Sid Meiers Pirates is great. It has high play value and it can be designed to the individual who is playing.

• from

this is still one of the greatest RPGs ever made. completely open eneded you really choose the fate of the character. i remember playing the very first version on commodore 64 but when they came out with new versions for PC and PSP i was amazed, and playing them made me fall in love with this game all over again, and its improved so much its actually a form of crack. still good classic fun and now its on handheld so it makes those long flights a lot more enjoyable.

• from

Pirates translates well into the portable realm. I'd never played it before owning this version but i was pleasantly surprised with it. Its basically just a collection of mini games bundled into one. I like the bright sunny carribean graphics and old timey pirate soundtracks. Pirates is very fun to play for the first couple of hours then you realize you have done everything there is to do and you just repeat the mini games as the fun starts to taper off. Its a good game though, a classic that has withstood the test of time. Some mini games are more enjoyable than others. The ship to ship combat is simple yet entertaining, the ships have little damage effects to the sails and hull. Colliding with another ship starts a close combat battle with the enemy captain using one of 3 different swords. Swordplay is very simple, basically just hit the attack button over and over and you will be victorious everytime. Victory gives you the option to sink the ship or take it into your fleet. Ships are upgradeable at any of the ports. There are a few different forms of cargo you can purchase and sell at other ports if trading is your thing. You can hunt down famous pirates and plunder their booty, look for treasure, discovery lost incan temples and so forth. Like i said, there is much to do but after you do it a few times it will eventually get old. Even though there is so much to do, i feel they could have given the game more depth. Live the life and see what you think.

• from

This handheld game is pretty much the same as the computer version. It is great for lunchtime gaming, or any other time you want to play a game for 30 minutes or so. Just like the computer game, it would get repetitive if played for hours on end, but it is a really fun classic.

Highs:

Addictive and not overly difficult for quick games

Can be saved at any time

Animations good for PSP

Lows:

Too easy for long term gaming

Dancing still a bit annoying, but easier than on computer

Fights are repetitive

Overall:

A great short time game. Good for on the go or a quick pirate fix. I'd like to try the multiplayer sometime. Yarr!

• from

I went through and beat this on two difficulty levels because it was that much fun. Even if you do not want to play the missions all the time, you can do a lot of pillaging and attacking. Just watch how "old" you get, after awhile, you are forced into retirement. But for an older gamer like myself, when I actually do have 20 minutes or a half hour to play, this was great. It was better than I remember it on my old Commodore 64...

• from

This game provides countless hours of mind-numbing bliss. You will not want to put it down.

• from

Came quickly and in perfectly new condition as was stated in the description. thanks!

• from

I am not great at video games like the Mario group. If it requires a lot of hand eye coordination it is no fun for me. I loved this game. It is all about the shooting and the logic not how good your eyes are. I can play this one to the end. I can enjoy this one to the end. That makes it fun. The fact that it is something that interests me greatly (Pirates) makes it even better.

The design of the game is cute. There are ports. You travel around in your ship. Find ports or other ships. Kill the other ships. Take them over. Basically do pirate stuff.

• from

Fun game. I played it non stop for a month or two. Plus, it has different settings and the game play changes depending on which setting you play so you get a slightly different experience each time you play a differnt setting.

• from

This game is extremely engaging and easy to get lost in. There is so much to do, with all of the mini missions, while also following the main story line. I recommend this game to anyone who owns a PSP.

• from

I confess; the original version of Sid Meier's Pirates! ranks as my favorite PC game of all time. A very deep, instantly playable game engine powered by a seemingly endless array of adventure paths made the original an ingeniusly addictive (and semi-historically accurate, to boot) pasttime.

Thus, I waited with baited breath for the PSP version, only to let out seafaring cries of joy when playing this oustanding sequel. The same aspects of the PC original are alive and well...only bigger and better. Equally as playable, now chock full of outstanding graphics, clever new features and a terrific soundtrack that is truly toe-tapping. The clever programming across the board shines on Pirates! for PSP; this a polished title that is a must-have for fans of the original or RTS/adventure offerings.

For Pirates! newbies, one of the strongest suits of its namesake predecessors was the ease in picking up the title + playing it right out of the box. The game's depth and features become obvious after hours of addictive adventuring.

Only after you've allied with the Dutch for better access to ports...parlayed status with the Spanish to find buried treasure...recruited crew from Pirate towns...escorted boats from Missionary settlements...then sank your first three English merchantships to keep the crew happy...do you realize you've been consciously making all these decisions all the while, yet they seem both second-hand in nature plus non-complicated to manage. This is -- and was -- the beauty of Sid Meier's Pirates!; just don't blame him if you miss your flight due to a driving obsession to capture the notorious John Morgan before takeoff.

Happy seafaring.

• from

A beautiful update to a classic, highly playable game. This game is based on one of the first "sandbox" games in which you determine the pace, direction, and goals of the game. You start out motivated by revenge: what did the robber baron do with your family? Soon, you get a ship of your own and can sail the Caribbean at your leisure. The only things that constrain you are the rules of the sea: don't run out of food, don't run aground, don't mistreat your crew or they will mutiny, and don't pick on other vessels that are bigger than you.

You can outfit your ship with different cannons/sails/powder/bunks/armor, any of which affect your ability to do battle. Your character can ally himself (sorry ladies, no "Monkey Island"-style gender equality in a Sid Meier game) with different factions (English/Spanish/Dutch/French, all loosely based in history), and go dancing with governor's daughters in order to win their favor ... and if you're lucky, they'll also give you land, gold, influence, or useful gifts like the +10 Fencing Ability Puffy Shirt (I am not making this up)!

Did I mention the swordfights? They're straight out of Hollywood, full of chivalry and derring-do. You don't need to be a fighting game expert to win a battle; the action sequences are only a small part of the overall experience.

As you move through the game, you'll meet different characters along the way who will give you tips on how to avenge your family, get rich and famous, or dig up buried treasure. Each encounter suggests something else to do, and the whole game is nicely randomized and dynamic enough that it feels like a living, breathing world rather than the collection of code and mini-games that it really is.

Kids will learn some history and Caribbean geography from the experience. Codgers who played the original will enjoy the lush graphical and sound updates. Everyone else should have a good time. Everything is done with a light touch, without gore or brutal violence. There's not too much reliance on heavy-duty strategy, role-playing, or twitch skills, so it's the kind of game that almost anyone can get into. The only problem I've seen thus far is putting down this habit-forming game, because there's always something new to find and do.

Highly recommended. (The game is also available on Windows and XBOX. Personally, I prefer the optimized controls of the little portable version.)

• from

Around 12 years ago, I discovered, and quickly became hopelessly addicted to, this game on my old school Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, the only place I could find it was at my local Blockbuster, and they refused to sell it to me (probably due to the fact that I kept renting it over and over, endlessly). Sadly, one day, it just disappeared. Most likely, someone as addicted as I was stole it. That was 12 years ago, and I'd always kept an eye out for it. So, needless to say, when I heard about the revamped version that was coming out for the PC, I was ecstatic. I got it as soon as it came out, and it was love all over again.

Fast forward to a few months ago, or something like that (I don't remember exactly when this port was released). I was browsing PSP games and happened upon this version. Needless to say, I was ecstatic all over again at the prospect of being able to take my pirating adventure anywhere I went (I tend to spend a lot of time in the hospital, so portability is a big issue for me), and, not to mention being able to uninstall my PC version and regain about a Gig and a half of hard drive space.

Before I got the game, I was slightly worried that such a big game wouldn't translate well onto a smallish screen like the PSP. My worries were promptly put to rest when I got the game, though. It translates perfectly....the ships and land masses are neither too small, nor too big, and you can zoom in or out if you want. A few reviewers have complained that the game is too repetitious, and, I'll admit, it is. You sail around, fight battles, either in your ship or close sword fights (thankfully, the sword fights are generally very easy and go by pretty quickly, because that's my least favorite aspect of the game), dance, look for buried treasure, etc, etc. If you enjoy addictive repetition that lasts for hours, and a completely open-ended story, though, then this is the perfect game for you.

• from

This game takes place in Carribean where the gamer becomes a pirate and do various quests to find his long lost family. This game has tones of minigames and good battle system to keep you addicted for at least 20 hours.

This is a must buy at $30!.

• from

I remembered playing this game years ago on my old cable company's "Sega Channel" so I just had to pick it up for the PSP.

It is hard for me to put it down, I love it.

• from