Sid Meier's Pirates!
- March 14, 2007 14:12 PM PST
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One of the downsides of modern civilization is that "pirate" is no longer a viable career choice. Sure, the looting-and-pillaging business still thrives, especially in some parts of Southeast Asia, but it's less Johnny-Depp-as-Keith-Richards out there and more Freddy-Krueger-packing-a-Chinese-AK.
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Thankfully, Sid Meier's Pirates! does an admirable job of letting us relive the romanticized swashbuckling days of yore. In fact, we'll go out on a limb and say that it's probably a lot more fun than real life at sea in the 17th century. At the least, you don't have to worry about scurvy.
What to Do, What to Do?
Instead of focusing hard on just one type of gameplay, Pirates! features a grab bag of different challenges. There's action, exploration and a bit of strategy, but the genius of the game is that no one element dominates the other. You'll fight on land and at sea, raid strongholds and outrun the authorities, and woo the daughters of governors. There is a main storyline to follow but you can also sail around and live the pirate's life.
Surprisingly enough, it all works unexpectedly well on the PSP. Complex action games haven't proven especially successful on Sony's handheld but Pirates! succeeds by offering up simple yet intuitive controls and an easy to navigate interface. In short, it's an easy game to learn but it's pretty tough to master. Add in a mostly stable graphics engine that does a competent job of presenting the high seas and you have a game that would put a smile on the grizzled face of even the saltiest sea dog.
Pros: Intuitive controls and interface. Varied and interesting game concepts.
Cons: Mild graphical slowdowns.
