Sid Meier's name carries with it a lot of hype. Sid Meier and Firaxis have made great games before, but this one may have fallen short of a few people's expectations.
GAMEPLAY
When it comes to these RPG/Strategy games the main question is, What makes me want to keep playing? Civilization I-III had an answer to this question while something like, say, SimGolf did not.
Pirates' answer to this question lies in achieving success in many different areas. Like many recent games, you are in control of your own destiny. The main plot involves rescuing your family from locked cabins in the middle of nowhere. However this is just one of the reasons to keep playing.
You can choose to side with the Dutch, English, Spanish, or French. Attacking cities and sinking ships for your allied country. On the other hand you can play as a rogue, playing to please no one but yourself and balancing the favor of the different countries. You can also play as a notorious pirate, attacking and looting any ship that comes in your path.
The game features many mini-quests as well. You can try to woo the hand of a VERY well endowed governor's daughter by dancing with her, or buy a treasure map and go dig it up. The game has plenty of reasons to keep you playing.
The game starts very easy. As you keep playing, you will eventually need to divide your plunder among your crew and disband for a few months. Upon return, you are sometimes given the option to advance in levels. These advances make the game harder, but also provide some benefits like a larger share of the plunder and more complex gameplay.
Unfortunately, this game is not perfect. After playing for a few hours you realize that the game is composed of three things: Sailing, Fencing, and Dancing. These start to lose appeal after a few hours of play. Then, like any other mediocre game, you just keep playing to get a sense of accomplishment, not entertainment.
GRAPHICS
Firaxis usually doesn't go overboard with their graphics. They do what is necessary, and nothing more. However Firaxis seems to have broken their trend with Pirates, as it is a very pretty game.
This game features a lot of water, and while it's not Half-Life 2 quality water, it will do the trick. Animations are solid, and very smooth. There is graceful dancing and fierce swordfights, they are all animated very well. The sails on the ships expand and shift with the direction of the wind.
Performance is also very good, with very few slowdowns so long as you have a decent rig.
The only time the game shows a little lack of polish is when you leave the ship and start walking on land. You and your crew tend to sink into the ground and levitate, depending on altitude. However this is very minor, and not enough to ruin an otherwise very good looking game.
OVERALL
Although I mentioned that the game gets repetitive after a while, the different styles of play does offer a lot of replayability. If you like everything Sid Meier does, you won't necessarily be disappointed, but this game is not for anyone looking for a high-paced action adventure game. In fact, 90% of the game is getting from one place to another. But the other 10% is very enjoyable.
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