.

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Yahoo! Games

The Ship's mixture of intrigue, subtlety, and cunning makes it the perfect recipe for gamers bored with same-old same-old multiplayer shooters, but it does tend to show its indie roots a little too clearly here and there.

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Worth Playing

If you find a game and are careful to avoid getting caught, you will likely enjoy many priceless moments like setting your quarry on fire by shooting him with a flare gun, only to watch yourself get pushed overboard by your hunter seconds later.

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GamingExcellence

A very decent game to play. It brings a few new twists to a genre that is overpopulated with mediocrity.

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2404.org

The needs system may very well be the make-or-break point for several players.

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Game Chronicles

Making a game that is fun to play is what should come first, and The Ship is a game that takes that to heart and doesn't get too ambitious with it.

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PC Zone UK

A wonderful idea, and a thoughtful variation on multiplayer gameplay - what intesity you lose from speed, you gain from tension. [Oct 2006, p.66]

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IGN

Despite the Ship's diverse elements, they're fitted together fairly well. It's an intense experience to see someone walk by who may or may not be trying to knife your stomach. It definitely has a few faults, though.

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PC Gamer

The Ship is the shooter Agatha Christie didn't live long enough to make. [Sept 2007, p.65]

Sydney Morning Herald

A refreshingly innovative and unique multiplayer game requiring poise, cunning and paranoia.

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Gamers Europe

A welcome break from the many killing spree FPS titles available, it will make you wonder why Valve bothered with a crowbar when they could have used an umbrella.

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PALGN

If you’re looking for a new multiplayer experience, with a blend of new gameplay elements, and don’t mind its limited scope, then The Ship is worth checking out.

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Eurogamer

Artful and warmly considered (even the menu options are caught up in it - the "Options" menu is the "Engine Room", and the "Quit" button reads "Abandon Ship"), it's a well-formed idea that will almost certainly grow as it builds up a head of Steam.

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PC Gamer UK

We still believe in this, and with further tweaks it could yet become a fine murder romp. [Jan 2007, p.104]

1UP

There isn't much depth to it all... But the formula itself is fun and the art and sound teams did an amazing job creating an immersive experience.

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Edge Magazine

Outerlight will patch out the inconsistencies and interface issues, and the community around it will settle. The final delight: this game will get better. The last frustration: we're being made to wait. [Sept 2006, p.83]

AceGamez

We can see what the developers had in mind when they designed the concept, and on paper it was a glorious scheme. But in practise it does start to tear at the seams, and soon becomes a rather forgettable experience.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 417 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

David A. gave it a10:
I love this game...of course I will say that it is not perfect... Now I have read many of the reviews online...many state that it sucks...and I have read many stating it is too easy and not complex enough...along with the 1 I read stating he thinks that all the positive reviews are from those that have not truly played this yet.... My I have to say that 1 reviewer himself obviously has not played the game online...because if you play with the bots...yes it can seem very easy and none complex and boring...but if you play online with other users...OMG...you will fall in love...because it is more than just go about trying to kill your quarry and what not...because a strategy to winning that you can do is kill your quarry and as you wait for next round to start you can go and kill another player...in the process you still gain a good amount of money...if you use a good enough weapon... This heightens the intensity much because no matter what you are on your toes trying to figure out where your quarry is and at the same time your hunter...and well having peeps try to kill you randomly...just makes you try to stop them...hence you have to be careful as to whom is whom... I have to say also the SP story mode game is not the best...its just a bunch of random quests put together to try and better explain about an NPC of the game... Overall tho online play is your best bet...with PLAYERS NOT BOTS... ---Stixsmaster.

Tim B. gave it a2:
I feel this game was not worth even the $4.99 I just forked out for it. It is a very interesting concept, though - its a kind of "Battle Royale" take with a further twist: it's on a lost ship, between money-hungry passengers, and stealth must be used rather than force to win the day. Immediately, this idea appealed to me. Unfortunately, the gameplay and graphics did not. Immediately upon opening the game, we are thrust into an amateurishly introduced storyline, followed by an unceremonious plunge straight into the action. After being told by the owner of the ship that we are supposed to kill each other, we now discover (the hard way) that even brandishing something so deadly as a spanner, or indeed knitting needles, in public view is enough to get us locked up in the ship's handy prison cell (which, incidentally, is more comfortable than your room). After finally getting to grips with this and beginning the story, the very first thing we must do is club to death a sleeping woman - our "quarry", who happens to be right outside our room - before talking to a porter boy called "Jimmy". After completing this small, menial task, one may as well stop playing: you have now experienced the full extent of the game. A further note to make about gameplay would be the appalling AI, and damage statistics. Hitting a poor, helpless and defenceless woman from behind with the business end of a large axe doesn't leave a mark, and afterwards, so long as you're not seen holding the axe, she'll conveniently forget about it and walk around as normal. Clubbing a bank-manager with a frying pan, forcing him to let you into the bank vault, and then leaving him to contemplate his attack has no consequence. Weapon damage is calculated by a 5-star rating system, wherein a magnum revolver or a large axe rate 4 stars and a kukuri knife 5. And weapons themselves can be procured anywhere. Just check the male toilets; in the locker you'll find anything from a paddle to a fully automatic Tommy-gun or even a katana. And then, to top it all off, an element of "The Sims" is added. Now, "The Sims", in my opinion, is a good concept ruined only by the annoying chores one must constantly carry out to look after each of their characters, such as taking them to the bathroom, feeding them, washing them, telling them to sleep and socialise, etc. The idea of building a custom family, then a house for them, and then watching them prosper is actually quite appealing. Unfortunately, the element that "The Ship" uses is, you guessed it, the chores. And in "The Ship", they are even more twisted and outlandish, with even more far-fetched consequences. For example, washing your hands will immediately satisfy your need to wash, regardless of how great this need was. Clicking on your target repeatedly just before you kill them will satisfy your need to socialise without actually alerting the target to your presence. And, let us not forget the consequences of neglecting out characters! Not washed your hands in half an hour? Oh no, you've suddenly dropped dead, having been claimed by a "nasty disease"... The graphics are also quite poor. The Source engine has been butchered: standing on the ship's deck and looking out to sea makes one think that they may well be drifting through deep space, or a hellish purple sea on some alien planet. Animation is sometimes quite clumsy, though the player models have been designed well and in a style that fits with the game. I will say that the ship's layout itself is quite authentic, and satisfies. The multiplayer, I have had little experience of and so cannot really comment. But from the half an hour or so I spent playing, I found little playability in any of the 20 or so servers for me to choose from. To avoid your hunter, all you must do is stand in plain view of a camera or guard and hey-presto, you've survived the round. Basically a sped-up deathmatch-esque version of the single-player story mode. So, basically, an appalling game, in all. I cannot understand how so many professional reviewers and members of the public alike can possibly give this title any more than 3/10. The concept behind it had such potential, and it's a real shame that nothing came of it. It is the range of available weapons and outfits, as well as the interesting concept and half-an-hour or so of authentic gameplay that prompted the frankly generous 2/10 I've decided to give "The Ship".

Brian R. gave it a6:
i would say that multi-player is where all of the fun is, because single player is way to short, i beat it in about and hour and a half, and thats with a little exploring. so if your going to get this game get the multiplayer version instead of the single player version.

Kevin O gave it a7:
Fun but little variation - mission failures resulting in having to redo the entire mission is annoying at best.

Davio C. gave it a9:
This game is incredibly fun. The concept is simple and, though the gameplay takes a short time to get used to, in the end, you'll have a blast. The online play is addictive because of the sheer number of ways to kill your enemies. It also takes skill and strategy to become a good player, for you must take into consideration all of the needs and weapons and rewards for kills. Amazing Game.

Christopher A. gave it a4:
The developers of this game took the most inane activity from run of the mill FPS games, namely chasing each other around with a melee weapon, and turned it into the core focus of this game. The plot is a well-worn one and the graphics rather mediocre. The game is designed with one novelty, that is making you wait as punishment for failure. As if waiting for the next round to commence wasn't punishment enough in a multiplayer FPS. Playing this game long enough to feel justified in taking the developer up on their replacement offer was punishment enough for this reviewer.

Mark M. gave it a5:
I'm the kind of gamer who likes unforgivingly honest reviewers. Popularity of the game not being the top priority. So, here is how I review a game. I haven't played this game for a few months, since I got it. It was a interesting game to try once to play through. Unfortunatly it didn't last very long. The problem is that I was expecting a lot more characters or customizable characters to play in singleplayer, and more importantly I had wished the games missions werent so straight foreward. You could too easily figure out what to do, and when games become way to easy, they lose fun fast. Although the eating, drinking, washing, using the bathroom thing was a new idea introduced, I found it very annoying. The reason being that you had to do everything all too often. It was like you were racing to get a mission done before you accidently peed yourself. I mean, if I have to pee, I'll just get up from the computer and go to the bathroom myself. I don't think that should get in the way of my game too. Anyway, even though thats kind of annoying, little things like that make the game a little funny too. But it gets annoying and tired fast. Plus, you'll finish the game, with a sense, of "Wow, that was lame." Good effort on a new idea, but I didnt enjoy it. So, for the effort I at least score it 5. It is a mod based game afterall.

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Ship, The

Game Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

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