Platform: PC
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Firaxis
ETA: November 2004

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Sid Meier's Pirates!

Sid Meier's Pirates!, the 1987 title lauded by critics and fans alike for its groundbreaking, influential blend of strategy, action and RPG elements, is getting a significant facelift. And for all of you college-bound gamers out there who weren't born when this classic debuted on the Commodore 64, you may want to hold off getting a copy until after your first semester, lest you flunk out sleepless, friendless and Red Bull addled.

Best known for the Civilization series, Sid Meier has built his reputation as the creative mind behind more than a dozen of the gaming industry's most addictive titles, from F-15 Strike Eagle and Railroad Tycoon to Gettysburg and Alpha Centauri. The original Pirates! brought a new breed of gaming to the fore, winning accolades as divergent as Best RPG, Best Action

Game and Best Historical Game from various industry publications at the time, and this richly detailed 3D remake with enhanced sound, graphics and features has all the makings of a new classic.

As a pirate captain in the 17th century Caribbean, players will attempt to amass wealth and prestige in a non-linear, open environment by fighting naval battles and duels, raiding towns and forts, hunting for hidden treasures and seizing booty. Downloadable content will allow players to customize their ships and characters with flags, sail emblems and character skins.

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A variety of new items, such as a spyglass that allows players to check the strength and readiness of enemies before attacking ships or dispatching your crew in an attempt to seize towns and forts, promise to add new depth to the title as well.

Here's the official lowdown:

Twenty-seven different types of ships are available to overtake and command, and all can be enhanced with ammunition, cannon and other upgrades to improve your chances in real-time naval battles against single or multiple opponents.

Enemies ranging from merchant and military captains, other pirates and corrupt local gentry all have different skills and abilities, requiring different strategies to fight on both sea and land.

Real-time action fights pit your dueling skills--using a broad array of weapons, armor or whatever happens to be handy--against those enemies on ship decks and at locations in towns, taverns and governors' mansions.

Stealth features assist prison breaks, covert city operations and simply avoiding or surprising stronger adversaries.

Landing parties can be dispatched in strategy oriented battles to bring entire cities under your control.

The original 1987 version of Pirates! is one of a handful of titles so engrossing that it's still fun to play, despite almost 20 intervening years of escalating graphical flashiness. This significant update will introduce the title to a new generation of fans and remind old-schoolers why well designed video games have always been a lot of fun, even before suggested system requirement specs started listing the Lawrence Livermore cluster.

- M. Enis

(July 27, 2004)