Matt Chat 61: Sid Meier's Pirates

[najbjergpoulsen]

play´d on c64.

Found an old mapbook of my grandfathers, with all the original names to the islands...nearly imposible to complete without

[RUTHAN667]

I think that Matt gives too much attention to intros and videos. I am as a hardcore player dont like much these movies because for the price sich movie you can be done a few good games. Cutscenes in engine are sufficient enough.

[3styler1]

TO BE FAIR MOST OF US PROBS JUST PLAY EMULATORS ON WAT IS THE LONGEST LASTING PLATFORM THE PC

[prg1972a]

At 2:13... that's awesome! I LOL'd when I saw that - I actually owned a cracked copy from ESI back in the day.... eventually I went out and bought it for the manual that had those important dates in it LOL

[TheTeddyEdwards]

It's great being able to reminisce over classic games like this.

[CaseofGlass]

My brother and I played Pirates to death on my Amiga 500. Needlessly to say I loved it to death. I do like new remake as well, although I sucked at these dancing sequences. Just like in real life.

[blacklily8]

@CaseofGlass The best dancers got their start by having the guts to dance at all.

[PubliusAfricanus]

When I hear "Pirates" I think of Jenaveve Jolie having sex with Carmen Luvana.

[bongo155]

eeew, you married the ugly chick. I think my best performance on the C64 version was King Adviser (Marquis). Not sure how they calculated things. I think my score was something like 140/100. Considering I was a Duke with a couple of countries not sure why I was only a Marquis when retiring. Still one of the greatest games ever made.

[BRANDTzilla]

i just tried this game for the first time on DOSBox. Its incredably fun!!!

[GR8TM4N]

....I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,

And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking, 

And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.

[HardWarUK]

15th/16th Century Elite - so a huge hit of course!

[cheekyjoe2468]

My brother used to play this, I used to watch - can I have those years back please?

[redfoxbennaton]

Games that are too good for you. You will never get this game.

[kolstom]

Oh right, the dancing, yes that is pretty cool - and people who suck at it just have no rhythm :P

[kolstom]

Ach, the memories. Eagle soft goodness. And what do you mean "some" people? Why would I still play the C64 version if it wasn't the best?! ;) Granted, there are a few perks in the 2004 version, but overall - nay. If nothing else, it's too easy.

[BaronGrackle]

Yes! You named him Guybrush! Now that, is most epic.

[blicksflicks]

Man, technology sure has come a long way in twenty years. The new Sid Meier's Pirates looks a world better than the C64 version.

[HardWarUK]

@blicksflicks Also looks like a Saturday morning Disney cartoon too, with Sims gobbledegook and an all around 'for under 12 year olds' vibe! The C64 and Pirates Gold for DOS played the game straight, swarthy pirates and a historical sim feel to it!

[MrJuegazos]

The classic "pirates" has betters sea battles and the concept of "wound" that dont exist in the modern pirates of Sid Meier.

[vintagevideogamegeek]

I'm I remember watching my friend play this on his C64. I'll have to look into that XBOX version!

[charmingdennis]

Oh my God, where can I get that shirt! That is old school Commodore64 language. I think the first time I typed that was back in 1984. Ahh, beloved childhood memories....

[ClassicsRemade]

I remember impressing my parents with my knowledge of Caribbean geography thanks to this game. Then it dawned on them I spent too much time on that Apple.

Roadwar 2000 taught me North Amercian geography.

Yes, I was a rather poor student^^

[anomalousclouds]

Ensign... hahaha... love it. 

[RichardEllwood]

Arrgh! Avast ye! Thar be a good review, matee! Keep 'er up!

[macdeath69]

The Amstrad CPC6128 version was an exact clone of the C64.

Perhaps only the sound (of course) and colours differ a bit.

[ianwilson1978]

Ahoy there Matt! Damn wish I had played this back in the day, looks like my type of game! :)

[tgaskill]

Sorry for the double post :(

[tgaskill]

Played this game back in my pirating days. Hm, that didn't sound right, I mean when I played pirate themed games. Thanks Matt!

[tgaskill]

Ahh, I remember this game well back in my pirating days! What a second, that didn't sound right. I mean, when I played alot of pirate games. Great video Matt! Thanks!

[crusader666]

I'm familiar with Eagle Soft [and i still think i have something crk'd by them, and it's legal now, law works in mysterious ways], alas i had no disk drive back then, and only recently acquired one for my C64'. I did however grew up on this game, back in my XT/AT years, man, was this game slow on the XT.. ;D Somehow, i never dug Pirates Gold. Still don't know why exactly. The 2004 retake was quite awesome, despite the cheesy stuff, but somehow, feels smaller, weird. ;)

Great game, great Chat!:)

[NickPaidaros]

AHOY Matt, I didn't know our sailboat belonged in  the Pirate ship category LOL

[blacklily8]

@NickPaidaros Haha, well, I'm sure we could make a jolly roger for it. :)

[mxmasternl]

@NickPaidaros You'd be surprised! Actual 17th and 18th century Pirates ship of choice was the relatively small (50-75 feet) jamaican sloop.

[Konuvis]

Nice one Matt! You made me want to pick up the 2004 remake. I've been debating for a while but hey why not!

I strongly recommend you pick up and read Adventures of a Younger Son by Edward John Trelawny. It's an amazing book on his youth as a buccaneer. Later he became friends with Lord Byron and Mary Shelley.

[blacklily8]

@Konuvis That sounds interesting. I'll keep an eye out for it.

[Soulgotha]

Dueling for the ladies hand in marriage. Those were the days!

[interghost]

As always mate a fine review. Ive never played this one but those C64 graphics and gameplay were very impressive for that computer, very nice. I did pick up a copy on the Amiga the other day from the Car Boot sale but sold it on eBay and made a fair bit of cash, like a true Pirate! Arrrr! ;o)

[marcusmalone]

Aaaar Matt Chat be like a waaarm blanket on a cold, stormy seafaring journey back to the old world!

[Magnumi]

Thanks for the great video Matt! Great way to start of a day combined with an hot cup of coffee. =) Pirates is also one of my personal favorites and I've played it on the C64, Amiga and the remake on the PC (which is highly recommended). I was a bit suprised that you didn't mention anything about Sid Meier or Microprose in your review.

[blacklily8]

@Magnumi I don't know much about Mr. Meier's biography, though I've played and loved many of his games. It's my understanding that he started off in fairly straightforward wargame adaptations before moving on to more creative projects.

[blacklily8]

@Magnumi I don't know much about Mr. Meier's biography, though I've played and loved many of his games. It's my understanding that he started off in fairly straightforward wargame adaptations before moving on to more creative projects.

[Yakumo9275]

sweet! that was superquick from deciding on ports of all and switching to pirates!

[blacklily8]

@Yakumo9275 Hehe. Well, I can always save PoC for a later episode. It's unique in offering a multiplayer hotseat mode.

[kikencorp]

This is the best pirate-themed game of all time, and the new version is not bad at all though I prefer the old one a lot more.

[DJKOZI]

Cool T-Shirt! :-)

[Gylve81]

Great game. Played it alot on my Atari ST.

[Lorfarius]

I remember playing the original around a friends house for days and weeks playing the Atari ST version. I'm pretty sure he still has the save disk from the last time we ever played in the early 90's! Was never a fan of the remake sadly.

[kad3t]

Ow, Sid Meier's Pirates is THE game! I played it on my C64, played it on Amiga nad hell, even played it on SNES, PC and my PSP! This game never gets old and it's open ended gameplay just makes it stand out above everything else similar...

[egobrane]

You gotta love the chiptunes in cracktros. Awesome review again, Matt.

[blacklily8]

@egobrane Definitely, some of my favorite tunes, period.

[Dan9550X]

great looking game will look out for it, maybe try to find a DOS version.

[HardWarUK]

I have the C64 version for my C64, the Gold version for DOS and the latest one (2004). Prefer the Gold version as it looks nice, but is still serious. Unlike the last one, that went 'comic' for the console market! If you really want to see what next-gen console gaming has brought to PC gaming, just look at Pirates Gold versus Sid Meier's Pirates, the later released at the start of the 'multiformat' market and the beginning of the end for decent PC only games!

[blacklily8]

@HardWarUK Yeah, the publishers love the "gated community" they get with the consoles. Less piracy, but also less openness and competition.

[Jacesfaces]

This is a game Ive always wanted to own a version of but never got around to getting it. Great episode Matt!

[Hal566]

lolz the pirate screen. Most games for a500 and c64 i played were ummm back up. :D And they had those similar screens. Some of them allowed you to turn unlimited lives on and other fun things that werent of course available to you in the originally licensed version. ^^. LMAO @ Wesley.

[pocketmego]

I lost so many hours playing this on the Commodore 64.

Great over-view as always, Matt!

[jarjar2b]

pirates (along with civilization) is one of the games that I spent most of my youth with :) (the amiga version) it's just a great game made out of a great concept ...

the 2004 remake is cool too, but I don't like how they bastardised the silver train and treasure fleet

[blacklily8]

@jarjar2b Heheh. I didn't even notice that, but now that you mention it--why the heck did they do that?

[blacklily8]

By the way, if you guys like good pirate music be sure to checkout my favorite pirate band: Toucan Pirates!

[segagenesis1989]

Ahoy me matey! I have Pirates! Gold for the SEGA Genesis! YO HO HO and a bottle of rum! I had no idea that the game was released on more modern consoles. It looks great!

[doginmylense]

I love Sid Meier's Pirates on the PSP it is a great game. I noticed their is a copy of the settlers on the DS. I loved your video about that game. It was published by UbiSoft I was wondering if you know anything about it. Is it a good copy to pick up? I prefer to play games on portable gaming systems.

[blacklily8]

@doginmylense Settlers on the DS? Hm. I'd be curious how they work the controls; it must use the stylus. I haven't heard anything about it.

How does combat work in Pirates on the PSP? What controls/buttons do you use for the sword fights?

[Rheinheld]

@blacklily8 Settlers on DS uses the stylus but is pretty broken. It has an inconsistent frame rate and crashes frequently. Even the official forum has some advice by the developer on how to avoid some of the crashes. So in conclusion the DS port has barly to do with its Amiga assembler coded origin.

[scenic7pr]

@blacklily8 The controls on the PSP are pretty good. If I remember correctly, the different attacks are on different buttons. It works great and is an awesome portable version of the game (prepare to lose a lot of "free" time to it).

[doginmylense]

@blacklily8 You use the X button to attack and O to block you can make other moves with a combination of the D pad and button presses. The controls I find are really smooth one button press to attack ships and the navigation is super easy.

[DarkAvatar1313]

Another great Matt Chat! Whats the name of the remix you played during the battle at 6:26?

[blacklily8]

@DarkAvatar1313 That's not a remix. It's a tune on the CD32 version. You can get it at ExoticA (look for Pirates! Gold Cd32).

[JohnAngusFTW]

@ 9:02, How appropiate, you fight like a cow!

[haleyastronomer]

I love "Pirates"! Sid Meier is the Spielberg of computer gaming.

[HardWarUK]

@haleyastronomer Totally correct Sir! In fact he is the God of gaming!!!

[HalfBlindGamer]

Great look at another classic there Matt! A game that was really deep for its time. Did you know that they're working on a Wii version with some added features? Just imagine where they can fit all the gesture movements in haha. The 2004 remake is a really solid one though, captures the feel of the old but makes it so much more accessible.

Great shirt by the way!

Well, see you next wee-

[TanukiKGA]

Arr, this game be more classic than a Spanish doubloon with a curse upon it! You wouldn't find more merriment even at the ol' inn, three sheets to the wind! And.. thats about where my piratelingo stops. It really is a fantastic game, incredibly deep. It amazes me to this day still!

[Numenorean921]

@TanukiKGA ARRRR how darrrr ye break character! To the planks wit y'e!

[blacklily8]

@Numenorean921 LOL

[blacklily8]

@TanukiKGA Arr. I think that will be my standard response from now on. :)

[dcruze]

I played the first amiga version A LOT. And later I tried the C64 version on emulator (gotta love playing with the freeze frame saves).

I know there's a version out for mobile phones now.

Never played the newest windows version, maybe I should... :-)

[blacklily8]

@dcruze It's definitely worth a look. Even if you go back to the original, I'm sure you'll enjoy checking it out.

[Reorte]

Looks fun, I might have to see if I can track down the 2004 version.

[newcoleco]

Well, it's one of the Commodore 64 games I didn't own and play back in the 80s. And I didn't play the remake version, but I would certainly like to play it. Love your shirt.

[pubesz]

I personally prefer the 2004 Windows version, but I'm aware of it's legacy. And might add that the Xbox version wasn't as well received by gamers as I anticipated , oh well, you can't win 'em all.

[rl1712]

When I say the word Pirates I think Monkey Island and I think you must have thought that too since you called your character Guybrush.

Played this on the Amiga so many memories .

[KreatorRage]

yay a new matt chat!