Sid Meier’s Pirates!

Annoyingly many games set in the age of sail have square-riggers handling like cars or motorboats. As much as Pirates is an arcade game, it gets sailing more right than many others: square-riggers handle like modern yachts, getting to about 45° off the wind. Sure, it's still quite forgiving (I think realistic for square-riggers would be about 60°, which might not have been much fun anymore; they were quite horrible windward), but at least it feels something like a sailing vessel. Sloops can outrun square-riggers by sailing close-hauled but lose on tailwind. Sails are fairly well animated with a appropriate shivering sound if you get too close to the wind. Ship battles are one on one or sometimes one on two, your flagship against two enemies. Normal cannonballs, chain and grape shots are available for targeting hull, sails and crew. Aiming broadsides takes a bit of practice: there are no sights of any kind. Boarding fights are duels with the enemy captain, difficulty depending on how much crew each side has.

I bought this game without any question will it be good or not. Firs installment of this game I played was back on Commodore 64 and I tried pretty much every Pirates game that evolved after that. I think that end result of it couldn't get better. Graphics are just in that sweet spot where game won't look outdated, colorful enough to keep the atmosphere light and yet packed with action to the point where you don't get bored. Everything is fluid and self-explanatory. Game which will most certainly make you come back to it over and over and over and over... When I retire in 30-40 years that will only mean I will play this game even more often than now. I love it.

I loved this game on my C64....I love it even more now!!! Good job....no make that a FANTASTIC job!!!!

I played the hell out of this game during my teens when, as a result of my discovering the Monkey Island series, I had an infatuation with the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean. In short, this game delivers you the ultimate fantasy in being an up-and-coming pirate (though there's no insult swordfighting and a distinctive lack of rubber chickens with a pulley in the middle). Basically, anything a fanciful Errol Flynn-type would get up to, this game offers. Everything from sailing around and boarding merchant ships, 'legalising' your piracy by playing politics with the various nation-states active in the area, being chased by real-life infamous pirates after you've nicked their buried treasure, sacking trading ports through RTS-style sieges, discovering lost Aztec cities, wooing some governor's daughter... it's all there in fun minigames that, though arguably lacking in depth, are well-designed and consistent. The adjustable difficulty makes for a nice challenge, as your goal is to retire as a successful pirate with as much booty you can. Playing on higher difficulty nets you a larger portion of all your earnings, but also significantly increase the chances of you being slaughtered by enemy ships or being marooned after your crew decides it's time for mutiny. All in all: great little game with a lot of replay value and appeal for all ages. Definite recommend.

I have a little ritual I do on GOG.com now and again. I'll be browsing the store looking for something new to play, when I'll see the phrase "Sid Meier's Pirates" stare back at me. Every time, despite knowing the end result, I'll click on it. I'll take in the simplistic EGA-ish graphics in the screenshots and sigh. Not today... not today. Now, I'm no graphics prude. I can handle EGA sprites and esoteric hotkey control schemes. But the older entry is simply not the Sid Meier's Pirates I've been waiting for. Thanks, GOG... and it's about damn time.