Pirates! Gold

"Pirates! Gold: Simply The Best Game For Any System"

Let me start by saying that I've been playing Pirates! and the sequel Pirates! Gold (and the new release by Sid Meier and Firaxis Games) since the original debuted in 1987. It is little wonder though. It's the only game I have ever given a perfect 100% score to and the benchmark against which I have compared every other game since then. The Pirates! Gold release on the Sega Genesis is essentially the reason to get this system, like the original Pirates! release on the NES before it.

Pirates! Gold, like the original, is the perfect combination of game-play. It transcends any one genre and presents the player with an experience that surprisingly has not been more widely utilized. It's a bit of an RPG, a bit of a simulation, and a bit of an action/adventure game all in one. And it is partially for that reason that the game works so well. It takes the best elements from each and omits the worst elements. Like RPGs, it lets you experience the life of a character, doing what that character would do. Unlike most RPGs, it eliminates the stupidity of leveling and blocked-out paths for your character to follow. The completely-open format of the game allows you the player to decide what and when and how you want to do things. One would think such open-ended design would be more popular since but amazingly it's not.

As a privateer in the Caribbean, you have the same options that the historical figures that inspired the game have. Do you want to live on the edge and court disaster or immense success plundering as a pirate or do you want to settle for simple, safe profit through trade. The game offers far more options than just this of course. Even before you begin, you can choose to play a standard game but there are other options as well. You can choose the time period (1560, 1600, 1620, 1640, 1660, or 1680), each different and crafted to historical accuracy reflecting the political and economic changes of the periods offered. You can also select shorter voyages commanding a fleet on a specific historical mission, attempting to duplicate the exploits of the real privateering pirates from history. With either choice, you can choose from one of several skills that will affect your character's performance (skill at fencing, navigation, gunnery, medicine, or wit and charm) in various ways. Or you can even opt to just fight a duel against the computer or another player.

Once you've started, you'll live the life of a privateer in your chosen time period. You'll be able to sail your ship to various ports, pick up information that could help you plan a successful raid on an enemy town, encounter friendly and hostile ships at sea, and even gain political favor with local governors. The attention to historical detail and depth of design is present everywhere and makes Pirates! Gold the ultimate treasure in the Sega game chest. Your actions and the actions of pirates in the region have an impact on the political and economic status of cities and towns. When you raid them, they dislike you and their economic well-being plummets. Trade with them and they'll become boom-towns (and if Spanish become more likely to shut you out from illegal smuggling). The game world is dynamic, with occasional raids causing towns to change hands even when you aren't there. It's a totally comprehensive look at world design, where your character can not only interact, but change the look of it through direct and indirect action. As you gain wealth and prestige, you'll find that your actions will determine what you can and can't do whether it be marrying the governor's daughter or entering a foreign port. It's not blocked out ahead of time, it's totally dependant on you!

Graphics aren't spectacular compared to today's games, but more than adequate for the game's purposes. Sound is lovingly crafted and appropriate for the theme. The game design means that replay value is infinite. Every game is unique and open-ended so no two are alike. In a word, Pirates! Gold is "perfection". It's the best game for the Sega Genesis and the one game everyone who has the console should own.

Control: 10
Game-play: 10
Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Originality: 10
Replay Value: 10
OVERALL: 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/05