By Jim Drewes - September 11, 2005

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Game Play

For a writer who has always wanted to use the term "swashbuckling good time" in a review, 2K Games' Sid Meier's Pirates! allows that dream to come true.  Although this Xbox version of Pirates is really just a remake of a 1987 classic, there is still much to be said about the quality of the game.  For all of those who have lusted after a chance to live the life of a pirate - sailing the high seas for fame and fortune - the chance is here with Sid Meier's Pirates!

Most pirate tales are coming of age stories, where the primary character grows into manhood through the life of piracy, or is forced to shed their childish and naive world-view to explore the very adult concepts of vengeance or greed.  Sid Meier's Pirates! is no exception to the rule.  Players begin the game as a young man who has become a great seafarer, seeking to enact vengeance upon the man who took his family away as a young boy.  After the quick introductory plot setup, players select a few basic options (difficulty, nationality, etc.) and begin playing.  Once the game begins, the game play has no strict linear direction.  In this way, as well as many others, Pirates! is conceptually a lot like the Grand Theft Auto series.  Gamers can follow the storyline, completing task after task in succession, or they can spend some time building up their ships, picking on the French a little, or courting the lovely daughters of foreign leaders.  This enhances the replay value, and keeps players interested when they get tired of searching for their lost families.

Unlike some of the other Sid Meier games, Pirates isn't strictly a strategy game.  There are strategy elements, along with action elements, real-time strategy battle elements, and character development elements.  A large percentage of time is spent sailing around, finding ports or other ships, and engaging in sea battles.  For gamers who have never understood how naval warfare works, or how tactics, strategy, and being a better captain determines which of two slow-moving ships will win a battle, comprehension of these concepts comes quickly once they start attacking other ships in Pirates.  Larger ships with more cannons don't always necessarily win battles.  Gamers will learn how to strategically utilize the agility of their ship, how to select which type of cannon fodder to use in certain situations, how to use the wind to their advantage, how to know when to board the enemy ship, and how to flee when there is little chance for survival.   If players are able to take over the enemy ship, they will usually be rewarded with gold and goods which can be used in ports to upgrade or fix ships, or to spend in other ways to reach your goals.

Some may argue that the game play of Pirates has too many varying elements, and thus spreads itself a little too thin.  For example, while a large percentage of the game is spent strategically attacking ships and upgrading your own, there are also times where gamers play a dancing mini-game to try to impress the governor's daughter, or where the game turns into a watered down third person sneaker while in port.  Although seemingly uncharacteristic to the rest of the game, these breaks in game play actually embody all of the romantic aspects of being a pirate.

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