After having recently purchased Civ V and played the game for a little while, my thoughts drifted to the classic Sid Meier's pirates game, mainly because of the similarity i noticed in game philosophy behind both these games.
They are of course very different to each other, but the new "streamlined" method that the game industry seem to be currently favouring is perfectly shown off by the pirates game, it's easy to start off with, the UI is clean and uncomplicated yet underneath the "hood" there are all sorts of calculations going on to keep the game fresh and interesting.
Different nations attack each other or make peace, there is an economy so you can trade goods, many different ships and tactics, the map changes with each game as do treasure locations, cities grow rich or poor due to ingame events, your character ages and gains skills and there are a thousand and one new features that could be added to a new installment in the series.
Personally i am not a huge fan of the streamlined philosophy, as a relatively old gamer (i remember lemmings) my hopes that game depth would keep up with the progress made in graphical quality have been, for the most part dashed, however i am certainly not against streamlining when it is done well, and Sid Meier's Pirates! is a wonderful showcase of a simple exterior that hides a thoughtful and endlessly replayable experience.
Could it possibly be the right time for a new pirates? could it be time to once again take to the seas and sail off into the sunset? could it be the game that takes both new and old generations by storm? what do you think?
They are of course very different to each other, but the new "streamlined" method that the game industry seem to be currently favouring is perfectly shown off by the pirates game, it's easy to start off with, the UI is clean and uncomplicated yet underneath the "hood" there are all sorts of calculations going on to keep the game fresh and interesting.
Different nations attack each other or make peace, there is an economy so you can trade goods, many different ships and tactics, the map changes with each game as do treasure locations, cities grow rich or poor due to ingame events, your character ages and gains skills and there are a thousand and one new features that could be added to a new installment in the series.
Personally i am not a huge fan of the streamlined philosophy, as a relatively old gamer (i remember lemmings) my hopes that game depth would keep up with the progress made in graphical quality have been, for the most part dashed, however i am certainly not against streamlining when it is done well, and Sid Meier's Pirates! is a wonderful showcase of a simple exterior that hides a thoughtful and endlessly replayable experience.
Could it possibly be the right time for a new pirates? could it be time to once again take to the seas and sail off into the sunset? could it be the game that takes both new and old generations by storm? what do you think?
