http://xbox.ign.com/articles/632/632366p1.html
Sid Meier's Pirates is a must-have Xbox game. It's that simple. This "adventure" game comprises a little bit of strategy, touches of RPG, it's got fighting and collecting, and it's designed in an ingenious way so that the goals, economy, and mini-games, all tie into, bolster, and support one another.
There is very little violence, no blood, sex, or swearing. In fact, nobody actually utters one single word. Everyone speaks a kind of Sim-lish, a nonsensical language that sounds like language from a distance, but is really just purposeful gibberish. So, it's good clean summer gaming.
So, let me just put it this way. Not since the first Doom and Warcraft II, both of which I was totally addicted to, have I been so utterly lost to, absorbed, and completely mermerized by a game. The first time I played it, I played until 4 am in the morning, a healthy eight straight hours. The second time I played, I lost another solid night of sleep, going to bed at 5 am. Just be warned, you will need to warn your boss you might be sick one or two days in the following week, and you will need to explain what happened during that stretch of un-returned phone calls to your girlfriend. If I were you, I would get this game in a heartbeat.
9.0 Presentation
Well-organized menus, options, and controls. Simplistic cutscenes become redundant, but the game's simplicity is part of its genius.
7.5 Graphics
This is not a graphic powerhouse, to be sure. Animations are mixed, load times are fast, and many scenes are often repeated.
8.0 Sound
Adventure-themed pirate music in its most simple and ever-so-slightly B-movie form. Silly, galant, extravagent, repetitive, they're all there.
9.5 Gameplay
The game's brilliance is how it ties every little thing -- fencing, dancing, ship attacks, gathering, plundering, marrying -- together. Addictive, distracting and time-consuming in all the best ways.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
First time through? It could last 15 or 25 hours, depending on how linearly you play. I've already beaten it twice, and I'm back for more. Plus, the added pirate mini-game is surprisingly good.
9.2 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
Sid Meier's Pirates is a must-have Xbox game. It's that simple. This "adventure" game comprises a little bit of strategy, touches of RPG, it's got fighting and collecting, and it's designed in an ingenious way so that the goals, economy, and mini-games, all tie into, bolster, and support one another.
There is very little violence, no blood, sex, or swearing. In fact, nobody actually utters one single word. Everyone speaks a kind of Sim-lish, a nonsensical language that sounds like language from a distance, but is really just purposeful gibberish. So, it's good clean summer gaming.
So, let me just put it this way. Not since the first Doom and Warcraft II, both of which I was totally addicted to, have I been so utterly lost to, absorbed, and completely mermerized by a game. The first time I played it, I played until 4 am in the morning, a healthy eight straight hours. The second time I played, I lost another solid night of sleep, going to bed at 5 am. Just be warned, you will need to warn your boss you might be sick one or two days in the following week, and you will need to explain what happened during that stretch of un-returned phone calls to your girlfriend. If I were you, I would get this game in a heartbeat.
9.0 Presentation
Well-organized menus, options, and controls. Simplistic cutscenes become redundant, but the game's simplicity is part of its genius.
7.5 Graphics
This is not a graphic powerhouse, to be sure. Animations are mixed, load times are fast, and many scenes are often repeated.
8.0 Sound
Adventure-themed pirate music in its most simple and ever-so-slightly B-movie form. Silly, galant, extravagent, repetitive, they're all there.
9.5 Gameplay
The game's brilliance is how it ties every little thing -- fencing, dancing, ship attacks, gathering, plundering, marrying -- together. Addictive, distracting and time-consuming in all the best ways.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
First time through? It could last 15 or 25 hours, depending on how linearly you play. I've already beaten it twice, and I'm back for more. Plus, the added pirate mini-game is surprisingly good.
9.2 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
