Buy Sid Meier's Pirates!

Got this game when it originally came out on a disk, and then repurchased it here on steam, it's a neat and fun little game that can draw you in. Even if there isn't a great big storyline like a great big RPG, there is enough to keep you looking at this massive world that it's created, and most of the time, even if you have the strongest of ships, you'll still be able to find a challenge now and then, and there is always a buried treasure hidden around the corner. High replay value, and really good mechanics.

7.5/10

Do NOT be fooled by my 12 hours of gameplay. I used to play this game endlessly after it came out.

If you love games that are all about player choice, then this is absolutely for you.

Want to be a swashbuckling badass and go about destroying the caribbean in a hellfire of cannonshot and steel? Want to be a simple trader, escaping your past and aiming to lead a simple life of commerce? Want to be a hero, save your family, get the girl, and slap about the hapless spaniards? Do it, do it, and do it.

Naval battles, sword fights, dancing, stealth, trade...it's all here and you can do whatever the b***h you like. The game's aesthetic is less "reality" and more "disney cartoon" which makes the atmosphere of the game that much more delightful to partake in however you please.

Super replayable, full of player choice and a delight to both look at and immerse yourself in; this game has aged incredibly well. I want to join the throng that cries for an HD remake but...this game is a masterpiece as it is. No need for a newer version.

TL;DR Player choice, high replay value, excellent and varied gameplay.

So I was bored the other day and thought I might try one of the old classic piracy games. Port Royale has always been buggy (tbh I don't even know if it will work in Win 10 - I'll worry about that later) so I decided to fire up Pirates, forgetting that I had bought the remake and not the original 90's version that I used to play longer ago than I care to admit.

Imagine my surprise when I'm seeing 3D graphics rtather than still images! Detailed maps instead of pixellated blocks of green and blue! A Jolly Roger that actually looks like a skull and crossbones!

I was almost disappointed... Until I started looting the Spanish Main and became the second most feared pirate in the Carribean. Curse you Blackbeard, I'll have you yet!

♥♥♥♥ing play this or kill your self because this is just the best pirate sim single player iv ever played

Sid Meier, why not remake this instead of Civilization next time?

Take my starting ship and do battle with the Spanish Galleons. 8 cannons vs 40 cannons.
First 10 minutes of the game and you have one of the biggest ships in the game, dance with the governor's daughter, own your own estate and declare war on the whole Spanish empire.

A full game purely for the 'Pirate' genre. Not some half ♥♥♥♥♥ wannabe.
If you're not happy with any ships, pick a fight with them. Not happy because a port merchant ripped you off during trading goods, bombard the port and take it over. Governor doesn't want to let you see his daughter, control the port and change the governor. Unsatisfied because a country sunk your ship? No problem there, wipe their country off the map by conquering all their ports.

This is a game where skills can beat brute strenght. Wind, ship size, upgrades, tactics and rum is all that matters. Arrrrr!

One of the best, if not THE best pirate games of all time.

This is hands down, no lies or embellishments made, the best game I have ever played. Perhaps my experiences are colored by a long lifetime of loving this game, but I have never found something that interests me more, that I can just sit down and play a few hours of and craft a life-story for my character, an entire persona. It's simple really, you are a pirate and the wide open world of the 1600's Carribean is yours for the plucking. The graphics are out of date, the controls are simplistic, and your crew will always get upset no matter how many famous pirates and ships you sink, steal, or scuttle. You can't win, mainly because there is no victory condition. You can save your family, you can get married, you can become the deadliest and most notorious man on the high seas, it's all up to you what you do, who you become, which beach you get marooned on, I love it, I've lived years loving it, I can't recommend this game enough. It isn't for hardcore gamers, don't come in looking to get the highest score, play to relax, it'll work, you'll love it, just, just play the damn game.

-Sail into English port
-Meet with English governor
-Promise to raid Spanish ships
-Promptly raid English ships
-Sail into Spanish port
-Get promotion from the Spanish for attacking English ships
-Attack Spanish ships
-Remember the actual plotline of the game
-Ignore it and carry on attacking everyone becasue pirate

11/10 would betray England again

>Be pirate and plunder ships
>Have 2 ships in tow
>Crew is unhappy and some leave, taking a ship
>Chase them down and sink it
>No survivors.

Yarr/10

This is the best Pirate RPG I've had the pleasure of playing, and it's amazing in how it fools you desperately. You have this sort of "drive" to get a VERY good ship. So naturally, "Size Matters" kick in. You take your ♥♥♥♥♥♥ sloop, attack a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ galleas and voila you think! Your ship can now house 32 cannons with a 200 man crew (I believe.) So you take your Galleas, you name it something like "Josephine" and drive it around. You keep your sloop with you or discard it, perhaps even sell it and you feel like Captain Jack Freaking Sparrow. Then you go into a tavern and the lovely barmaid informs you that there's a War Frigate out to kill ya, so you capture that. You now have 50 cannons, possible 400 crew, cargo hold of 128 ton and feel invincible. Then you drive your ship around and feel like the King of the World. That's how it usually is, and seems to be how most people play this game.

It's the wrong way. You start out, you take your Sloop and find a War Canoe. They can be found amongst the savage natives of the Caribbean. You board it with your sloop and acquire it. The next thing you do is to go into town and sell your cannons and your sloop. And everything that's not food. You wont be needing it. You have your War Canoe. You then go to the tavern and recruit the 48 people wanting to join you. Voila, full crew. And you have your War Canoe. The War Canoe is in fact the best ship in the entire game. "But Sir, what about when the English deploy a Ship of the Line to take me out?" You board it. They shoot at you? Well guess what, I hope your Mother taught you how to weave, for you'll be weaving your way around the cannonfire into the Ship. You board it at once the fight starts. If it's too much for you or you take a hit or two, you're in the fastest ship in the game. Turn around, sail away. Nothing can catch up to you. Oh no you wont have cannons, who needs it? Sugar, spice, goods? With your crew of 50 whatever you plunder from the ships in gold is way more than what you'd normally be due. You take your War Canoe, which you'll name something like "Arrow" or "Emma" and ram that thing into whatever comes your way. It's the best ship. Here's why:

-You can bypass ship battles. This means more gold for you. And I personally found them tedious
-Boarding is more manly
-Your ship is the fastest in the game. Get a quest to escort a Governor from Mexico to Florida? Takes you 4 minutes.
-Hunting some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that keeps your family hostage? Like hell he can outsail you.
-Smaller Crew means fewer mouths to feed, and more gold for you when you divide the plunder.
-With a big ship, you'll either shoot something dead while taking damage or see them board you without difficulty. Why be the prey?

10/10 game would make my own War Canoe.