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Return with us to those glorious days of yesteryear, when men were men and the seas were plied by only the scurviest of watery knaves. In the service of a great power Pirate Kings and Buccaneers sailed, wooed Governor's daughters, and played far into the night. I'm talking, of course, about the late 80's. Back then, anyone who had a PC, Amiga, or Sega Genesis knew the love that was Sid Meier's Pirates. A game that put you in charge of a 30 gun War Galleon and dared you to follow your own path in a digitally recreated Spanish Main.
The game quickly became a classic and then a legend. Interestingly it also helped pioneer a consequence filled yet bracingly free-wheeling environment where the player chose what to do next. Despite the primitive technology, Pirates was an impressive game. An amalgam of genres and styles. Part RPG, part adventure, sword fighting sim, Naval action game, trade simulation, and more. Since then there have been a few piratical games, but none have come close to matching Sid's creation and just five minutes with this remake shows us why. The competition used technology to recreate Pirates and improve it by making it more realistic. A pox on realism, Pirates worked because it was brisk, fun, and most of all: gamey! The new Pirates is just that. Gamey, gamey, and then more gamey. Everything is abstracted. You control your ship in a 3rd person isometric or behind the sail view; a duel with an enemy captain simulates boarding operations. The captain with the most men gains a speed advantage. Shore battles work like a tiny turn based strategy game, trade fluctuates. You can influence the world by escorting immigrants to local towns that fly your flag; you can hinder the enemy by intercepting their troop transports. Hunt down your family, one member at a time, or track notorious pirates like Harry Morgan or Blackbeard himself.  Taverns provide items you can use to enhance your abilities or stave off the effects of aging, a ring to impress a pretty lady, a white puffy shirt to help you duel, dancing slippers to ... dancing is a new addition and it's used to woo the various Governor's daughters. A worthwhile endeavor, they provide a lot of information. The game is paced like a Sid Meier game always is. Relentless. There's always a new goal, you never lose track of what you're doing, and you never get board (though some of the animations get old fast). Don't be surprised if you find yourself playing until you capture Blackbeard and then saying, "I'll quit for the night after I recover Stede's Treasure." Then "I'll go to bed after I conquer Havana." And "I'll quit after I get one more map piece from Raymondo." And so on until morning light causes you to curse the name Sid Meier. Yes, it's that good. 
Apparently the design team dropped Tobacco from the list of saleable products to comply with the ESRB's rules about controlled substances. This is how a game where you can drop a Galleon packed with 140 men into the briny blue (and has you portray a rapacious pirate as a hero) gets an E- for Everyone rating. I'm not quibbling with that. The action and even the violence is charmijng and cartoonish, but isn't silly or distracting. The swordfights, for example, are filled with daring do, and victory usually comes by smashing the enemy overboard with some heroic Erroll Flynn style trick. Wooing a daughter is chaste and the dancing is amusing, but the character models are, well, rated based on their beauty and well endowed to an eyebrow raising extreme. Suffice it to say there's nothing offensive here but there are a few things to alarm more protective parents. I've got to commend Firaxis for walking the line this well, however. The game is very tasteful and its remarkable how they took a violent subject, made it kid-friendly, without making it disappointing for older players. One other thing to consider is that this is a very addictive game (as described above). Not "addictive" like anti-video game people like to warn you about, but addictive in that it keeps a carrot in front of your nose constantly. Kids find it harder than grown-ups to resist this kind of game, so save it for Summer Vacation, or at least the weekend. Psst, parents, you can play it during the week. Tell 'em GamerDad said you could.
Shiver me timbers, this be a fine game indeed!  Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Pirates! |
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