Sid Meier's Pirates!

 PSP
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 42
  3. Negative: 3 out of 42
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  1. WeirdNeville
    May 15, 2007
    6
    This is a good game, but the reason I find this so sad is that it could have been a great game with so little extra work. The basics of the gameplay are very good. Sailing is kind of fun, and you have to 'tack' back and forth across the Carribean to fulfil your missions. You can make cash by sinking ships, although you quickly make enemies if you make a habit of this, of better This is a good game, but the reason I find this so sad is that it could have been a great game with so little extra work. The basics of the gameplay are very good. Sailing is kind of fun, and you have to 'tack' back and forth across the Carribean to fulfil your missions. You can make cash by sinking ships, although you quickly make enemies if you make a habit of this, of better still by discovering treasure or lost cities. There core of the plot is "the path to revenge" where you must locate the Marquis of Montalebans hideout... And this is really where my problems with this game begin. Being as it's the core of the plot this story line should have depth and intrigue. Instead it is a linear set of tasks leading to the simple revealation of the "jungle Fortress" and a showdown with the evil Marquis. There was potential here for so much more - plot twists, perhaps a treasure hunt style quest where clues rather than maps reveal locations. As it is you are repeatedly told that the Marquis has built a fortress, and then it's location is revealed. There's no suspense and no fun in that. The mini games show a similar lazyness and quickly become repetative. Dancing with governers daughters is sometimes very frustrating, but quickly gets boring, especially as it's often the only way to get information to further your career. The same goes for the sword fights. Little skill is required to win, until you get old when it becomes impossible to win as your character gets too slow to parry or swipe! This puts a major dent in your ability to progress in your quests at times. The treasure hunts and "escape from the town" sequences are filler, plain and simple and feel poorly thought out and executed offering no real challenge. The pitched battles show a slight improvement and actually require some skill and pre-planning to win, and can be quite fun but the opportunities to take over towns are limited unless you become real a scurvy pirate and force a whole antion into war with you. Overall this game is a dissapointment, not because of what it is but because of what it could have been. Richer environments, more character interation, better scripts (or any script at all!), the opportunity to engage in proper sea battles and to influence the wars between the nations could all have made this game great. It aslo should have had more availability to play an honest route, buying ships rather than having to take them by force and for the "merchant" path to be a more profitable one. I think this game really suffers from having been pitched at the 6-10 age range, twhen it could have offered so much more to a wide range of audience. There would have been no problem having a cut down easier option for young 'uns and a fully featured "hard" difficulty setting for those wanting to really get stuck in. If there were more strategy games out there for the PSP I would have given this a 5, but it gets a 6 because it is enjoyable in the most part, but shoudl have been great.… Expand
  2. dearring
    Sep 15, 2013
    9
    My favorite PC game about pirates. Of course, I've tried it on PSP too.
    So, game is really cool and catchy but IMHO it's very short.
    Btw, PSP-Port is good to play too.
  3. A.A.
    May 4, 2007
    10
    Brilliant game flowed really well on psp.
  4. NickA.
    Mar 19, 2007
    3
    This game seems to be nothing more than a half completed version of uncharted waters or uncharted waters 2 with modern graphics. It offers no real addition to gameplay. Overall it has less ships only a portion of the map and almost no true depth in the plot. The only thing that this game has that Uncharted Waters did not is the different types of ammo, and that realy has very little This game seems to be nothing more than a half completed version of uncharted waters or uncharted waters 2 with modern graphics. It offers no real addition to gameplay. Overall it has less ships only a portion of the map and almost no true depth in the plot. The only thing that this game has that Uncharted Waters did not is the different types of ammo, and that realy has very little impact on its overall makeup. I give this game a 3 because it is a pad remake of a much better game.… Expand
  5. MauriceJ.
    Feb 7, 2007
    10
    Bought this game and popped it in, intending to play for an hour or so, and ended up putting it down when my PSP's battery died several hours later. This is a very catchy game - easy to pick up, hard to put down.
  6. DJT.
    Feb 1, 2007
    10
    While I wasn't completely familiar with the title before I bought it for PSP, I found myself quite surprised of how much fun the total experience is of the game on PSP. It's got a great mix of a little strategy and a little action. Better yet, you get the "sandbox" feel as the whole Pirates world is open for you to engage. The bulk of the action takes the shape of mini games the While I wasn't completely familiar with the title before I bought it for PSP, I found myself quite surprised of how much fun the total experience is of the game on PSP. It's got a great mix of a little strategy and a little action. Better yet, you get the "sandbox" feel as the whole Pirates world is open for you to engage. The bulk of the action takes the shape of mini games the overall game can seem repetitive. But it just doesn't seem to get old to sink a ship and plunder their cargo for your own financial gain! Great addition to your collection!… Expand
  7. ZemZega
    Jul 2, 2007
    8
    let me get this out of the way right now, you don't actually play as a piret you play as a piret ship. you sail from port to port sinking ships & wowing goveners daughters, the only times your actualy a pirate is when you're dueing, dancing or hunting for buried tresure/lost cities/lost trelatives. Pirates is still a great game but the main plot is kinda short. but thankfuly thelet me get this out of the way right now, you don't actually play as a piret you play as a piret ship. you sail from port to port sinking ships & wowing goveners daughters, the only times your actualy a pirate is when you're dueing, dancing or hunting for buried tresure/lost cities/lost trelatives. Pirates is still a great game but the main plot is kinda short. but thankfuly the game dosn't end when the main plot does you can keep playing long after the main plots over. if you think the idea of being a pirate is fun you'll have fun with this but all ye landlubbers stay clear of this pirate fun… Expand
  8. TroyM.
    Jan 25, 2007
    10
    Excellent title. Loading times are short, game play is tight, game is easy to navigate, and it has even more to do than in the previous versions. Totally worth picking up.
  9. PeterY.
    Jan 25, 2007
    10
    This is the kind of game the PSP needed. Pirates is the perfect game to play on the go, and the replay value is extremely high. If you liked the PC or Xbox versions, than this game is a no brainer.
  10. FuZZyDan
    Jan 28, 2007
    10
    I never heard of it (not even on the pc) so i can not compaire them both, but as a first time i have ever played it on anything it is well suited to the PSP. The controls are easy to learn, graphixs are good and effective. I thought it might be ok, but trust me I LOVE it, cant stop pirating around. Its worth a look. You might be surprised like me
  11. PfillipT.
    Feb 4, 2007
    10
    I loved the original for the Applie IIc. I loved the Xbox remake. And this port of the PC/Xbox version is equally as sick. It's amazing just how much fun this game still is. For the price, it's a no-brainer. I don't even want to imagine being a PSP owner without this game, man.
  12. MaximE.
    May 2, 2007
    9
    It's even better, than it's larger predecessors, because now you can take your swashbuckling, sacking, fencing and general pirating with you, wherever you go. And the gameplay formula works surprisingly well as a handheld game foundation too.
  13. NickB.
    Mar 12, 2007
    10
    Pure genius, Pirates! Ranks next to GTA as one fo the must-own PSP games ou there. The PC version's play is essentially intact in what I would describe as a deceptively simple game of pirate-building that can become insanely addictive, especially in this portable format.
  14. OttawaExile
    Nov 28, 2012
    7
    I have bought and sold this game several times (usually after watching a Pirates of the Caribean movie.) It is fun to roam the open sea's hunting for ships to attack and treasure to dig up. It is an interesting open world environment with ports to explore and ships to capture. It is fun building your fleet and pimping out your ships but I found that the game gets repetitive, I mean howI have bought and sold this game several times (usually after watching a Pirates of the Caribean movie.) It is fun to roam the open sea's hunting for ships to attack and treasure to dig up. It is an interesting open world environment with ports to explore and ships to capture. It is fun building your fleet and pimping out your ships but I found that the game gets repetitive, I mean how many times do I have to dance with some governors daughter. I think this game has a solid build but I do find that after a few hours I tended to lose interest (hence the buying and selling) but if your looking for a few hours of fun on the high sea's it could be a good pick up for you.… Expand
  15. maxpower2135
    Dec 9, 2022
    10
    one of the best old titles on earth lol - amazing nostalgia trip and everyone should play the games by Sid - the kids are old now but the games back then were amazing.
  16. benkt
    Mar 18, 2019
    7
    Remember getting this game as a christmas gift from my mum, 12 years ago (man, the time flies). Just picked it up again yesterday, and GOD the nostalgia! The theme and setting is awesome. However, the game itself becomes pretty repetitive after a few hours.

Awards & Rankings

9
#9 Best PSP Game of 2007
15
#15 Most Discussed PSP Game of 2007
13
#13 Most Shared PSP Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. IGN
    90
    Everything that makes Pirates! what it is is here and in fantastic form. The most important elements, like ship battles, exploration and such are identical to what you 'd find on the PC, which is really what matters.
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  2. GameSpot
    86
    The captivating PSP version of this classic PC strategy game captures all the charming fun of being a pirate of the Caribbean.
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  3. 1UP
    80
    Pirates!'s brand of potluck goofing around works outstandingly in portable form. Sure, it can get a bit repetitive over long sessions, but that's why a game such as Pirates! belongs on a stop-and-go handheld in the first place.
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