Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like Morrowind, if modded, it is BETTER!, March 29, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
Okay, sure, PotC is a buggy game. Yes, DisneyBucks caused the release to be rushed. NO, Bethesda did not design this game, Akella, the Russian game developer who designed Sea Dogs did. This game was supposed to be Sea Dogs II and no one was more dismayed than Akella when they saw what they had to do to their beautiful work. They did what they could, but in the time alloted, they unfortunately could NOT perform miracles.
Enter the average gamer, aka MYSELF. The manual is terrible (no wonder some of you have trouble with swordfights or storms, you have no clue of what to do). The game is buggy. You don't know why your PC is crashing all the time. What do you do? Well I first looked on the web for a patch to fix the bugs. Nothing. :( THEN I found there were websites that hosted free mods - there were people writing modifications to PotC that made the game INCREDIBLE!!! Bugs were fixed! Unfinished and locked quests were unlocked and finished. New quests were added. You could play the game past the end of the main quest. There were new ship skins and new characters (play as Capt. Jack Sparrow!), new items, and EVEN NEW LOCATIONS!
Look up "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Build 12" in any search engine, and you'll find what I'm talking about. This game is OUTSTANDING when modded, and the people at the site you find will help you if you get stuck.
It's a darned good game. In its original state it is a strong base for excellent gameplay if the problems are eliminated. It's fun - has adventure - drama - intrigue - GORGEOUS art - and imaginative scripting. Those who disagree - do you play Morrowind unmodded? Isn't it better with the mods?
Yup, I thought so. Get PotC... Get the mods. Immerse yourself in a fantastic absorbing game that has me STILL playing it today. BUY THIS GAME!
I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.
|
|
|
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great game for Sea Dog fans, December 6, 2005
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
I want to make clear that this is essentially Sea Dog's 2 and has little or nothing to do with the movie Priates of the Caribbean. However, if you want a down to earth, well rounded, ship/land based naval game set in the sixteenth century; POTC will deliver.
You begin the game as an unknown freebooter with a small ship. You follow the onscreen script as a sort of tutorial and learn how to move about on land, fight with a sword and pick up items. From there you disembark from your ship with the choice of doing pretty much whatever you want. You can choose to deliver cargo as a trader or fight for one of the five nationalities (six including Pirate), or anything else that can make you some "coin".
Much of the game play is similar to SD1 and the controls are almost identical. Contrary to what some may say, I found the controls to be rather simple and easy to learn although bothersome to change. Character relations with people grow throughout the game and your reputation will change based on the choices you make. For example, if you deside to play the game in a cut-throat fashion, killing all who step in your path and plundering every ship you see, you will begin to be feared and this will have an effect on those you talk to.
The learning curve is steep but add's an element of realism to the game. You need to use your judgement when traveling at first or risk being attacked by pirates. The graphics are astounding, showing every ripple in the water and every drop of rain. Sunsets are moody and filled with emotion, it is really something to see. Ships will now have a crew bustling around on deck although their animation is somewhat blocky and pre-mapped (it all looks the same after awhile).
The soundtrack is great for anyone whose a favorite of those long classical scores (i.e. Master and Commander) and will change with your environment. You can now get ambushed in the city and will have to defend yourself with sword, knife, pistol, or whatever else you happen to have. Items are abundant throughout the game. Some give you skills, others for combat but you can view them all in the (albeit clumsy) inventory menu.
Unfortunately the game has some downfalls. Character interaction sometimes seems a little rushed and the game has some issues with bugs. The Bethesda website devoted to POTC is a joke and hasn't been updated since the game shipped to stores and no official patch has been released to the public. This is where my 3/5 star rating comes from.
However now for the best part of POTC, the mods. A number of websites have posted mods for downloading, one in particular is called the "Build Mod". It incorporates an array of upgrades such as new ships, wearable clothing, 100's of new quests and characters to interact with, and the ability to change the character you play as (you can now be Johny Depp, Will Turner, or a ton of others). Ontop of this you can now berth ships at islands and feed your crew so they don't mutany. If only this mod had been released with the game, then it deserves a 5 star rating.
Bottomline: POTC is a great addition to the Sea Dog's line but falls short of being as good as it could've been. If only Bethesda could have released a good patch for the game or an expansion, fortunately the player created mods have solved most of the problems and actually added some elements. For fans of Sea Dogs, there is no other choice.
-Xantier M. Werner
|
|
|
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PotC, June 10, 2004
First I have to say that all this talk about bugs isnt making any sense to me. Ive not encountered one yet. And, besides that, this is an extremely entertaining game. This is the first RPG ive ever bought and played and I am very happy with my purchase. The beginning of the quest is slow, but it quickly picks up pace. Ive not actually finished the main story yet, but I have encountered several long and fun subquests along the way. You can become a hitman for a merchant or simply escort traders to their desination. I have only one major complaint: It's way to difficult manuevering throughout the jungle areas of an island. There need to be more signs to mark the pathways. Besides that complaint, there really isnt much else. Overall, I believe that if you have a decent computer you probably wont encounter these bugs that others are finding unberable. The prive on this game is very cheap right now as well, only $20 for a 45 hour quest and many other subquests and freelance play.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
