User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 479 Ratings

User score distribution:
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  1. AbbB.
    Oct 31, 2006
    9
    Love this game, totally original and thoughtfully made. Don't be discouraged by the low numbers, its a complete myth!
  2. RyanJ.
    Jul 21, 2006
    9
    This game has a really interesting concept and everything inside the game is great! Besides a few glitches, the game is awesome!
  3. SanderP.
    Jul 21, 2006
    10
    It's really an exellent game and unlike others, you have to actually think to win. Also the development team really pays attention to the players and listens to their suggestions, thus 'the ship' gets constantly improved.
  4. MichaelS.
    Jul 22, 2006
    9
    The Ship offers truly unique and engaging gameplay. Offering both Hunt and Elimination modes, it gives you the opportunity to choose whether you want the Hunt's fast-paced (~90 second) rounds or the tense, slower Elimination rounds. A combination of the art style, the music, and the unique experience the game creates in general pulls you into the game and keeps you wanting more. The The Ship offers truly unique and engaging gameplay. Offering both Hunt and Elimination modes, it gives you the opportunity to choose whether you want the Hunt's fast-paced (~90 second) rounds or the tense, slower Elimination rounds. A combination of the art style, the music, and the unique experience the game creates in general pulls you into the game and keeps you wanting more. The game does have a few problems which I am sure will soon be addressed. The game is not for everyone, but it is highly recommended that you at least check it out! Expand
  5. HilmarM.
    Jul 25, 2006
    10
    For the innoative new gamaplay, and the mood ingame. Great game.
  6. BryN.
    Jul 31, 2006
    9
    Amazing Game. Playing is very fun, but does get tiring after awhile. Lots of secrets to uncover.
  7. Furion
    Aug 14, 2006
    10
    I believe this game isn't recieving the rating it deserves. There are some bugs, yes, but it's nothing that's kept me from playing the game. You may see people floating around in the sleeping, reading, sitting, etc. position, but it's not all that common. The only real problem with this is that the person is in third person at the time, and slightly harder to notice a I believe this game isn't recieving the rating it deserves. There are some bugs, yes, but it's nothing that's kept me from playing the game. You may see people floating around in the sleeping, reading, sitting, etc. position, but it's not all that common. The only real problem with this is that the person is in third person at the time, and slightly harder to notice a weapon being pulled out. This can easily be remedied by a different animation thing. In response to David L.'s post. You should never, ever buy a PC you want to use for gaming from an Intel-using company, especially one like Dell -- always overpriced. With that said, yes, I have experienced some freezes. Never any crashes, but my computer has frozen a few. The major problem was with me being in Windowed mode -- only once in a blue moon will it happen in full. Response to Simon E.'s: The rounds are short in Hunt, and some servers have longer rounds than others. Between 90 seconds to three minutes. However, on Elimination, the only time the round ends is when there's only one hunter left. Last man standing, and if you die early on it's your own fault (or a result of really bad luck). As for all the comments about graphics. It's not supposed to look realistic; it's supposed to be of a comical fashion. The graphics aren't at all Jerky, as David L. put it. At least not for me and my averagely-good (Athlon 64 3200+) computer. The sounds are actually really good and well done (go to the bathroom and take a listen, hahah.) There aren't hundreds of thousands playing this game, like some OTHER games (cough, CS, cough) -- but there will always be at least one or two servers full with players. During the day, it's generally around 4-6 servers. Just check the server info and look for servers that don't have "Shipmate X" all over the play, and join -- or get into the Queue to join if it's full. The bots are really stupid, but it's understandable because this is meant to be a multiplayer game. Though, the arcade mode is nice to find those secrets out. Walking speed is slow and realistic (Diamond Dog seems to be too used to the constant running-like movement speed for all other games' walking). My ratings; Gameplay is definately a 9, Graphics are a 7, Sound is 10. That creates an average of 8 1/3, but I voted 10 to try and boost the rating for all those people voting 0-5, since this game is definately not below average. This is not your typical first-person shoot'em'up. Expand
  8. JordanB.
    Feb 11, 2007
    10
    I was awed at its simplicity but its perfect execution. One of my favorite games I've played. Definitely worth the 15 dollars.
  9. EricW.
    Mar 13, 2007
    10
    This is one of the most ingeniously designed and well thought out games of all time.
  10. ZackM.
    Apr 17, 2007
    10
    This is the most original game I have ever had the pleasure of partaking in. A very Agatha Christe/Poirot like game. The best multiplayer game of '06!
  11. JonC.
    May 28, 2007
    9
    Great original game. Really develops a sense of paranoia.
  12. Mar 20, 2013
    7
    A very original game, very fun and thrilling, but the ships are extremely confusing to navigate, that's the only thing holding my score back. Can't wait for the sequel!
  13. Jul 23, 2012
    9
    This is a really cool game. I've only played two gamemodes, Hunt and Deathmatch. In Hunt, you are to find a weapon and kill your quarry before the time runs out. You must do so only when nobody else is looking. But you must be careful, because you yourself are also being hunted. You can't kill just anyone, doing so will result in a fine and possibly a kick from the server. Deathmatch isThis is a really cool game. I've only played two gamemodes, Hunt and Deathmatch. In Hunt, you are to find a weapon and kill your quarry before the time runs out. You must do so only when nobody else is looking. But you must be careful, because you yourself are also being hunted. You can't kill just anyone, doing so will result in a fine and possibly a kick from the server. Deathmatch is pretty explanatory, you just kill everyone you see. The graphics are pretty decent, too. It's really awesome.. what else do you expect from a Source game? It's worth the money. In fact, you get a second copy when you buy it, so give it to a friend!

    Only reason I didn't give it the 10 it deserves is the players. Let's face it, a lot of them don't know how to play it. They just go off blasting everyone. There are some servers with decent players, so don't worry.
    Expand
  14. Jun 21, 2013
    5
    This game is really something. The graphics looks great and I think the style works really well but the singleplayer has a fatal glitch which stops the game completely making the singleplayer a huge rip off,
    it almost feels like they didn't finish making it. The bits of singleplayer that actually work pretty much suck and it's just a really buggy/glitchy version of the multiplayer.
    The
    This game is really something. The graphics looks great and I think the style works really well but the singleplayer has a fatal glitch which stops the game completely making the singleplayer a huge rip off,
    it almost feels like they didn't finish making it. The bits of singleplayer that actually work pretty much suck and it's just a really buggy/glitchy version of the multiplayer.

    The multiplayer is really fun but finding players is difficult, the AI are pretty stupid but they are kinda fun to play with. The game works really well if you get friends together to play it but I don't think the game is punishing enough as I found myself constantly getting away with murdering people in plain sight of others, this problem made every gamemode feel like TDM as everyone was just running around beating the crap out of there target. You can get caught by the guards and CCTV but the CCTV does not have a very good view of most areas and the guards only ever stand in one place, if you are seen with a weapon by CCTV or the guards you go to jail for a few minutes which can make the gameplay quite interesting if your target goes to jail.

    Overall this game is great fun but if you don't have any friends willing to play it with you don't bother because the multiplayer is almost completely deserted.
    Expand
  15. TomF.
    Nov 7, 2006
    10
    Great game, great concept, and the execution keeps getting better. Big thanks to a great and dedicated development team.
  16. ShirleyT.
    Oct 30, 2006
    10
    Addicting and original. If you haven't played this game yet, you're missing out greatly.
  17. TimB.
    Oct 27, 2008
    2
    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 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". Expand
  18. AceCool4you
    Aug 8, 2006
    0
    PC Gamer gave this 61%. I read the 1up review and agree with them. The game is far too limited, and gets boring after half hour. Only six maps thats very small compared to other games of this type.
  19. SimonE.
    Aug 9, 2006
    3
    After reading all the great reviews, I was let down by this game. Great idea and game concept... ingenious... however, I really am finding it hard to get into. Rounds are faster than I thought they would be, so exploring is difficult. The graphics are quite outdated looking. I've seen player and NPC characters walking on their sides so there are bugs in there which I wouldn't After reading all the great reviews, I was let down by this game. Great idea and game concept... ingenious... however, I really am finding it hard to get into. Rounds are faster than I thought they would be, so exploring is difficult. The graphics are quite outdated looking. I've seen player and NPC characters walking on their sides so there are bugs in there which I wouldn't expect to see in a purchased game. However, I'll keep with it and see if it gets better with time. Some games do, eh? Expand
  20. Oct 30, 2011
    10
    The ship is an amazing classic that you just have to play. Many of the reviews say it gets boring, but it really doesnt. The ship is a classic that you must get.
  21. Black_Knight
    Oct 30, 2006
    3
    Terrible game, just get's worse every time you play it. After you get the hang of where to look for good weapons nobody is playing, it's one of the worst games out there.
  22. ConspiracyTheorist
    Aug 10, 2006
    10
    Great game.
  23. Danny
    Nov 1, 2006
    9
    Generaly FPS don't tend to be orignal but The Ship is a breath of fresh salty sea air that a rather stale gender needs. It's not just mindless blasting of your foes, you really have to take you time and choose you moment in this kill or be killed stalk fest. A wonderfuly orignal concept that put's a lot of high budget efforts to shame, top stuff!
  24. GabrielH.
    Nov 1, 2006
    10
    It's about time that someone stopped remaking everything we've already had and brought a new, intuitive, entertaining and addictive game to the table.
  25. LukeS.
    Jul 30, 2006
    10
    what an awsome game. so good. and the graphix r top notch. great. powerful. ill be playing this for at least the next 10 years of my life unless they make a sequel.
  26. EricG.
    Jul 30, 2006
    10
    I love this game. Its a refreshing change from all other FPS games.
  27. AcecoolM.
    Aug 2, 2006
    10
    Awesome game, great gameplay - The vote from 1UP was completely unfair and untrue.
  28. AntonW.
    Oct 9, 2007
    10
    It migth take some time to get into this game,but when you get used to the rulest and such,this game's simply one of the best ever.It's a very original idea (atleast in my oppinion) and it's a welcome break from the "Kill everything that moves" games.It migth not have great graphics,but the low price and the awesome gameplay truly makes this a game that everyone should try!
  29. AmyW.
    Jun 26, 2007
    10
    I love this game. Keeps me intertained for hours.
  30. RobertS.
    Oct 31, 2006
    3
    A truly uninspiring game experience. The lack of players makes this a non even in multiplayer. I was kicked from a server and had to wait 1 hour before I could get back in. Go spend your dosh on something that is better then this.
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 24
  2. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 80
    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.