Sid Meier's Pirates!

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 266 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 212 out of 266
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 266
  3. Negative: 10 out of 266
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  1. GeorgeJungle
    Dec 1, 2004
    10
    If you dont like this game your dead. kaput. rip. asleep, belly up, bloodless, breathless, buried, cadaverous, checked out, cold, cut off, deceased, defunct, departed, done for, erased, expired, extinct, gone, inanimate, inert, late, lifeless, liquidated, mortified, no more, not existing, offed, passed away, perished, reposing, rubbed out, snuffed out, spiritless, stiff, unanimated, washed up.
  2. Wetwebwork
    Jan 21, 2005
    5
    Great presentation and amusing gameplay. But you quickly come to wonder why you're playing it as you repeat the same tasks over and over. Pirates lacks the structure and magic to make it anything than an okay game, and while I don't regret buying it, I couldn't recommend anyone buys it.
  3. TJ
    Dec 8, 2007
    9
    If this game were a real pirate ship, it'd be a Ship of the Line! A solid update for a gaming classic. I played the original when it came out 20 years ago (yes, I'm that old), and it's every bit as fun now as it was back then. You can't really go wrong with a game brought to you by the same folks who made Civilization.
  4. RhettM.
    Mar 15, 2007
    9
    Nice Fun Game, lots of quests to be done, fighting is a little repetitive. An overall fun game.
  5. marqpas
    Oct 23, 2010
    9
    This is how computergaming should be. You'll play for an hour, and when you finish, you discover 6 hours have past. It's oldish but the gameplay is so much fun, albeit frustrating at times. One can easily tell how much fun the developers had, when they created the game. Not without flaws, but by far the best pirates-game I know of. Uaaargh, ya lubbers.
  6. drengnikrafe
    Apr 6, 2012
    9
    I have a love/hate relationship with this game. After every playthrough, I set it down declaring I will never play it again due to its repetitive gameplay. However, it seems, I can't help myself from coming back for just one more game. I would have assumed it was some sort of temporary charm from nostalgia, but the fact that I can't quit until I finish the entire thing again saysI have a love/hate relationship with this game. After every playthrough, I set it down declaring I will never play it again due to its repetitive gameplay. However, it seems, I can't help myself from coming back for just one more game. I would have assumed it was some sort of temporary charm from nostalgia, but the fact that I can't quit until I finish the entire thing again says otherwise. I'll easily concede that this isn't the freshest game on the market, but its excellent design, charming music and strong tone keep it as one of the contenders for my favorite game of all time.… Expand
  7. Atebash
    Feb 4, 2005
    9
    If there was one game that deserved to be remade, then it's Pirates! Fortunately, Sid Meier didn't change anything from the original concept and made yet another game classic. Curse you Sid, I lost weeks of my life... again! ;)
  8. NiklasB.
    Dec 5, 2004
    10
    I've spent more or less three days playing this great remake. In my opinon the best remake ever... I must admit I had my doubts in the beginning since remakes seldom turn out greater than the original. I enjoyed the original Pirates in my youth and consider it the best game ever made (if you consider what was possible "computerwise" when the original Pirates! was released)... Now... I've spent more or less three days playing this great remake. In my opinon the best remake ever... I must admit I had my doubts in the beginning since remakes seldom turn out greater than the original. I enjoyed the original Pirates in my youth and consider it the best game ever made (if you consider what was possible "computerwise" when the original Pirates! was released)... Now... back to the remake. I agree that the game will not appeal to everyone, however Pirates! fans will adore it. It has everything you can wish for: Strategy, action, open ended you name... The only thing that did not appeal to me at all was the dancing... There is however a very easy way around it "...pause..." Since you want to be able to break young govenors daughters hearts or marr y them. It's all up to you... Which by the way is the spirit of this great game. See you on the open sea! Cheers… Expand
  9. KurtS.
    Nov 29, 2004
    10
    I loved the first one and love this one as well. i could have given it a 9, but well, it's tough to differentiate between the first one and this one, in a way... but i think it's a great update.
  10. GolovA
    Sep 19, 2016
    5
    No depth whatsoever, and you begin to see this within the first 2 hours of the gameplay:
    - Only 5 goods to trade
    - You never know if you should switch to a different ship because you don't know if it's going to be better or worse - You don't know how many canons your ship can support - You win all hand-to-hand battles by just pressing buttons (and you ALWAYS win) - Sea Battles are    No depth whatsoever, and you begin to see this within the first 2 hours of the gameplay:
    - Only 5 goods to trade
    - You never know if you should switch to a different ship because you don't know if it's going to be better or worse
    - You don't know how many canons your ship can support
    - You win all hand-to-hand battles by just pressing buttons (and you ALWAYS win)
    - Sea Battles are extremely repetitive (board and kill the captain - don't even need canons) and become unnecessary tedious if the wind is unfavorable
    - Dancing? There is dancing? My Lord!
    - All cities are the same - come visit Tavern, sell ALL 5 goods (can't even buy anything, unless you play as a trader, but why play as a trader in a game called "Pirates"?)
    - For Pete's sake - lack of basic Options in the game (no - you can't bind keys) and the tutorial give away this title as a joke and money grabber.

    This type of game - this genre in general - requires depth. Such games simply cannot exist without depth.

    This title is not worth to be played as a phone app, less so deserve to be called Sid Meier's.    … Expand
  11. Ade_the_Rare
    Jun 13, 2012
    10
    Gets an instant 10/10 for being the best pirate game ever made (don't believe those "Monkey Island" purists). The difficulty can be changed *while playing*. This is awesome! If you find you're having too easy a time plundering you can divide the loot and up the difficulty. Higher difficulty settings grant you access to different items to help you in your piracy and new quests. YourGets an instant 10/10 for being the best pirate game ever made (don't believe those "Monkey Island" purists). The difficulty can be changed *while playing*. This is awesome! If you find you're having too easy a time plundering you can divide the loot and up the difficulty. Higher difficulty settings grant you access to different items to help you in your piracy and new quests. Your reflexes get slower with age, making swashbuckling duels tougher. There's all kinds of nice details like this waiting for you AFTER sinking everything French stops being "fun" and starts to feel more like "community service". All I can say is play it.… Expand
  12. NegativeCreep
    Dec 27, 2010
    9
    I have been playing this game on and off for about five years now, and it I still love it. It's probably the second greatest RPG ever made. The story is pretty dumb, and the graphics aren't THAT great (but decent) and the sounds are fairly low quality at some points, but the sheer fun and addiction of the gameplay surpasses all of that. The main problem with the game however, is that isI have been playing this game on and off for about five years now, and it I still love it. It's probably the second greatest RPG ever made. The story is pretty dumb, and the graphics aren't THAT great (but decent) and the sounds are fairly low quality at some points, but the sheer fun and addiction of the gameplay surpasses all of that. The main problem with the game however, is that is never really fresh. Once you have completed about three different quests or so, you've completed every quest in the game since every quest is practically the exact same thing.… Expand
  13. S-P
    Oct 1, 2012
    10
    Having just finished my umpteenth playthrough, I figure it's a good time to write a short review about this underrated gem.

    I've been a gamer for over 20 years. A relatively passionate one, and not one to generally like strategic games as much as the more action-y titles. The first time I was introduced to Sid Meier's Pirates was with this 2004 remake, in 2004/2005. Played through it,    Having just finished my umpteenth playthrough, I figure it's a good time to write a short review about this underrated gem.

    I've been a gamer for over 20 years. A relatively passionate one, and not one to generally like strategic games as much as the more action-y titles. The first time I was introduced to Sid Meier's Pirates was with this 2004 remake, in 2004/2005. Played through it, loved it, and sort of forgot about it. Since then, though, I've felt the urge to play it again and again. Sometimes it's after a year, sometimes a year and a half. But it always happens. That is a rare quality in a game, as most titles you beat once and forget about afterwards.

    It rarely happens with any game, and almost never with games that are this flawed. Pirates is repetitive, relatively shallow for a strategic game, and because it's rated E, it can be obnoxiously childish in tone as well. Plus some of the minigames are just downright tedious, the worst offender being ballroom dancing, that can luckily be skipped with a trainer.

    But none of the flaws overshadow the fact that Sid Meier's Pirates is FUN. Bringing criminals to justice, forcing that one unfortunate nation off the face of earth (for me it's usually Spain or France), plundering ships and towns, creating the strongest pirate army the world has ever seen, and retiring a legend.. With a bit of imagination, your journey truly becomes legendary -- if not for anyone else, then at least for you. And that's what counts. You start playing, and suddenly, nine hours have passed, and you have to fight against speaking in a pirate "slang" if you manage to somehow exit the game and actually venture outside your apartment for long enough to actually meet real humans. Actual humans, who never seem to have appreciation the struggles us pirates go through during the days after the game again draws you back for a new playthrough.

    And it will, faults and all. For me, Sid Meier's Pirates wasn't all THAT special when I first played it. But during the years, it's slowly brought itself up from behind, and joined the five games that I can honestly say I've loved during the 20-some years I've been around video games. A feat that almost rivals my latest career as a pirate, having retired as a 36 year old Governor of Campeche, with 180640 gold pieces, 37650 acres of land and a beautiful wife.

    I did everything that can be done in the game.. Except I only found eight hidden treasures. Which is undoubtedly something I will have to surpass on my next playthrough, in a year or so.    … Expand
  14. MarekM
    Nov 18, 2009
    5
    For first 6-8 hours this game is a real fun! Taking galleons with small sloop is experience easy to like :) But afer this time it gets too repetitive. Still it's not bad - it's just average.
  15. MikePushkin
    Mar 31, 2011
    7
    Game's great, make no mistake, but there are some fatal flaws that make it awful or not lasting long enough. Here I'll try to devide + and - in sections:
    + Innovative gameplay, the difficulty rises slowly at your decision letting you get accustomed to the game.
    + Many minigames within one package, arcade naval warfare, arcade fencing, tactical assault of the cities, treasure hunting. + You    Game's great, make no mistake, but there are some fatal flaws that make it awful or not lasting long enough. Here I'll try to devide + and - in sections:
    + Innovative gameplay, the difficulty rises slowly at your decision letting you get accustomed to the game.
    + Many minigames within one package, arcade naval warfare, arcade fencing, tactical assault of the cities, treasure hunting.
    + You can do many things in SM's Pirates, do quests, rob caravans, follow rumors, collect valuable items, romance royal women, upgrade your ship, board and capture other ships, represent one of 4 nations or meddle in their business and become a notorious pirate, give and receive gifts, share collected gold with your team, etcetera, etcetera...
    - Controls on the tactical map are just awful... Sometimes you hit Page Down instead of 7 and you automatically retreat from a fight.
    - The game is way too repetitive. The good experience will not last very long.
    - It's a sandbox arcade game. A good sandbox game is a game in which you have overwhelming amount of possibilities and everything is happening at random, making up for more fun! Although in Pirates, events are happening at random, randomly generated, they are getting old very fast, due to your limited possibilities e.g. you put your money in a bank, you have some items, but you don't have a character's doll, so at some point (very fast actually) all of the items are applied to your character and this aspect disappears from the game. Moreover, fencing challenging it may be at first, get's overly easy later on due to your equipment. Ship upgrades can only be made in specific cities (What?), so you'll have to sweep the damn Caribbean if you want to find them all. Back to the idea, all of your possibilities uncover VERY VERY fast, after that you don't discover anything new, everything else is just repetition of thing you did one hour ago.
    = Conclusion: A great game it may be, but it's way too lengthly for an Arcade and way too shallow for a Sandbox. While trying to get the best from each, SM's Pirates end up being none and losing it's greatness somewhere along the way.    … Expand
  16. Kopschmigger
    Oct 22, 2008
    3
    Its a good game .. but it gets REALLY REPETITIVE after some time ! the story line is just about doing the same thing over and over again until you get all the parts.... I liked it in the beginning. Please don't rate this game if you havent playied for more than 3 days or so ( it gets repetitive before that .. but whatever ). Totally overrated
  17. Zoso
    Jun 15, 2012
    8
    I enjoyed the original back in the old days, and this has everything that makes a good and enjoyable remake. It's been improved in all the rigth places (graphics and so on), the game mechanics have been reworked while retaining the spirit of the original.

    Hours and hours of good solid entertainment.
  18. BenD.
    Apr 17, 2007
    3
    Fun for about three hours. The swordfights, dances, land and sea battles, and basic sailing are extremely repetitive. The graphics are cartoonish, the subplots are juvenile, and each quest becomes a 30-minute chore. This game does not deserve the high rating it received.
  19. TimK.
    Dec 7, 2004
    10
    Excellent remake of the original Pirates! The world "fun" sums up this treasure. If you play games for "fun", you will like this game. Actually, I like this game even better than the original. How many remakes can you say that about?
  20. CameronS
    Jun 23, 2009
    10
    This is the only game that has entertained me throughout my entire life. Its free roaming, swashbuckling world help create an amazing game that will stand the test of time.
  21. Eddie
    Apr 17, 2005
    7
    I have played the original a lot back in the 90s, and I must say that when I first started playing it I loved it. Now I have the game for a week and I think its way to easy. In the original Pirates! it was realy hard to get a good end ranking, but in this new version it is far too easy. I played it once on the 3rd difficulty setting and made it to Bishop (only Governor is better) already. I have played the original a lot back in the 90s, and I must say that when I first started playing it I loved it. Now I have the game for a week and I think its way to easy. In the original Pirates! it was realy hard to get a good end ranking, but in this new version it is far too easy. I played it once on the 3rd difficulty setting and made it to Bishop (only Governor is better) already. Presentation is nice but it becomes a little repetitve after a while. I am glad I didn't spend 45 dollars on it and got it through ebay for 14 dollars including shipping.… Expand
  22. HansL.
    Mar 13, 2006
    10
    It's an amazing game. With excellent free-roaming capabitlies, Pirates is definitely up there with the greats.
  23. Jounk33
    Sep 22, 2013
    9
    Many hours of great Entertainment Feels like a piratmovie of the 50s but you are the maincharakter.
    This game has everything a good pirat RPG-Adventure needs.
    Only con is the clumsy gameplay.
  24. EivindO
    Jan 12, 2010
    3
    Massively overrated. Gets boring really fast, if you ever played Port Royale. I might have digged it if I was 15 years younger.
  25. Warmonger
    Jul 24, 2005
    2
    Repetitive garbage....just like most of his other games!! When is this guy going to come out with something" new"?? What a disappointment...What a waste of money!!!
  26. Aaron
    Mar 17, 2007
    6
    I've only played it for a day, but it's getting pretty frustrating at this point. I loved it at first, but it seems like it punishes you for getting better. For example, the more money you make, the more you lose when you divide it among the crew you spent so much time assembling, right before you send them packing, along with the extra ships you captured. And the difficulty I've only played it for a day, but it's getting pretty frustrating at this point. I loved it at first, but it seems like it punishes you for getting better. For example, the more money you make, the more you lose when you divide it among the crew you spent so much time assembling, right before you send them packing, along with the extra ships you captured. And the difficulty rises far too steeply at the Swashbuckler level. How are you supposed to complete a dance or win a swordfight on that mode? Anyway, it's fun for a few hours. I picked it up for $20, can't complain I guess.… Expand
  27. danperth
    Jun 21, 2011
    0
    Total Rubbish, boring, poor visuals, repetitive. Totally overrated, I just don't know how they give it 88, a score similar to half-life 2! I Would not finish this gave if you paid me too, 0 / 10.
  28. EricW.
    Jan 7, 2008
    10
    Great remake of the original. Updated with better gfx, and more fights and quests. Really really fun game!
  29. Kill3r7
    Oct 30, 2006
    9
    I played this game at my mates and thought it was absolutely amazing. I spent ages looking for and I'm pleased I found it for the PC.
  30. John
    Feb 5, 2007
    9
    I just bought the game, installed it and jumped right in. Easy to play, fun and addicting. Before I knew it, midnight came around and had to stop playing it. Fun game
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Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best PC Game of 2004
25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2004
13
#13 Most Shared PC Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 50
  3. Negative: 0 out of 50
  1. Yahoo!
    80
    Won't appeal to everyone, but if you're nostalgic for the original or like unstructured and open-ended games, this booty is well worth seeking. Yarrr!
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  2. Thunderbolt
    80
    There's really only one word to describe Sid Meier's Pirates! and that's 'charming'. The excellent presentation, clever gameplay design and exquisite pacing mark it out as a unique and well thought out game. It's full of confidence and style, eager to impress and even if it won't keep you playing for months on end, is bound to provide an enjoyable experience while it lasts.
    Read full review
  3. CPUGamer
    88
    Its huge open-endedness does an excellent job of establishing the proper atmosphere while the balance of combat and economy produces a quality strategy title. It does, however, have its problems. Open-ended gameplay can lead to a lack of focus, and this game is very light on tutorial, how-to material which creates a somewhat larger than average learning curve; preventing me from recommending Pirate's to all gamers as a whole.
    Read full review
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