Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat

"Ever play a game that really wasn't all that special, but you just couldn't stop playing it?"

Has this ever happened to you? You get a game that has average sound, so-so graphics, and gameplay that has mostly been done before, but for some reason you just can't stop playing it!!!! That just about explains this game. This game is one of the rare few surprises nowadays and is truly greater than the sum of its parts. You'll find yourself saying, ''Just one more island'' over and over again and before you know it, hours have passed. I just had to see what kind of treasure I could find on the next island or if the next dry dock would give me another ship upgrade.

The graphics serve their purpose well, but are hardly representative of what the X-Box can do. This game is graphically average even by PS2 standards. However, everything looks like you would imagine it should in this fictional world, from giant crabs, to screaming sirens, to Blackbeard himself. It's all here, and it works.

The sound is equally satisfying, yet unremarkable. There's very little music, and all of the sword clangs, grunts, and the occasional phrase uttered by Kat are all here. Her vocabulary is limited to things like, ''I smell gold'', or ''I need the iron key'' during gameplay, but the cinemas are fully spoken dialogue, so no crappy subtitles. YAY!

The gameplay in this game is basically Tomb Raider with a pirate theme. The focus is on exploration and kicking the butts of various pirates, animals, and fictitious creatures. The one ting about the gameplay that is somewhat innovative is the ship combat which lets you manage weapons, position you ship in places where the opponent doesn't have cannons, repair your ship and sails on the fly, and even ram your opponent if you're so inclined. You also have battles with turrets and forts on land. And all of this is in real time with you having full control of your ship. None of that turn-based crap here.

Like I said before, there's absolutely nothing special about this game. It's average in almost every way. It's kinda like that one girl you knew in high school. There's no one thing that really stands out about her, but there's something appealing about her you just can't put your finger on. (No pun intended) The more time you spend with her, the more time you want to spend with her.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/02, Updated 04/12/02