First Encounter

Sid Meier's Pirates!® is a remake of the Commodore 64 classic beloved by many and a port of the PC version that appeared last year. Those that know and love Sid Meier games probably have a good idea of what to expect (even though there are several enhancements for Pirates! specific to the Xbox® console version), but for anyone unfamiliar with this piratical simulation, an explanation is in order.

Pick your Adventure
Basically, Sid Meier's Pirates! is an open-ended pirate simulation game. Engage in daring sea battles with all kinds of different ships (sloops, frigates, and galleons, to name a few). Duel opposing captains, wanted criminals, and fellow notorious pirates. Of course, no pirate adventure is complete without storming and plundering towns, seeking out buried treasure, locating lost family members, and wooing the Governor's beautiful daughters. Choose your own path to glory and fame—you are never pushed in any one direction or another. Concentrate solely on ship battles, try to recruit large forces for invading opposing towns and strongholds, focus on finding every last member of your missing family, or become a baron of trade by seeking out merchantmen and selling the plundered goods at ports that offer the best deals. Or just do a bit of everything. It's all up to you!

A hero's pose.

Landlubbers and Sea Dogs
Sid Meier's Pirates! sets sail in a variety of ways, as each element of the game comprises different gameplay mechanics and completely different skill sets. Stay on your toes as you move from one activity to another. For example:

• Dueling: Side-scrolling sword fighting is the order of the day here. Dodge and parry blows while lining up slashes and thrusts, and maybe even a taunt or two if you're feeling dangerous.
• Ship-to-Ship battles: From the third-person perspective, control your ship as you harness the wind while tacking and wearing. Fire cannons containing round-shot (pierces hulls), chain-shot (takes out masts and rigging), or grape-shot (takes out opposing crewmembers). After crippling the enemy vessel, board them in the smoke.

"Hard to starboard!"

• Ground assault: For lovers of turn-based strategy, your favorite occupation will be raiding towns. After you land your motley crew on the shore, either destroy the defending force or find a path to get your troops to the town gates. Like any good turn-based strategy game, factors such as cover, morale, flanking, ranged and melee attack groups, cavalry, and terrain all come into play.
• Dancing: Winning the heart of the Governor's daughters is lots of fun, but it also has direct rewards, such as bits of vital information (places where you can find wanted criminals for big bounties) or even gifts (a three-string fiddle to increase the ship's morale). To win the fair maiden's trust, put on your dancing shoes and master a rhythm-based mini-game.
• Stealth: Sometimes entering a town isn't as easy as sauntering into port. After all, if you've been sinking and burning French ships all month, a French settlement is not likely to welcome you with open arms. Luckily, a scurvy dog like you can deal with such a situation. Sneak into town by slinking through the streets and avoiding the guards with lanterns.

A New Port of Call
Like any good developer, Firaxis has done Xbox owners proud by adding a slew of new features to this classic port. Here's a quick breakdown of some of the more noticeable additions:

• Boarding mini-game: When you’re outnumbered and you board a ship, you participate in a mini-game to even the odds of the fight or give you the advantage during the duel. Try to hit just the right buttons as they appear on the screen. Screw up and your poor crewman gets pushed back; succeed and you and your crew surge forward in dramatic style.
• Leaderboards: Sid Meier's Pirates! offers leaderboards along with being Xbox LIVE® aware, so when you retire your pirate, his end score and rank are posted on Xbox LIVE for an extra bit of competitiveness!
• Multiplayer: Speaking of competition, hoist anchor and participate in four-person ship-to-ship sea battles with your friends on specially built maps!
• Wrasslin': Caught by a guard when sneaking through town? Try to knock them down and out.

Sid Meier's Pirates! is an addictive and varied game that's already famous, and it comes to Xbox with several improvements to a title that has been critically acclaimed on the PC. Don't let this one slip by like a ship in the night. Avast yer bloody readin' and go find yourself a copy, swab. Aargh!

Article by Alex McLain