Port Royale 3: Pirates and Merchants

A valid managerial game, deep and with a lot of freedom for the player. Anyway it pays for the lack of a proper tutorial and a somewhat excessively fast playing speed.

Port Royale 3 could have been something big, but the developers didn't try to put in a bunch of new features to reboot the series. Compared to the pc-version Kalypso removed the multiplayer-mode and the loading time is a bit too long. On the other hand the controls were mapped pretty fine on the gamepad, but i think the audience for such a game on consoles is pretty low.

A little bit too efficient, a bit too distant from the player, but still I´m very happy Port Royale 3 exists. Its a game that gives you a lot of options for your actions without forcing you to use them. You can labor all day if you want to or just instead take five for a whole hour without having too watch your trade-empire crumble instantly.

Port Royale 3 is an often frustrating experience as a result from its lack of in-game communication regarding both gameplay mechanics and mission objectives. Add a confusing controller setup and lackluster graphics, Port Royale 3 is a hard recommendation to even gamers that enjoy real-time strategy and city expansion gameplay. The few moments that do offer genuine entertainment are simply not enough to even recommend Port Royale 3 to longtime series fans.

In the end, I don't think I'd recommend Port Royale 3 as a great purchase on the Xbox 360. There's some novelty and a bit of fun to be had, but it quickly overstays its welcome unless you're in love with the idea of a hardcore merchant simulator.

A game that's so overcomplicated and hard to manage that takes away almost every tiny aspect of fun that could be had.

Port Royale has many menus and weird systems that don't make any sense. On top of that the games fun is spoiled by some annoying bugs.

In closing, this game wasn't really my bag. The story was poorly executed from the cutscenes to the plot and the controls threw me off a little. The game has a steep learning curve and no real incentive for you to continue playing. The game is open ended so you could continue your adventures but I had my fill of the game a long time ago. I am sure fans of the series will love the new instalment, but with so many other titles being released each week now as we build up for Christmas, I expect this to get little attention and would be hard pressed to recommend otherwise.

It's an improvement on staring out the window. [Issue#91, p.78]