Panamah
12-29-2004, 04:11 PM
I loved this game years and years ago on C-64. A while back it came out on PC and was bug riddled. A new version is out.... it looks good!
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=367902
Dec 29, 2004 — Shiver me timbers! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Pirates, those blights of the high seas, have been ingrained on our consciousness in such broad ways.
But thanks to the E-rated "Sid Meier's Pirates!" from Atari ($49.99), for PC only, we're introduced to both the bloodshed and the nuance of piracy.
I was hoping for some quick, detailed action amid a good story line, and I got it. Once the hearty installation was complete (you'll need 1.4 gigabytes of disk space) my character walked into a tavern to choose which nationality to align with. As a newbie pirate, I could pillage in the name of the Spanish, French, English or Dutch.
I chose Spain. But a true pirate's allegiances are fleeting and I was ready to raid anyone vulnerable, given the opportunity. Away I sailed.
Top Stories
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* Review: 'Sid Meier's Pirates!'
At sea, an overhead angle shot depicted detailed shorelines and ports in the distance. Each time I got close to another ship, the attack option lit up in the screen's lower right-hand corner. Most of the controls during battle are done with the number pad on the keyboard.
Soon I was letting loose with a barrage of cannonballs, attempting to dunk a trade galleon.
The sound effects were quite authentic, with great attention paid to the booming explosion of the cannon shots and the crackle of destruction upon impact. My enemies' ships eerily creaked a bit before sinking once I'd administered the knockout shot.
If you lose one of these battles, you'll find yourself marooned on an island without your cash, crew or a ship. Eventually, a passing ship will pick you up. But you're broke and you'll have to rebuild your pirate reputation.
After racking up victories at sea, I was greeted at a few ports by the governor. I quickly learned that even a pirate's rep is important in this open-ended game.
Once you plunder enough gold, you can use it to upgrade or repair your battle-worn ship.
This game gets high marks for the attention to detail in each scene, and the authentic feel of doing battle with other ships at sea.
The minimum requirements suggest at least a 1 GHz processor and a good chunk of hard-drive space. I ran this game on a hot-shot Systemax PC running a 3 GHz P4 and never felt a hitch, so I'd suggest some similar power under your gaming hood.
Three and a half out of four stars.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=367902
Dec 29, 2004 — Shiver me timbers! Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Pirates, those blights of the high seas, have been ingrained on our consciousness in such broad ways.
But thanks to the E-rated "Sid Meier's Pirates!" from Atari ($49.99), for PC only, we're introduced to both the bloodshed and the nuance of piracy.
I was hoping for some quick, detailed action amid a good story line, and I got it. Once the hearty installation was complete (you'll need 1.4 gigabytes of disk space) my character walked into a tavern to choose which nationality to align with. As a newbie pirate, I could pillage in the name of the Spanish, French, English or Dutch.
I chose Spain. But a true pirate's allegiances are fleeting and I was ready to raid anyone vulnerable, given the opportunity. Away I sailed.
Top Stories
* Federal Court Sides With VoIP Companies
* Smart Transport Systems Catch on in Japan
* Review: 'Sid Meier's Pirates!'
At sea, an overhead angle shot depicted detailed shorelines and ports in the distance. Each time I got close to another ship, the attack option lit up in the screen's lower right-hand corner. Most of the controls during battle are done with the number pad on the keyboard.
Soon I was letting loose with a barrage of cannonballs, attempting to dunk a trade galleon.
The sound effects were quite authentic, with great attention paid to the booming explosion of the cannon shots and the crackle of destruction upon impact. My enemies' ships eerily creaked a bit before sinking once I'd administered the knockout shot.
If you lose one of these battles, you'll find yourself marooned on an island without your cash, crew or a ship. Eventually, a passing ship will pick you up. But you're broke and you'll have to rebuild your pirate reputation.
After racking up victories at sea, I was greeted at a few ports by the governor. I quickly learned that even a pirate's rep is important in this open-ended game.
Once you plunder enough gold, you can use it to upgrade or repair your battle-worn ship.
This game gets high marks for the attention to detail in each scene, and the authentic feel of doing battle with other ships at sea.
The minimum requirements suggest at least a 1 GHz processor and a good chunk of hard-drive space. I ran this game on a hot-shot Systemax PC running a 3 GHz P4 and never felt a hitch, so I'd suggest some similar power under your gaming hood.
Three and a half out of four stars.