Sea Dogs

"It could have been so much more."

Sea Dogs
A great game with too many problems to make it as good as it could have been. Walking in towns is more than enough to ruin half the game. Other than that, it is a fairly solid release.

Gameplay-This is the good and bad part of the game, at the same time. Some elements of it, such as cruising the seas, battling enemy ships, and traveling around the world are loads of fun. The best part of the game is definitely its gameplay. Cruising around the seas is fairly low key, but the thing I like about the gameplay is that anything can happen. A french ship could appear on your port side and start hurling cannonballs at you. You could be attacked by a large amount of pirates. The gameplay is very realistic. No demons, monsters, or magical spells. This game shows how it would have most likely been. The gameplay is the best part of Sea Dogs.

Sound-Another good part of the game. The music fits the mood, the sound effects are very engrossing, and the dialogue of the citizens in this game are sometimes comical, and always entertaining. Pubs in the game have truly great music.

Control-This is where the game starts to have its problems. Walking around in towns is horribly difficult, because of the controls which aren't exactly stellar. You have to plan your course around towns so you can spend as little time as possible in it. Sometimes you even get caught on things and cannot move. Sailing around, thankfully, is not near as bad. It's easier to do than play a kazoo.

Graphics-A funny element of the game. It seems like two different areas of the games graphics were made by two different groups, one a very skilled group, and the other a group of infants. Sailing around has a beautiful look to it. The waves crash against the ship, and foam away in a white stream that is so detailed you feel as if you are in the game. The ships are very decorated, and very smoothed over. Everything outside of towns is appealing. Then you get INSIDE a town. The graphics are clunky, un detailed, and all around ugly.

Sailing and being in towns-
Sailing = great.
Being in towns = scarily unentertaining.
And since half the game is composed of being in towns, I must give Sea Dogs, by Besdetha software, a mere 6. It could have been so much more than it was.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/02, Updated 03/02/02