I'm One Scurvy Dog

I really need to start taking screen shots from my gaming and posting them here. It's one of those things I always think of after the fact.

Hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. I know I did. Taking a 5 day break from the world is always refreshing.

I didn't get much gaming in, as I was busy spending money with the missus, but on late Sunday evening and last night I was able to squeeze in some time with my retail copy of Sid Meier's PIRATES!

Hot damn, that game's fun.

There is a story to the game surprisingly: that you're the only member of your family who escaped the clutches of the evil Count Montalban and after rising to become the captain of your own pirating vessel, you begin to seek out your lost family members and avenge your name.

That's all fine and dandy, but I was more in the mood for making my claim as top pirate in the Caribbean. You see, like any other of Sid Meier's games there's no set path for you to follow. The world, or in this case part of it, is yours to do with what you will. The 1st mission on my mind? To scour the seas and take out each of the other 9 top 10 pirates, making me the sole legend of the ocean.

Last night I completed that task, taking out the 6 remaining pirates, including Captain Henry Morgan (yes, the rum guy) himself. The only quabble with this game's historical accuracy I've had so far is that Morgan was sailing the "Queen Anne's Revenge" which was actually Blackbeard's ship. Perhaps somewhere along the game Morgan took QAR from Teach, but I don't know. I was just glad to have it as me own once I defeated Morgan in a harrowing game of "who can stab the other first?"

And so I've made my way to being the number one feared pirate in all the Caribbean... and now I'm kind of sad for it. There's no one left to really challenge me but hangers-on around the derelict ports. What's a pirate to do?

I'll tell you what... it's time to start taking towns for my pleasure, and then maybe before I retire of old age I'll worry about finding my family and taking on Montalban.

Pirates! really is a great game folks, every bit as wonderful as the aged original. If you haven't tried it yet and have even a modest interest in the time period, pick it up as soon as you can. It'll be good for the Edward Teach in you.

(SIDE NOTE) - From everything I've played of Pirates!, and from what I know of Pirates of the Burning Seas Online I'm starting to think that the developers of the latter were very fond of the former. I can't wait to try PotBS for myself and see if I'm right. If I am, and the two do share a lot of the same ideals even if they're vastly different genres, count me in for the long haul.