Review: My favorite game of all, this game was so fun. You could make huge profits from trade, design your own ship, character, and crew. The music was great and the locations were well researched. I wish I could have explored more of the game, as the world was the playing feild.
Game Title: Pirates! Gold
Production Company: Microprose
Release Date: 1993
Era: 1580-1680 (Exploration)
Review: Amazing graphics for even now. Nine ships to choose from, and fairly easy to obtain. Choose from various skills for your character, and engage in many quests. Limited to the Caribbean, but you can play in some ten different time periods between 1580 and 1680. Excellent music.
Game Title: Exploration
Production Company: Interactive Magic
Release Date: ?
Era: 1480-1800 (Exploration to Napoleon)
Review: Turn-based fun. Many different ship types, and some only available to one of the five nations of play. Not so great graphics, but very entertaining. Explore the world in a pinnace or attack your enemies with a man'o'war.
Game Title: Age of Sail
Production Company: TalonSoft
Release Date: 1996
Era: Revolution/Napoleon
Review: Good ship designs, but kind of limited. Five designs exist, but are different colours depending on your nation. It has a great database for named ships, over 2000. Not much fun to play because all there is to see is water and ships. After a prolonged battle, the game gets boaring.
Game Title: Man of War
Production Company: Strategy First
Release Date: 1997
Era: Napoleon/Revolution
Review: Turn-based complications. I found the game too difficult to catch on to. I did like the view and the ship models, though.
Game Title: Monkey Island 1,2,3
Production Company: Lucas Arts
Release Date:?,?, 1998
Era: Exploration
Review: Really funny adventure gaming for those of us who would like to be pirates. Great music and hilarious jokes. The fun never stops in the Monkey Island series.
Game Title: Tides of War
Production Company: GT Interactive
Release Date: 1998
Era: Supposedly set in Revolution/Napoleon
Review: Nice detail to the ships, and control is very easy as you have so many options. You can even steer the ship using a virtual wheel on the screen. Gun contol can go down to individual guns. The game is set in a world modelled after our own, but with more waterways. You can sail anywhere, anytime, but you are bound to missions. These missions are all the game is.
Game Title: Man of War II
Production Company: ?
Release Date: 1999
Era: Revolution/Napoleon
Review: Gameplay was a little complicated still, but you could walk around the deck and fight in real time.
Game Title: Corsairs
Production Company: Microids
Release Date: 1999
Era: Exploration
Review: This game was real-time strategy, but mission based. The ships were well modelled and ships never seen in games appeared (xebec, lugger...). Boarding actions were intense and fun. However, the game was too hard and the enemies too random. I lost interest quickly.
Game Title: Cutthroats
Production Company: Edios/Hot House
Release Date: 1999
Era: Exploration
Review: A really bad rip-off of Pirates! Gold. The ship models were terrible except for the galleons (which were impossible to obtain), and the game was too confusing. In Pirates! Gold you had a really good chance to move up the ladder quiuckly, but this game made me quit pretty quick.
Game Title: 1602 AD
Production Company: GT Interactive
Release Date: 2000
Era: Exploration
Review: This game looked like a good idea, but when I tried it, I found it too difficult to follow and learn quickly. There were similiar complications here to Cutthroats. As well, it looks like the ships have not caught up with 1602 AD.
If you have a review or opinion of your own, do not hesitate to send it to me at [email protected] or ICQ 2601618