Pirates!, is what you could call a remake, of a very old game, called Pirates, which was released about 16 years ago. I remember that game very well, but I can't say I had as much fun with it, as I'm having with this version.
I've always said to myself "remember when graphics weren't all that mattered" but in order to do a complete review, I need to go over this area. The graphics here are bright, vibrant, and work well. Not exactly a game to push your new gaming rig on, but still worth looking at. Everything is rendered well, and the character models, have a kinda cartoony look to them, that fits the bill.
Pirates! is a lot like an old school title, you would find on a DOS PC back in the 486 era of gaming. Where it becomes different from it's DOS original title, is that it takes advantage of technology, without being overwhelmed by it. The core gameplay revolves around doing different tasks. One reviewer said they are like "Mini-games", and that person was pretty much on the money. Lets take a look at what you do.
It's a pirate game, so of course you sail around the seas. You also...and this is another obvious point, pirate ships, sink ships, and of course, sword-fight with enemy captains. These are all givens with the genre.
Now comes other bits, that are interesting. A minor, but still quirky stealth system, for sneaking in at night, to the utterly bizarre ballroom dancing, which plays a lot like Dance Dance Revolution, and even parts where you can raid towns and pillage, done in a strange hybrid RTS style.
Aside from this, you can do the other obvious things, like trade, talk in taverns, and collect info/gold/ships and even get married.
It all sounds fantastic right? Well avast ye matey, it isn't. See, when you start playing, you'll love the game. Your first battles at sea, sword fights...and if you like that sort of thing, ballroom dance. You will very much enjoy this game. It is within the time span of 3-6 hours later, that will decide if you really like the game or not because...
...you do these same things over and over. As I said earlier, this title feels like a rehash of the same play mechanics of ancient, yet fun to play DOS titles. It works...but like any old school title, how long can you play before, you feel the urge to game something a bit more...deep?
Me, I can manage, but I can't just play this game all day long. It does get old. My point is, that if you play it for a few hours, stop, and then come back later, you'll really enjoy the game. If you play non-stop like my brother did, you'll beat the game in a matter of hours, and then be bored stiff with the game.
It also doesn't help that the difficulty is so low. Even on the max setting, it's not very challenging.
Another burn is, that while you do all these exciting things, the interface for doing them, is a bit odd for some peoples tastes. I play on a laptop, so I use my mouse, but the game can be controlled via the numerical keypad, and in doing so, you will pace the actions in half the "mini-games" I spoke of earlier. Sword fights, dancing, even ship battles, are simply about timing. So, it almost feels like a rhythm based game at times.
The only time this game will challenge you extremely, is when your near the peak age, where you are supposed to retire. The older you get, the harder the game gets...so it does eventually get challenging, but it won't be enough for some. It also seem to lack certain things people wanted. For one, in the beginning of the game, you need to pick an alliance. Me, I wanted to be a dead set pirate, swearing allegiance to no one, but the sea. The game will not allow this. It is worth noting though, that communities of mod makers and such, are attempting to add a ton of features to this game, in the form of a "patch".
Play the Genesis version online:
Pirates! Gold ยป
Genesis
Buy online: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Sid-Meiers-Pirates-Pc/dp/B000AOIES6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1240031791&sr= 1-1"]Amazon.com: Sid Meier's Pirates!: PC: Video Games[/ame]
. It's not strictly a pirate game but if you choose to fight everyone then you're a pirate. It's cool because you can also go the whole game without fighting and still do great. It's all about options.
Linear Mode
