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It's too bad so much of this game feels half-baked, since there are many different details you might otherwise want to sink your teeth into in Age of Pirates. Ships may be upgraded with different types of hulls, sails, and cannons, which all carry certain advantages and disadvantages that force you to make interesting trade-offs (such as between durability and maneuverability). Improving your captain's tactics rating lets you command larger squadrons of vessels, if you prefer strength in numbers. And if you're feeling bold, you can attempt to attack and capture a colony by battling its defensive fortresses, mopping up guards on foot, and even ransoming off the former governor. As you play, your character's overall reputation and his or her standing with the different Caribbean factions will change. Leveling up also lets you choose from a variety of special abilities that let you bolster your captain's abilities as a sailor, a fighter, a leader, a negotiator, and more.
The back of the box also asserts that there's a multiplayer mode for up to 16 players, including four modes: deathmatch, team deathmatch, defend the convoy, and capture the fort. However, we could find literally no one playing any of these modes online, and there's barely so much as a mention of the multiplayer modes in the game's 60-page manual. Assuming these modes are fully functional, they still probably wouldn't be much fun, considering the ship-to-ship combat in the game is especially dull when you strip out all the role-playing and boarding elements.
Age of Pirates is comparable to Sid Meier's Pirates! from 2004, yet while that game distilled down the concept of being a high-seas swashbuckler to its essentials, this newer one drowns in the details. The game just feels rushed and dated, and it comes across as if the developers bit off a lot more than they could chew. It's understandable that in the wake of Pirates!, a similar game would try to differentiate itself by providing many more gameplay features. But to say that the quality of the execution of this game leaves a lot to be desired would be putting it nicely.
Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales (PC):
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