PC Game Review: World of Pirates

PC Game Review: World of Pirates
Posted :: Aug 16, 2004 by Everon

Introduction:
YAARRRR Matey! Ever wanted to be a pirate? Sail the high seas, pillage and plunder, and do all those other piratey things pirates do, well this is your chance. World of Pirates is an MMORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying game) that is currently in open beta. You can download the client and patches for free from their website, http://www.worldofpirates.com and also register for an account there, which is also free (during the beta).

Computer Specs(Everon):

Processor: AMD XP2700+
Memory: 1gb Kingston PC3200
Motherboard: Asus A7N8X-Deluxe
Sound Card: Audigy2 ZS Gamer
Power Supply: Antec 400 Watts “SL400”
Primary Monitor: Dell 17" CRT
Speakers: Gateway Speakers
Video Card: 64mb Geforce 4 TI4200
Hard Drive 1: Western Digital 30gb 7200rpm w/8mb Cache
CD-RW: 52x24x52x
Operating System: Windows XP Home w/SP1

Main Thoughts:

When you first start out in the game, it can be a little overwhelming, learning the controls and various aspects of the game. Don't expect to advance fast, no matter how good you are. Once you get used to the game though, it's pretty user friendly. The graphics leave a lot to be desired. It looks similar to "Civilization." The gameplay itself is pretty smooth and fun. It's a relatively small world, so with only one server and a max of 400 players, you will see many other people and most will be willing to help you out. With such a small server the connection wasn't too bad at all. I averaged about 150 ping, on a cable modem. 150 sounds bad, but theres was hardly any noticeable lag at all, most of the time.

There are two types of combat, seas combat, with cannons, and ship combat, where you actually board your enemies ship and sword fight the captain of the other ship. Seas combat is all about how many ships you have and how many cannons. You circle each other and volley cannonballs back and forth until someone has lost all their ships. The downside of this type of combat is that the ships are destroyed. All that will be left is a floatsam of various goods that the other ship had and wood and cloth. Ship combat, where you board the other ship is more risky, because you can't run away when you start to lose. Once you have boarded their ship, if you lose or retreat, they will take over your ship. With more risk, comes bigger reward. If you win the fight, you will be able to claim their ship and all its cargo.

In World of Pirates you are also able to take over towns! As you progress through the game you will form teams. In large teams, it is possible to take over a town. The advantage of taking a town is that you will govern the town, and be able to receive part of its income as your own!

Screenshots:

Duel against the current governor of a city to take it as your own!

The map in WOP is huge. It would take hundreds of hours to explore the entire map.

Lose a fencing match and you must surrender your best ship!

Fire cannons at other players, and towns to weaken their crew.

Conclusion:

There's really far too much to this game to include it all in the review, but overall, it's a pretty fun game. If your looking for a change of pace from your favorite FPS or RTS game, then check this out.

Rating on a scale of 1 (absolutely awful) to 10 (jaw-dropping)

Gameplay: 8/10
- It's got a bit of a learning curve, but once you get used to it, it's pretty fun and definately something different.

Graphics: 5/10
- Like I said in the review, it looks like "Civilization" and the sword fights look like something out of an old 16-bit system.

Sound: 3/10
- The sound affects aren't very good and don't vary at all.

Replay Value: 9/10
- Being an MMORPG, things are always changing and there's always something to do. The only reason it's not a ten here is because sometimes once you get established and have nothing to work towards, and it can get a little boring at times.

Overall: 6/10
- Pirates, what can be more fun than that?

Links:
http://www.worldofpirates.com