"Avast! It's back and even better!"

I played the original Pirates! on the Sega Genesis. From the very first time my childish mind latched onto the gameplay, I loved it. I dreamed of being a pirate for a while, and even added on some details to the story.

Now, I'm a decade or so older and Pirates! is re-released. As I watched my uncle play on the way home from a funeral, I realized that the only thing that they could do to my favorite classic to make it better was to make a virtual reality version.

GRAPHICS: 9/10

Definitely a step up from what I remember! Everything is in 3D and I LOVE IT! The only complaint I could possibly have is that occasionally things lag for a few seconds. That's it. BUY THE GAME!

SOUND/MUSIC: 10/10

The cannons sound like cannons. The swords clashing sounds like swords clashing. The dancing music sounds like dancing music! As you wander the seas, your ears are serenaded by the beautiful music flowing from your speakers. BUY THE GAME!

GAMEPLAY: 10/10

Most of the people I know who can call themselves true gamers have played the original Pirates!. However, for those of you with no respect for the old school, I'll describe it for you. You sail the waters doing pirate-y deeds, sacking and plundering cities, capturing enemy ships, sweeping (occasionally) beautiful governor's daughters off their feet.

There are, however, some changes. For one: there are no more sea battles against enemy cities. You either attack on land or just get directly to the sacking. Land battles are strategy, and while I ain't much for strategy...I LOVED IT!

Also, you don't just visit governor's daughters....you now much dance with them to get their approval. The advantage? Do well and you not only get a start on their hearts, but they can also give you gifts, such as maps and the location of your enemies.

And, if you're not much for violence, you can just be a trader. Not recommended, as your crew hired on to be freaking pirates, but not many action games give you the choice to not fight. BUY THE GAME!

STORYLINE: 10/10

About a decade ago, an evil man enslaved your family. Now you, the very last free member, must find the family and defeat their enslavers. And, though it's not necessarily part of the story, you are also endeavoring to become the best pirate in the world and knock Henry Morgan off his throne.

Overall, this is an open-ended game. Your pirate ages, and after a while will have to give up pirating. Until then, you must race to find your relatives, beat the *bleep* out of your enemies, find a wife, get favor with every possible country, find ancient cities, etc. BUY THE GAME!

REPLAYABILITY: 10/10

I have had one game (ONE!) where I was able to do everything, and that was on hyper-easy. Between picking what you want to be good at and difficultly, as well as just doing everything, this gem'll keep you occupied for a while. BUY THE GAME!

I'm sure that most of us have wanted to be pirates at least once in our lives. Well now, thanks to the genius of Sid Merie's Pirates!, you have a pretty good sim. I'll admit, it's a watered down version. Pirating was a dirty job, and pirates weren't exactly saints, but no one wants to play real pirate life, so....BUY THE GAME!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/07