Pirates on the Xbox at it's core is the same game as on the PS2, so I am posting George's review from the PS2 version. The differences are, that the graphics are much better, the frame rate is much improved, the models seem more detailed, load times are very fast, save times are very fast and the controls even seem tighter. A lot of what bugged me about the PS2 version seems to be either corrected or less noticible in the Xbox version. I played this version much longer than I did on the PS2, but after a while I did get bored with it. Like I said, the core of the game is the same, and that is where the real problem lies, the game is just boring to play. Read George's review to find out why...
Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat is a game with a novel concept: You're a female pirate out to stop the evil of a political leader who rules without mercy, and at the same time avenge the death of your father. However, the game ends up being only slightly above average because of the execution.
Pirates' graphics are nothing to really get excited about. Your character is very generously endowed, and water/lighting effects are actually above the PS2 norm, and ships take damage in real time. Aside from that, there's nothing really exceptional for the bit-map aficionados or texture junkies out there.
Pirates features a very exciting theme song that pumps you up for the game…at least for the first 100 times you hear it. Then it gets repetitive. Other music is very sparse, and sound effects simply get the job done. The clangs and twangs of swords clashing, the booming sounds of cannons, and all the sounds you associate with the word "pirate" are present and accounted for, albeit not exceptionally done.
The gameplay is divided into 2 parts: a 3D platformer that will probably remind more than a few people of the N64 Zelda and Tomb Raider. There is also a bit of naval battle gameplay as well. You go around in your pirate ship, attack enemy ships, and siege hostile forts. As you progress through the game, you collect doubloons that are used to purchase weapons, ammo, and upgrade your modest ship into a bad-ass, water-displacing war machine. Almost every fight yields money, health, or items; and treasure chests are plentiful. This gives you the feeling of constantly being rewarded, and adds greatly to the experience.
That is, until you realize that you've played this game when it was called Zelda, you played this game when it was called Tomb Raider, you played this game when it was called Diablo, and you played a better version of this game recently when it was called Maximo. The problem with Pirates is that while it incorporates both an average 3rd person adventure, as well as an average seafaring aspect, it excels in neither department. The adventure aspect gets tedious and repetitive pretty quickly, especially when you realize that there are so many games for the PS2 that do the same thing a lot better (Jak and Daxter, Maximo). The seafaring aspect is rather shallow, as most fights end up becoming a matter of making sure you have enough wood and sail powerups to repair your ship as you mash the fire button.
The game has many levels to explore, and is certainly not lacking in length. The problem is that most gamers will find that the sheer mediocrity of the game kills any will to finish the title. Pirates isn't a horrible game, but because it's in a genre with so many superior options, the game's ship ultimately sinks to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker.
-George
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