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Not perfect, but nothing else like it.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 20
Date: December 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been waiting for a game to do justice to the Pirate's genre for years. Sea dogs makes a valiant effort, though not succeeding on every point. For those who enjoyed Sid Meyer's Pirates, like myself, you may find a few things lacking in Sea Dogs. The setting is an imaginary group of islands, not the Caribbean as I had hoped. The number of visitable islands is also fairly limited. The towns you can visit are pretty, but limited in their scope. Gameplay is limited to one character so I don't believe this is a true RPG, but the game does deal in experience points, hit points and skill points in your character's progression. This game does have a steep learning curve, with novices getting blasted out of the water on a regular basis. So why did I give this game 5 stars? The sailing sequences are breathtaking with beautiful waves, ships, and environmental effects. Battling other ships and forts is also great 3d fun and the gameplay in between is solid enough to keep me playing again and again (much to the irritation of my wife). The makers are developing patches as I write this, so hopefully the game will only get better. Until then, there's still nothing else out there like it.

sea was really fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: December 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

sea dogs is great, the graphics are amazing and it is the best pirate game i've played so far. their are a few quarks about it but a patch will be coming soon. it is diffenetly worth your hard earned (cash) i love it

Wow...what a game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: December 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Despite the fact that it is the buggiest game I have ever played, I can't stop playing it. Despite the fact that the patch recently released for it did nothing to reduce that bugginess, I can't stop playing it. Despite that fact that there are certainly some important features missing altogether (meaning things I wish had been included in the game), I can't stop playing it.

The graphics when on the ocean, whether firing cannons at enemy ships or trying to avoid a storm, are simply breathtaking. Make sure you have a GOOD video card, because a decent one just won't do.

I had been looking for a good pirate game since Pirates! Gold. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, come one, come all, for this is it. Yes...yes...I bashed it good on the bug issue. And yes it does have bugs, but bugs can be patched. What patches do: They cover a pirate's eye (stereotypically). What patches don't do: Add playability, eye-popping graphics, and overall interest. No sir, the game must already come with that. This one does.

P.S. Despite the fact I am very tired, I can't stop playing it.

Slap on an eyepatch! Board'em in smoke!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is a worthy successor to Sid Meier's classic, Pirates! An entertaining, almost-great game which takes a "Hornblower-Bolitho lite" approach to the genre.

GOOD + Enjoyable ship-to-ship combat; + Lovely 3D modeled ships and environments (great sunsets and storms); + Interesting onshore RPG interactions with NPCs; + A good variety of quests, missions and career paths (running errands for the English, French or Spanish, or full-bore pirating, capturing ships or forts, etc.); + The pleasure of developing step-by-step into a rich and successful pirate commanding an armored 90-gun man o'war. Yar!

BAD OR UGLY - Relatively steep learning curve (stick with it!); - Rrather unrealistic sailing model (wind effects minimal); - Buggy (first patch is out, though); - An odd ahistorical gloss to late 17th century/early 18th century adventuring (O'Brian fans, you are warned!).

Sweet!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: December 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game rocks. It's graphics are excellent, the story is fun and engaging, and the combat is exciting without being totally simplistic. I'm sure it's full of historical inaccuracies and lacks the perfect ship sailing model but if I wanted a history lesson I would watch the History Channel, right? The playability is pretty good. I think I could play this game for quite a while before I would even consider it repetative. The only complaint I have manuvering my character while in towns. The controls seem a little sluggish, but aside from that, I have yet to run into any other bugs. Awesome game, buy it, or you'll be sorry you missed out on it!

What were these other reviewer's thinking?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 13
Date: January 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game based on the enthusiastic reviews below, and now I have to wonder what these people were thinking. "Sea Dogs" is indeed 3 games in one. However, none of them is particularly complelling. They consist of:

1. A roleplaying game, which consists of walking around and asking people things. However you generally ask each person one thing, and they give you one response, so there's not much room for thinking.

2. A naval simulator, which is mildly interesting for the first couple of fights. However, since every fight is basically the same, this quickly becomes boring-- endlessly sailing in circles and lining up broadsides against your opponents.

3. A video game style fencing sequence that is simply annoying. It's ridiculously primitive compared to the martial arts style games on the market, and one has to wonder why it's even in here.

Over all, there was nothing particularly compelling about the game play. The graphics are pretty, but how long can you stare at the waves and the storm clouds when the game itself is dry as toast? Also, the game is SERIOUSLY buggy, even with the new 1.4 patch installed and running. The game is completely incompatible with a number of video cards. So if you do buy the game, there's a modest chance that it simply won't run on your machine.

Wow, this is cool.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: January 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

At first it seems a little odd. A seemingly light storyline, a bit tricky to play at first. Two things make it worth playing: the graphics and sound. The music is good, very clear, good sound effects. The graphics are friggin' awesome. On my little Voodoo 2 the display is wonderful, the movement of, well, everything is very realistic. But for those I stuck with the game, and it turned out to be incredibly entertaining. Each and every NPC has a distinctive attitude (though you don't get to interact with them as much as I'd like), the ships are quite detailed, the battles are captivating (though you really have to hold down the R key, you'll understand why if you play). I recommend it.

Worst game ever - not just among pirate games

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 12
Date: February 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is literally the worst game that I have ever played of ANY genre. Comparing it to the original Pirates! by Sid Meier is very nearly an insult to that classic game. Simply put, this game has a terrible user interface, gameplay is difficult and BORING (gameplay refers to ship-to-ship combat, navigating through towns and swordfighting) and is incredibly BUGGY (as in constant crashing). Honestly, this is an insult for Bethesda to release to the gaming public in light of their other games (as in the Elder Scrolls series). Unfortunately, if a pirate game is what you are looking for, then this is about the only game out right now. I'd recommend, however, that you save your money and wait to get a game worth playing. Or at least a game thats FUN to play.

If ye don't like this game then ye should walk the plank.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: March 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Hey this is a great game. It is very entertaining and fun. I can't stop playing it. A very good game, highly recommeneded, although tutorials would have been nice.

Great Graphics! Very tough to master-

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I love games of this nature and I was very excited and anxious to play it. The graphics are wonderful but...the game could be better. First of all, the makers must have left half the instruction book on the drawing board. The book does a good job describing the different ships and characteristics of the weapons but as far as tips on winning and playing- forget it, pal- you're on your own. My first time out on a ship..a very small ship because that's all you can afford in the beginning, I was ambushed by two huge pirate vessels! They easily caught my little boat and I was faced with dueling the pirate captain. I think he sneezed on me and I was dead. I later found out that if you speak to different townspeople, they will give tips on playing but I'm impatient and don't want to walk up to every Tom, Dick and Harry on the virtual streets of 'SeaDogs' to find out how to play the game! After hours/days of practice I was able to make enough to get a bigger ship- then the fun begins as you can turn around and pick on little boats. Towns are virtually impossible to take over and after you've visited all of them, it gets a little boring. Since it takes a tremendous amount of cash to do almost anything you find yourself raiding merchant ships and constantly selling off plundered goods just to keep enough people on the boat to sail it! I played the original 'Pirates!' years ago- and although this game looks great..I'd take the (10 year old?) 'Pirates!' game over this one-

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