{xtypo_dropcap}A{/xtypo_dropcap}t some point in everyone's life, they have dreamed of what it may be to travel the high seas as a daring swashbuckler. The wind at your back, and the sting of sea salt in your eyes. For me growing up, it couldn't have been a further away dream. Not just because of the obvious factors such as pirates hadn't exsisted in hundreds of years, but for the very fundamentals that could have at least made it more fun to imagine. Like, I lived 5 hours from any of the oceans. Or perhaps that I had never been in a boat before. I had never seen a real sword. And I had yet to taste my first drop of rum. Well in my 26 years on this planet, I have since seen the ocean, been in a boat, and had my fair share of rum. Still yet though I ached for that life long dream of sailing abroad as a pirate. Unfortunately though for reality's sake it was only to remain a dream.

 

But through my random involvements with a fine site such as NewGenGamers, you hear whispers and find out info on all the fun and hot new games out there. And one day, several months ago, i was conversing with Ron, moderator and life long family member of mine. He had been telling me that the popularity of Massive Multiplayer Online games, or MMO's, had started to spark interest in a number of fields where developers and creators could reach out to fans of more then just sci fi or fantasy type genre's. Ron knowing I had a 26 year penchant for pirates informed me that Flying Lab Software had teamed up with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), and they were creating the first online player involved pirate game. At first my reactions were mixed. I had played tons of pirate based games, and all of which were a lot of fun and entertainment, but still always lacked a little bit here and there of providing the true atmosphere. So in curiosity I began Googling. I downloaded dozens of screen shots, loads of video, and I quickly discovered that this may not be just another pirate game. The scenery and visuals alone were beautiful, and were truly complimented by precise shading effects and brilliantly dynamic lighting. Maybe this was to become the true jewel in the chest for pirates and gaming?

 

I kept up on news, and eventually the game reached a closed audience for beta testing. Fan reaction was phenomenal. People were excited and really having fun getting evolved in this rich world full of pirate mayhem. And  through the magic of game play, people like me were out there living their swashbuckling dreams. Once the game reached it's final stages, the fine people at Pirates of the Burning Sea, which I will now call POTBS for short, were so kind to pass us along a copy of the game to review. I quickly and proudly asserted my place at the front of the line, and it is my esteemed honor to pass to you my tribulations as a first time sea captain.

 

I have never played an MMO. I'm actually not even widely familiar with PC games. But more importantly I am a huge fan of the pirate genre. And for this review process it won't be so much my critiquing the physics and stats of the game so much as it will be my pursuit to see if the game really gives the feel of what a pirate is all about. So come with me friends, as I embark on a fascinating new journey into the world of Pirates of the Burning Sea, and the many players who challenge it's waters...

 

 

 

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

 

 My quest began at the incredibly deep character creation menu. You must first pick your nationality. This is fairly obvious to anyone familiar with that time in history. Your affiliation must be French, English, Spanish, or Pirate. I not being interested in the trading or smuggling that may be involved with taking the side of a country, decided to go as a straight up pirate. No ties to the motherland, no favors owed to any man. If I'm going to explore and enjoy this game for the seedy underbelly of a rogue's life, then this is surely the first step for me to take. You then select the more tangible factors such as name and sex.Once these refining selections are made, you are left with a clean pallet of just what your character should look like. To say that the options are immense is an understatement. From hats to boots these avatars are completely customizable right down to the primary colors of each article of clothing. The character you see to the left is the finished product or an enjoyable hours worth of customizing. Beware scurvy sea dogs, fore Captain Thaddeus Whitmer has been born.

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Carrying the heritage of my proud last name, as well as touting the first name of one of the greatest lying, cheating, thieving, modern pirates I have ever known; Thaddeus Whitmer would now become my icon for Caribbean domination. I chose to begin my adventures on the "Kidd" server due to its low number of other players. After all, this noob is looking to get run through on his first day. May I also note, the game has a number of active servers, all appropriately named after famous pirates. Nonetheless, after a short wait, the game begins...

 

Living the life of a pirate boils down to one main thought, there must be no fear. And the game creators set that pace by opening the game with your character below decks of a ship in the midst of a heavy sea battle. They give you the basics of movement and working the camera, then pass the side news that your captain has fallen to the enemy. The upside? You're the new captain. So back to top deck you go to further rid your ship of the attacking bilge rats. Once you familiarize yourself with hand to hand battle it really does become a breeze to do and a lot of fun. There are three main fighting styles you can choose from in the game. There's Florentine, which focuses more on the finesse of sword fighting. Also is fencing, which appears to have more defensive play in mind. And then my personal favorite, dirty fighting, which for me most closely resembles the spitting and sand throwing I envision from a true pirate. You amass skills based on your particular fighting style, learned through trainers which you eventually meet in various towns. Buts lets not get to far into the adventure yet, shall we.

 

So the attacking filth are quickly chased off of my ship, and I'm sent to speak with senior shipmates down below. It's decided that the true hero I am, I must avenge my captain's death and rescue the other ship from its attackers. This is where the tutorial focuses on the ship battle aspect of the game. And I have to admit, it quickly made a fan of me. The maneuvers and progression depend on sails and wind speed much as they would in a true sea warfare experience. You're given an accuracy percentage dependent on just where you're positioned to the other ship. After all, these are cannons folks, they shoot where they are pointing. With ease I quickly become a master sailor and devour my opponent with supreme cannon pwnage. This ends the tutorial, and you are now deemed experienced enough to travel the world freely. 

 

I then find myself on the sunny dock of a town called "Matthew Town". Quickly I become quaintly amused with the many goings on of town. Sights and sounds are everywhere, and you can't help but gaze in every direction at the great job done on realism for the time period. After pulling myself away from my dead stare on the amazingly rendered turquoise blue ocean, I started rushing into town to explore. The game offers a number of folks to talk to in each of over 80 ports. This includes mission and information offering NPC's, as well as other players in the pirate world. The setting is absolutely amazing though for depth. In any given port you may find grizzled old sailors fishing, or a bevy of tattered drunks singing a shanty. After much time exploring through the town and messing with my settings and rich user interface I noticed an interesting fellow also traveling the town. He had a dark black coat and was wielding two rather deadly looking blades. I stopped to chat with this other player informing him I hadn't fully earned my sea legs yet and wondered if he may have some information to pass along. He urged me to see a woman in the center of town who was a dirty fighting master. I obliged, thanked my pirate brethren, and made my way towards the lady. Upon finding her, she allowed me to use earned points to up my skills, and then heckled me that if I were truly ready, I would step down to the beach to take on two of her fellow students. Being a daring and adventurous young pirate, I obliged and faced the two numbskulls in blade to blade combat. I had a fairly easy time dispatching the two, but also keeping in mind I am very early to the game. This was a great confidence builder though. And I felt that perhaps I was familiarized enough with the dualing aspect. It felt time to now go out and try my sea legs. I made my way to the Coxswain at the dock who fit my ship and prepped me to go back out in the open waters.

 

 After another short loading screen, it was left to just me, my ship, and 360 degrees of bright blue water to investigate. I raised my sails and began taking a leisurely sail. I would soon find out that the treacherous waters of the Caribbean were no place for fun and games. I was alerted that I was being engaged by a French pirate hunter. "Fantastic, I hate the French" I thought to myself, and I quickly agreed to enter battle mode and take on this new victim. That is when I realized that perhaps his 10 gun warship was a bit out of the league of my 4 gun schooner. Within 10 minutes of futile circling and firing, my ship lay 20 leagues below sea level. I am whisked back to the nearest town and given another ship. Now, like many other players, my first impulse is to brush my shoulders off and hit the waters again. But after loosing 4 ships to pirate hunters I realize that I am not just going to step out into the world as a feared and revered sea captain. It was going to be a long and educating road. And so swallowing my pride I now stick to the shallows and pay close attention to whats off my starboard decks. It is going to be the learning process for me now, and legend will tell of my travels with time. In a world of pirates and gaming, you must pay your dues, to earn the respect. Until next time, Captain Whitmer signing off! 

 

 

 

 
  


 

 

 

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