Pirate Hunter

Rating:
Summary: Hunting for Disappointment!
Review: I assume that for many who are attracted to this title, the appeal is to capture the fantastic fun and excitement you enjoyed 25 years ago playing Sid's Pirates! on a C64. This is almost there, but doesn't quite make it. So many of the elements from the original are in this game: buying pieces of a treasure map, working for one nation or another, hunting down the treasure fleet, even getting married.

And yet, Pirate Hunter misses in significant ways. In the original, for one, land and sea battles came to a magnificent climax as you lead a sword fight, usually against ridiculous odds. That part of the game is missing; there is no sword fight. Sea battles can be won against odds, but lack that edge of your seat excitement. Battling towns requires no strategy or skill; go in with enough ships and men and it's a foregone conclusion to trod through. Though still amusing in some hard-to-define way, the game can quickly become tedious.

Don't get me wrong. This is a fun little game and priced right. If you don't have Pirates! to compare it to, there's a lot to enjoy. If you're looking to relive Pirates!, you'll find some amusement here, but it still really doesn't hold a candle.

Rating:
Summary: Almost like Pirates, But Not Quite
Review: I assume that for many who are attracted to this title, the appeal is to capture the fantastic fun and excitement you enjoyed 25 years ago playing Sid's Pirates! on a C64. This is almost there, but doesn't quite make it. So many of the elements from the original are in this game: buying pieces of a treasure map, working for one nation or another, hunting down the treasure fleet, even getting married.

And yet, Pirate Hunter misses in significant ways. In the original, for one, land and sea battles came to a magnificent climax as you lead a sword fight, usually against ridiculous odds. That part of the game is missing; there is no sword fight. Sea battles can be won against odds, but lack that edge of your seat excitement. Battling towns requires no strategy or skill; go in with enough ships and men and it's a foregone conclusion to trod through. Though still amusing in some hard-to-define way, the game can quickly become tedious.

Don't get me wrong. This is a fun little game and priced right. If you don't have Pirates! to compare it to, there's a lot to enjoy. If you're looking to relive Pirates!, you'll find some amusement here, but it still really doesn't hold a candle.

Rating:
Summary: Hunting for Disappointment!
Review: I had high expectations with this game as it touted the many missions, quests, and adventures you will embark on throughout the game. However, as you soon find out, the game is monotonous. Apart from sailing port to port and engaging pirates there is, honestly, nothing else you do in the game. And, the engagements/attacks against pirates are boring themselves. All you do is try to out maneuver the pirates and blast away at them. (not hard, and after a few engagements, not fun anymore!) There is no swashbuckling, there is no interaction with your crew, there are no dangers from sailing in general. The game needs no manual because there is nothing creative you can do in the game. This game should have just been available as a free download because of its lack of complexity or creativity. The game is a huge disappointment, with no creativity in design, and a waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: Pirates
Review: I've played the Demo for this title and it is Sid Meyers Pirates redone or as close as it can get without violating copywrite laws. It has almost everything the original Pirates had. The only thing I didn't see in the Demo was the sword fighting section when you try to capture someone in a town. It may be there in the full game. The Demo played smooth and the graphics were very good. If you liked Pirates you will like this one.

Rating:
Summary: eYaargh!
Review: Reviewers below complain that Pirate Hunter is too slow, but that's the life of authentic sailors, boyo! The wind programming in this game reproduces all the frustration encountered in sailing into weather with a square rig, and it's just part of the pirate skill set that one must master! If the wind is wrong, a tiny skiff will outsail a giant ship of the line and there's nothing that can be done. The graphics are rich, and the experiences varied enough that plenty of fun, and booty, are to be had!