Sea Dogs

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 49
  3. Negative: 5 out of 49
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  1. RTCWFAN
    Aug 31, 2023
    8
    If the game wasn't that buggy, it could have been one of the best pirate RPGs of all time. But after hours into the game, I can strongly recommend it. Overall rating: 8.4.
  2. Babutto
    Oct 4, 2022
    10
    It's a legendary game. Finished it in 2000. Played again later. Played Pirates of the Caribbean, Sea Dogs 3 (was a raw piece of **** and Legendary Edition (finished right now, even though it started 7 years ago).

    Pity we don't have that many games like this. Except for Port Royale (more trade there), and Black Flag (more action). I think it was the only game back in a day when I    It's a legendary game. Finished it in 2000. Played again later. Played Pirates of the Caribbean, Sea Dogs 3 (was a raw piece of **** and Legendary Edition (finished right now, even though it started 7 years ago).

    Pity we don't have that many games like this. Except for Port Royale (more trade there), and Black Flag (more action).

    I think it was the only game back in a day when I liked to just sail and watch the sea. And the pirate quest was cool. The balance was neat. Legendary Edition lacks balance and forces you to have an armada of ships if you want to storm colonies. But to get to that point you have to suffer a lot of routine that kills the joy. Sea Dogs didn't have that flaw.    … Expand
  3. Kai82
    Feb 27, 2021
    8
    A really good pirates themed videogame. However you can get a bit lost at the start and I give some advice down below for starters and new players including 2 really cheap but effective tricks. In general the genre of the pirate games was pretty much dead except some of the Assassins Creed games were it is a mayor and enjoyable part. Sea Dogs itself is a hidden gem and relatively unknown.A really good pirates themed videogame. However you can get a bit lost at the start and I give some advice down below for starters and new players including 2 really cheap but effective tricks. In general the genre of the pirate games was pretty much dead except some of the Assassins Creed games were it is a mayor and enjoyable part. Sea Dogs itself is a hidden gem and relatively unknown. It has some RPG mechanics like leveling up, (side) quests and skill points atop on the standard stuff of a pirates life like hiring a crew (and officers), boarding enemy ships, trade and plundering. Your main character is Nicolas Sharp. His story begins when his mother gives him a medallion which belonged to his father he did not know. He sets of to the sea and never returned. Nicolas sets out to the sea and after some events you end up as captain with your first small ship. From here on it is up to you what to do as there are many opposing fractions fighting for the lucrative islands. There are the English, Spanish and France forces along with the pirates. Beware if you plunder and be hostile to one fraction you cant enter their isle except for plundering them (No trade and you are locked out of the quests). At the beginning you are an enemy of Spain if I remember correctly but can get a pardon on the pirate isle but as warning there is also a side quest that makes you again an enemy if you complete it. Each fraction has their own story with their original questline. This gives a lot of replay value. The more you complete the higher are your rewards and reputation. Maybe you also get to know what happened to your unknown father. For the game mechanics I give some advice with the explanations: There is a robust system of interwoven mechanics. Lets start with your character level. For each level up you get skill points and here is one thing that lets you maybe restart the game immediately: You get 5 per level on easy and 3 per level on medium and high difficulty. I advice to start at easy for the first playthrough to learn or better said master the mechanics. The skill points can be spend on certain skills like commerce (higher income at trading), boarding (less casualties in the boarding minigame) or gunlaying (more damage with your cannons) to name a few. You can also raise the stats by hiring officers which give a bonus but cost money (Some cause also a decrease in other stats). The officers are useful but you are not required to have 1 in all positions. I start without hiring anyone and later with more money I used at max 3. Your rank also matters a lot. Have you seen the point “small” ship above? Each 2 levels you get a new rank. This means you can command lager ships with each rank. You cant buy higher ranked ship types but can acquire them by boarding which is hard as you are against a superior ship with a larger crew (have the right skills developed). It has however the downside of penalties in the stats. Bigger ships have more canons, need a bigger crew (penalties it you have less than minimum) and can carry more cargo. There is a trade system you can use. There are many goods on the islands. You can always look up the selling and buying prices on the island you are on. Note them down and look what gives you the best margin. Early on I did nothing but trading to fill my pockets as there are expanses for the crew, officers and repairs (Also new ships cost increasingly more). For the fighting: There are multiple skills. For sailing: It gives you better speed and maneuverability. Don't underestimate this as being in the right position is a huge advantage and even better if you can outrun / outmaneuver your opponent. Defence minimize the losses at boarding. There is a fencing mini game when you are boarding enemy ships. Critical advice! Have a lot of men and a lot of skill points. It becomes a massacre it you are outnumbered and the enemy has more skillpoints there! There is grappling which allows you boarding enemy ships with increasing distances (Useful later. Would prioritize other skills first), the canon related skills gunlaying (more accuracy and most important skill in the game for me), reloading (self explaining and also important) and coordination (useful but the lowest priority of the 3). There are 3 calibers of canons and some are restricted to ship ranks. There are 4 types of ammunition. Grapes (low range / effective against the crew), canonballs (hull and rig), bombs (best overall) and knippel (Not useful for me). This should give you a good start. Cheap tricks: Forts can be destroyed from afar without counterfire. You must aim from afar with a really high angle (There is a visual conformation like fire / explosions if you do it right). It takes a while and cost a lot of ammunition but works well. Boarding: If you reload you get 1 or 2 free hits and can save again before the enemy react (rinse and repeat but needs good timing). Overall this is a good and well made pirate game and I had lots of fun.… Expand
  4. Zodiac_A
    Dec 6, 2020
    6
    This game has rather unique gameplay. At the other hand you are rather limited with the activities. It`s a kind of sandbox you may do whatever you want. However up to the time when you will get 4 rang ship you will already try everything. In that cause, you will need to hunt trade encounters for experience in order to get 3 rang ship & continue the story, but it will last for long hours.This game has rather unique gameplay. At the other hand you are rather limited with the activities. It`s a kind of sandbox you may do whatever you want. However up to the time when you will get 4 rang ship you will already try everything. In that cause, you will need to hunt trade encounters for experience in order to get 3 rang ship & continue the story, but it will last for long hours. This will broke all joy & interest to the game.… Expand
  5. storygamer
    Sep 24, 2020
    8
    Nowadays you can get dozens of pirate themed games. But 20 years ago, there was Sid Meier´s Pirates! and this RPG action adventure Sea Dogs. The game was published by the infamous game studio Bethesda Softworks, the fathers of the fantastic Elder Scrolls and modern Fallout series. And you can recognize this spirit in Sea Dogs! You really have a cool pirate feeling while you experience shipNowadays you can get dozens of pirate themed games. But 20 years ago, there was Sid Meier´s Pirates! and this RPG action adventure Sea Dogs. The game was published by the infamous game studio Bethesda Softworks, the fathers of the fantastic Elder Scrolls and modern Fallout series. And you can recognize this spirit in Sea Dogs! You really have a cool pirate feeling while you experience ship building, fantastic sea combat, RPG and trading elements. Super game!… Expand
  6. GurmpyCoolCat
    Sep 15, 2019
    10
    This game is still an amazing game. I spent so much time on it. I would love to sail in real time and just relax. This game is the best in the series. This game reminds me of Pirates! game.
  7. FallenStar
    Aug 9, 2016
    8
    While not a perfect game by any means, Sea Dogs is definitely one of those pearls at the bottom of the ocean.It offers a good variety of ships to purchase, places to explore and things to do which makes it overall a nice package.
    The storyline however is a bit disappointing as you can often get lost not knowing what to do unless you check a walkthrough online.
    It does manage to make you    While not a perfect game by any means, Sea Dogs is definitely one of those pearls at the bottom of the ocean.It offers a good variety of ships to purchase, places to explore and things to do which makes it overall a nice package.
    The storyline however is a bit disappointing as you can often get lost not knowing what to do unless you check a walkthrough online.
    It does manage to make you feel like a pirate and the environment is pretty well made with nice cities to interact with: You can purchase or sell materials to the merchant, purchase new ships, talk to the Governor of the city, check the tavern for crew mates or rumors, and some side quests that can help you out earning coins early in the game. I also like the feature of recruiting other ships into your fleet. That's quite interesting to have and it makes you feel like a pirate or, depending on what faction you serve, like a commander.
    The sea battles is where the game shines the most but the melee combat leaves a lot to be desired.
    This is definitely a difficult game where you need to plan carefully your each step and quickly adapt to the changes that come up.

    + Nice graphics and a well shaped pirate world.
    + A lot of ships to get and sail.
    + Gameplay on the sea is really neat.
    + Lots of paths to take in the story if you know how.

    - Difficult story to get into, some tips would've been way more helpful.
    - Melee combat when you board or get boarded could've been better but it does the job.
    - Takes a while to fully get into the game due to the difficult beginning and lack of hints and tips.

    Overall the game covers the pirate theme well and I would recommend it to any pirate game lovers.
    It's a gem.    … Expand
  8. Slybot
    Jan 26, 2016
    9
    That is amazing game that freaks you out with a tons of bugs, really bad on land animation and controls. But despite of everything you'll love this game, for it's outstanding atmosphere, music, and open world.
    Actually the fact that it's favorite game for many people with so many bugs and irritating moments, proves that it's fine piece of video game that will take a lot of time from your life.
  9. Sergey_Nabrusko
    Nov 13, 2013
    10
    One of the best games on the pirate theme even now. Feel like a corsair, rule ship and enjoy your game life in spite of age of the game. There is no more game like this!
  10. ThomasA.
    Mar 27, 2005
    8
    Ignore the land based graphics and disfigured models, hopeless animations and many critical errors and you will be left with a truly excellent game.
  11. Sergey_Nabrusko
    Nov 13, 2013
    10
    One of the best games on the pirate theme even now. Feel like a corsair, rule ship and enjoy your game life in spite of age of the game. There is no more game like this!

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Best PC Game of 2000
41
#41 Most Discussed PC Game of 2000
18
#18 Most Shared PC Game of 2000

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. Voodoo Extreme
    83
    After playing SD for what seems like an eternity, I can confidently state that it is one of the more enjoyable RPGs I've played in a long time, even with its plentiful bounty of bugs.
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  2. TotalGames.net
    64
    The sea battles are great, but they do take quite a bit of time, and it is a shame that the rest of the game does not live up to the high standards they set.
    Read full review
  3. Computer Games Magazine
    70
    The game is so addictive that it's difficult to put down—even though a bug could strike out at any moment, or the screen could turn black, locking up your keyboard and forcing a reboot.
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