Pirates of the Burning Sea

 PC
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
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  1. PC Gamer UK
    72
    It's so fundamentally flawed that most gamers are going to simply bounce right off it. [Mar 2008, p.72]
  2. VideoGamer
    70
    Newcomers might find things a little too complex, but PC gamers who have experience with these types of games should be rewarded for their efforts.
  3. Total Video Games
    70
    Pirates of the Burning Sea has perhaps one of the steepest learning curves in an MMO to date, but with its strong implementation of dynamic economies, sea combat, and swashbuckling, it provides more than enough reward for player perseverance.
  5. 1UP
    67
    It's an acquired taste. And for die-hard pirate fans, it's the only MMO that offers eye patches and peg legs as rewards. What are you waiting for?
  6. games(TM)
    60
    No amount of crystal-ball gazing can help Pirates Of The Burning Sea be anything more than a slightly above average MMORPG in the here and now. [Apr 2008, p.110]
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  7. Eurogamer
    60
    In the ship combat, the depth of the trading, the spectacle of mass PVP, and the fine period detail - (the lovely music, the animated colour of the towns, the crew scrambling over the rigging of your ship) - Pirates of the Burning Sea is a highly specialised, but highly seductive game. It's a hobbyist's paradise. Unfortunately, you'll need to be a hobbyist to put up with its many serious flaws.

Awards & Rankings

55
#55 Best PC Game of 2008
51
#51 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
73
#73 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 64 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 64
  3. Negative: 11 out of 64
  1. vad
    Oct 18, 2013
    10
    great game. great economy. interesting tactical battles. poor advertisement for the game. lack of motivation for RvR. Patches are constantlygreat game. great economy. interesting tactical battles. poor advertisement for the game. lack of motivation for RvR. Patches are constantly changing balance and ease-game. different mix PvP RvR… Full Review »
  2. TheEarthDragon
    Jan 25, 2013
    8
    Far better game then many of these reviews suggest. One of the very few games where you can run start to run an extremely successful businessFar better game then many of these reviews suggest. One of the very few games where you can run start to run an extremely successful business just a few hours in. Very good job Flying Labs. Swordplay needed some work and there should have been more bonuses for being one of the few utilizing obscure ports, giving them actual value.… Full Review »
  3. tardacus
    Feb 25, 2012
    0
    This game is an absolutely dreadful waste of time.
    This game shares the grindfest gameplay model of most MMO`s complete with forced PVP    This game is an absolutely dreadful waste of time.
    This game shares the grindfest gameplay model of most MMO`s complete with forced PVP against players many levels higher than you and with no chance of winning.When you lose a forced PVP fight against these higher level people you items and ships which takes days or even weeks of mind numbing grinding to replace. If you enjoy grinding for days or weeks just to able to pvp for 20 or 30 minetes then you`ll love this game.
    Finding an opponent to PVP against will take several hours since the game population seems to consist of only hanger on`s who have been playing the game since beta and have invested so much money into the game that they can`t walk away from it.
    PVP and PVE are slow and glitchy.

    customer service is about what you would expect from any F2P MMO, it doesn`t exist.
    Bugs and glitches are the norm rather than the exception.
    end game content, there is none.
    For all intents and purposes this is a dead game that should have been buried long ago.
    The only reason the game is still up and running is because the few fanbois that still play it keep throwing money at it to keep the two servers running.
    This is just another low budget independent cash cow game.    … Full Review »
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