 SEGA DRUNK! Porting games from computer systems like DOS, the Amiga, the Atari ST, or the Commodore 64 was usually a tough racket for home console gaming systems. Just take a look at stuff like civilization on Super Nintendo. Sure, at the time it may have been passable, but you were always way better off playing it on a computer. And that was considered a decent port. Don't get me started on stuff like SimCity 2000 for Super Nintendo, or even worse, Sim Earth. That's what makes Sid Meier's Pirates Gold for Sega Genesis such a revelation. It was great then, and to this day it's a great playthrough now. In fact, you could arguably call it a Top 10 Sega Genesis game. This game was originally made in 1987 by Sid Meier, who at the time was probably best known for his Flight Sim games for PC, like Solo Flight and F-15 Strike Eagle. He later went on to make the hugely popular Civilization series and the Tycoon series. But it started with Pirates on the Commodore 64. It eventually made its way to everything from the aforementioned Atari ST and Amiga, and even the NES. It wasn't until 1993 when Pirates arrived on Sega Genesis retitled Pirates Gold. What makes this game unique, especially for a home console release, is that it's open world, and even better you play as a pirate. So you have every incentive to capture cities, command a fleet of ships into battle, duel other characters, seek out buried treasure, and tons of other stuff. Now if you're more familiar with the Super Nintendo library like I am, this game's closest comparison would probably be Uncharted Waters New Horizons, but Pirates Gold is a bit more streamlined and a lot more user friendly with a much better visual presentation. One of the first things that sticks out about this game is how it looks. What's crazy is that it's almost shot for shot comparable to the Amiga CD32 version of the game. Pirates on that system is being played on a CD peripheral for a 32-bit console, but the Genesis port compares so closely it's unreal. There's a link in the description detailing the comparison if you want to know more. When starting a new campaign you pick your time period, nationality, and difficulty level, but it should be pointed out that the time period also functions as kind of a makeshift difficulty level itself because each choice provides a different map configuration, potentially with rival pirates looking to hunt you down, or even bad weather to contend with. But yeah, once you get started you immediately have to duel for the right to command your own ship. The controls are pretty intuitive and it's an easy fight to win, but after that you're totally on your own to do pretty much whatever you want, and you start off in an island town where you decide how you want to go about building your character. Most people in their first playthrough will just go full pirate, and why not? So to do that you gotta build up some money and get a crew together, you can visit the store to check prices and buy and sell stuff, visit the bank to address your financial situation, and visit the tavern to recruit people. If you'd rather have a more linear approach when you start this one you can always go visit the governor and he'll give you a mission, but when you do this you have to be wary of the reputation you're building and you'll be seen as an enemy by rival governors. Eventually you set sail, but you don't just move from point A to point B, sailing in and of itself can be pretty risky, for instance you have to keep the weather in mind at all times and watch out for other ships who are on to your schemes. The battle music here is great, as is the sound of the cannons echoing as they fire at each other. Most importantly just about everything here is pretty easy to figure out, like boarding other ships and engaging in a duel. You gotta be careful you're not boarding a ship bigger than you can handle though, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed quickly so pick your spots appropriately. You can also plunder entire towns which is pretty awesome. You can either stay in your ship and fire away or take on the authorities on land. You have way more to gain by going after towns, but it's also a lot riskier, so you gotta make sure you have a battle-hardened crew before heading in. I should also mention that there's a few other game options here as well, like a duel mode where you can practice fighting and command a historic expedition where you're put into a pre-planned scenario and you fight as a famous pirate from history. It's hard to sum up a game like Pirates Gold in just a 4-minute video. This is just one of those public service announcement videos that while this may be a PC port, it's still such a great game and probably the best open world game on a 16-bit console. Yeah, this game may be huge and overwhelming, but I'd recommend seeking out the manual online. It's pretty easy to find and it's very helpful. If you liked Uncharted Water's New Horizons, you will love Pirates Gold for Sega Genesis. It's intuitive, it's well-paced, the presentation is great and there's so much here you can do. You manage your reputation, you manage your crew's morale, you can buy and sell cargo or you can steal your own cargo and of course you pillage and plunder while sailing the high seas. Pirates Gold has got to be one of the 10 best Genesis games ever.