Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)

Sid Meier’s Pirates! is a title that consists of several mini-games that make the game a very unique experience among other pirate games. Among the features included in the game there is an option to control a ship or a fleet to avoid storms or escape enemy ships. Players can stop in ports to replenish supplies, recruit crew, repair ships, sell loot, listen to local gossips or accept quests (all of that can be done through a special menu).

It is also possible to visit influential governors and increase protagonist’s social status, to participate in naval battles including ship maneuvering, shooting at enemies and boarding, to participate in melee combat by using sables and many special attacks or to escape prisons by avoiding guards and by moving through the labyrinths of alleys in the port (the player is taken to a prison after he or she loses a naval battle).

Other activities available in the PC, PSP and etc. version of Sid Meier’s Pirates! include looking for legendary, buried treasures by collecting pieces of old maps, leading pirates during an assaults on ports and cities (this activity features a simplified RTS interface) and conquering the hearts of governors' daughters (for example by performing heroic acts or dancing).

The game features special items such as better sables or a barometer. They improve the protagonist’s combat efficiency or skills of navigating the ship during harsh conditions. Players can also encounter specialists that can be recruited to the crew and increase combat efficiency or the ship’s parameters. Another feature in the game is the option to look for lost family members and to fight against an evil pirate responsible for the death of protagonist’s parents.

Technical aspects

The new version offers the same content as the original title, although it was expanded and the gameplay was polished. The biggest change is the new, three-dimensional graphics engine. The visuals are aesthetical and good-looking. The game’s world imitates the seventeenth’ and eighteenth’ century, although it uses a slightly cartoonish style. Ships look authentic, and people are wearing clothes typical for the times.