PixlBit

Sid Meier's Pirates! for Wii is a port of a remake released last generation for Xbox and the PC. Being based on the Commodore 64 title of the same name, it's no surprise that the game is somewhat limited in its design. The port adds several mini-games along with motion-based controls and pointing, which leverage the unique strengths of the Wii platform. Despite the new additions, at its core, Pirates is no more than a collection of mini-games tied together by a rough, open-ended story.

Players begin the game by aligning with a particular nationality; the Spanish, Dutch, English, or French. Seemingly these nationalities are tied to the game's difficulty, as is prompted by the in-game descriptors. It's hard to say definitively though, because the game's manual is embarassingly short, offering absolutely no help in its mere two bound pages that only describe the various control schemes depending on circumstance.

After making a selection, players start their quest by being transported to a Caribbean port of their associated nationality. Here players are shown a menu that will become intimately familiar throughout the course of the game. With a few exceptions, each and every port in the game, regardless of the controlling faction, offers the same basic options. Most often players will find themselves talking with the governor of the location in order to either be rewarded for a job well done, or take on a new mission of some sort either locally or out on the high seas. After talking with the governor, assuming a mission is not immediately imposed, players have a few other stops to make. The bar will offer players the scuttlebutt in that port, an opportunity to buy rare goods, and an occasional fight given the circumstances.

The Bar fights mini-game take players away from the pure text-based gameplay and allows them to go head-to-head with an enemy. Unfortunately, these fights are unbelievably limited. Rather than a free-flowing fight, players can only make a move at a specific time. At these times, players can slash their sword using Wii Remote gestures or parry and dodge via buttons. A bar at the bottom of the screen shows the fight status, and it is broken into only five parts. If players don't dodge an attack, the bar clicks over a notch, giving the advantage to the computer opponent as they will have pushed you closer to a corner. The same rule applies in the opposite direction, and in both cases, a small cinematic will play to demonstrate the result. When the cinematic completes, players have yet another opportunity to gain ground, until they or the enemy is defeated. These encounters are so pitifully easy and mindless, the game seemingly would be better without them.

Yet another mini-game in port is based around dancing with the governor's daughter, which will set-up other side mission objectives for players. This particular mini-game is rhythm-based, and has players gesturing with the Wii Remote at the right moments to keep step with their partner. If a second player has a Wii Remote in hand, they will be able to contribute by hitting notes using the A and B buttons at the right time, similar to how Guitar Hero and Rock Band work. Again, this mini-game is pretty limited in its implementation, and isn't very enjoyable, especially since the Wii Remote controls tend to feel unresponsive.

Aside from these tasks, players will need to use the port to trade goods. This is a primary means of building wealth in the game to upgrade ships in the fleet and keep large crews happy. As players make their way around the world, they will need to purchase goods and sell them for a profit in other locations where the price is inflated. Additionally, these trade opportunities allow players to acquire food in order to keep their crew alive and nourished. Two other functions of the ports is to split plunder with said crew to keep them happy and by your side, as well as repairing and upgrading your vessels.

As the game progresses, conquering cities is yet another task to complete, which begins a turn-based strategy sub-game that is fairly limited in its implementation. Though limited, the sub-game stands far above any of the other mini-games featured in Pirates.

By having a fit crew and intact, upgraded vessels, players will be more effective on the open seas - where they will spend the majority of their time. Unlike in the ports, sailing is not based on text prompts, but is fully controlled. Through use of either the D-Pad or pointing the Wii Remote, players can direct where they would like to go. If they're travelling in the direction of the wind, everything is a breeze (See what I did there?), however, if they ever want to go the opposite way, things couldn't be more frustrating. The ship moves at a snails pace, if at all, and as players wait to reach their desired location, the crew decimates their food stock and grows angered. It's possible that I was doing something wrong, and all of this may be avoidable in practice, but the complete and utter lack of direction prevented me from finding out if there was an alternative or better technique to deal with inclement wind.

Yet another mini-game occurs when players choose to engage other ships on the open sea. Upon entering a battle, players will be placed in a small square battlefield and prompted to begin firing on their opponent. Players have the choice of either destroying the enemy ship, which is occasionally requested by the governor of an area, or harming it enough to capture it. When players deem the ship no longer a serious threat, they can crash into it, which begins yet another sword fighting mini-game similar to the one found in the bar. During a swordfight battle at sea, the only difference is that comrades of both the enemy and the player will die as they fight, and the number of crew each of you have play a role in winning or losing the fight. Like the dancing mini-game, a second player can once again join in by controlling a parrot, which will attack the opponent if on-screen button cues are pressed correctly at the right time. Sometimes players will overpower the enemy so significantly that they will just accept immediate defeat.

Upon completion, if players win they take the ship, money, and loot, and are given the choice of taking on the crew that inhabit the vessel. Loss will result in players being dragged to jail, which begins, you guessed it, another mini-game.

If you haven't gathered yet, the game is basically a bunch of mini-games tied together with a weak story and a text-based adventure. Sadly, the vast majority of these mini-games are basic and unenjoyable. To the game's credit, when it all gets put together, there's something oddly addictive about building a bigger bankroll and crew. While this is true, it's still not enough to truly encourage players to keep trudging through the many frustrations of the game.

Though this version of Sid Meier's Pirates! has just come out, the game shows its age. Being a port of a remake that is already six years old, the game is clearly rooted in the past and though a story ties together the various mini-games, the experience is not cohesive. Those who have no familiarity with the title or have played the remake should skip this Wii port, while others who enjoyed the original might want to check out this update to see how the gameplay has evolved.