XB Sid Meier's Pirates review:3 stars (Know going in...) - Before you buy this game, know going in that it is not one game, but a collection of mini-games. Unlike other Sid Meier turn-based titles (e.g. Civilization) where strategy and forethought are paramount to achieving one objective (in many different ways), Pirates keeps you busy performing mind-numbing, monotonous tasks. The fact that there's an overall "plot" or "quest" means very little. The plot in Pirates is about as meaningful as getting the high score for solitaire AND Tetris. Clearly (as other reviews suggest), some enjoy these little games -- and you might, too. Just don't go in with the wrong expectations like I did. 4 stars (Pretty good...) - First, I'm not a fan of RPG's; so why did I buy one? I'm a fan of the pirate genre and thought I'd give it a try. This is the first RPG that I've play that kept my interest.
I didn't like it at first seeing that there was hardly any action, but I guess for this type of game, it has more action than one would expect.
Open ended?, I guess, if you think your character getting old and worn out and having to retire being open ended. Then you have to start over with a new character. As the game goes on your sword fighting abilities get worse. I chose my first character to be an expert in fencing, and at 31 he's already going downhill.
But there is something addictive about the gameplay at first. I started and without realizing it 6 hours had flown by.
If you like to have control over your character you probably know that an RPG is not for you.
It does get repetative, but it's still a good game overall. One word of advice and something I found out pretty quick, save your game often(I do like a good game save) as you can accidently get your ship stuck in between a small group of islands, or a cove, and can't sail away. The only recourse is to revert to the last saved game.
Like I say, I have never been a big fan of RPG's, but I have to say I like this one.
It is kind of like "Sims on the high seas" as you have to maintain food and morale for your crew. Your health will decline no matter what, and eventually you'll be forced to retire, so much for open ended.
Searching for buried treasure could have been a little better. You just follow a map on sea and weigh anchor at that spot and all of a sudden you have the treasure. A little walking around on land would have been better.
There are some scenes where you sneak through towns at night, slip up behind guards and then the AI takes over and knocks them out.
If you board a ship and your crew is outnumbered, you can do a little sequence of button punching to even up the odds.

Maybe someday it'll be possible to have a combo RPG and action/adventure game all in one, where one can build up the character and still have a 360 camera angle in fight scenes where you control all of your character's moves.
I couldn't really decide between 3 or 4 stars, but finally gave it 4 because, it is pretty good and pretty entertaining for an RPG.3 stars (I know it's a refurbed classic but...) - Of course all the things you can do are great ideas, but how you can do them and what you spend your money on gets old, fairly quick. The game progresses from real easy to difficult and the controls for swashbuckling are too limited for the type of increase in difficulty. The rest of the game play gets repetitious and the same old routines are too linear to retain their luster.
Great for a rental, for sure!!
XB Sid Meier's Pirates Features:
Video Games
Xbox (x box)
Microsoft
Action
Adventure
Live the life of a pirate. Sail around the Caribbean, building your reputation and your fleet as you raid merchants and ports, search for buried treasure, and gain influence with colonial powers through your swashbuckling and bravery.
All the gameplay of the original... Ship-to-ship combat, sword fights, and land battles will all be familiar to fans of the original game.
but updated for todays gamers. With multiple quests in an open-ended storyline, improved graphics and models, and new challenges such as sneaking into and out of town and dancing with the governors daughter, this classic adventure gets a modern face-lift.
with new Xbox features. Support for Xbox Live includes online high scores, downloadable content, and special Xbox-only multiplayer modes such as head-to-head ship battles and sword-fighting.

XB Sid Meier-s Pirates is the Video Game version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 49.99USD.