Why is this great? You can make up your own story while playing (it’s like good old ELITE in that). It hits a sweet spot between easy controls and a complexity of possible strategies and play-styles: Develop a fleet, join factions or stay solo. Influence the dynamic diplomatic changes of ports or just go hunting/exploring, concentrate on missions or piracy… You don’t have to know the warhammer races (I didn’t miss anything). You can come back weeks later and just continue – nothing stops you from sailing in a different direction and I love that. Manowar Corsair (MWC) vs. Assassins Creed 4 – Black Flag: Naval combat plays out like AC4, but MWC makes good use of wind. Graphics speak pro AC4. Melee combat is clunkier in MWC, but also more direct, less “puppeteer” than in AC: You can hit your enemy e.g. with a huge warhammer, so he stumbles back into the fire on deck. No land exploration in MWC. Trading is less dynamic in AC4. Much more variety of ships for player in MWC and night/day changes (but also much time spend at night, less “feel-good” sunny scenery (but the sunrise… aaaah). MWC has also snow :) No bullshit backstory in MWC. Sadly: also no shanties. MWC vs. Sid Meier’s Pirates: Both give much freedom of choice (in Pirates the choices have more direct consequences). Pirates (latest version) is a little cartoony, MWC uses its grim theme well (flyers, sacking ports, dwarf submarines, …). In MWC there are more 3D interfaces (sailing, fighting, ports). MWC is more open-ended. Trading interface is more informative and fun in MWC. Bottom line: Corsair game is a bit rough (missions can feel repetitive, graphics are a bit “from the old world”), but it’s also gorgeous and I feel there is no better pirate-free-roam-fight-trade-sail-simulator for ye ol’ solo player at the moment (also better than Tempest). Devs have stopped developing, but irritating bugs are gone, more factions in. There’s much love in this and I feel I will continue to have a blast for a long time.
