User Reviews (1 - 11 of 40)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

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.

Great Concept - Very Poor Execution

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: June 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game looks like a lot of fun - but it will fade very quickly. You get killed thousands of times. The merchant system is infantile. You will be boarded and killed over and over. Don't waste your time or money. Try something else.

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.

Wish I Could Play Sea Dogs

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game sounds very enjoyable. It would be nice if there were not so many system compatability issues. In fact, I never was able to get the game installed on my system, a system that does not contain any weird or off brand cards. My information technology team at work also attempted to help me load additional drivers, change system settings and basically reconfigure my machine, to no avail.

No matter how good the game could be, it is not worth the trouble to install and attempt to set up

Worst pirate game ever.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is the absolute worst Pirate game ever. It completely lacks the fun factor of Sid Meiers Pirates!, or the polish of any many of the top quality games. This is headed for the bargin bin soon.

It has typical Bethesda Softworks graphics bugs and other game crashing bugs. Ship control is horrid. Game play is non-existent. The interface is a cludge. The sound is good and the graphics are "ok". Brilliant in spots, and simply ugly in others. There are quite a few graphics bugs. Even with patch 1.06 (released 04/2001). No matter how well you pound an enemy ship, they will never strike. You must board (almost impossible). And then defeat the enemy captain in a duel. This duel is limited to a couple of crude keyboard strokes. And in the first 12+ I tried, I lost all 12+. Oh what fun. So I had the joy of reloading the start postion a dozen times and experimenting with several different There is absolutely no game balance. There is no way to scale down the difficulty level. In about 75% of the opening games, I was attacked by 3 spanish ships (you always start with the Spanish as your enemy). No matter how much of their sails you shoot out with chain shot, they remain always faster and more maneuverable then you. Your ship has 3 cannons facing rearward for when you flee. I used those liberally for hours (real time) and was in the end caught and killed. (repeatedly). This is a Simply STUPID way to begin the game. If you simply must own all sailing or pirate games get it. I tried to give it to a buddy I went to college with, and after trying it he gave back. Even free, it was over priced.

Poor Interface, Slow Gameplay, Uninspired Content

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: March 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I was so excited when I saw this on the shelf. I brought it home and played it, hoping that it would be superior to pirate games of the past.

Well, the merchant factor was annoying, the engagement was atrocious, and at one point my ship was sunk every time I tried to leave a certain port. I had to actually start the game over.

For 40 bucks, there are so many quality games you can buy. I love gaming. I love pirates. But I despise this game. The interface is clunky, the graphics are good, but not exceptional, the gameplay is mundane and formulaic. Can't someone develop a pirate game that doesn't focus solely on getting a letter of marque, and bungling around trying to attack the Spanish? Haven't we come farther than that? It's just so disappointing.

How about a mouse based interface? No, no, let's just keep it on the keyboard. This is 2001. This game makes Castle Wolfenstein look speedy. Will someone in the Pirate Gaming genre, please, please hire someone with an imagination?

Fades quickly

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: May 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I brought this game after reading most of the available online reviews. After installing I played for about three hours straight. By the end of the week the game was relegated to the useless stack. The graphics and sound are very good, but the gameplay becomes very boring fast.

Fun but only when it actually works

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I've been waiting for a Pirates game since the original Pirates from ten years ago. This one was fun and seemed to have some good potential. But that's only when you can get it to work. I have a machine that should run this game very smoothly and even with everything upgraded it freezes all the time and is more buggy than any other game I've played. And the patch 1.06 only caused more problems than it fixed. Also techincal support for it was basically non existant. I've also gone to the forums for the game and the general feeling is that they created the game and then went AWOL when the customers looked for help with the problems in it. I gave it two stars because it is pretty fun when you can get it to work.

Would be more fun if it was easier

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Even with the patch (v1.06) which lets you select Easy difficulty level, the game is still pretty hard. The ship you start off with is absolutely pathetic! You have the weakest cannons, so the range is shorter requiring you to get super close to the enemy ships who then just pound you because they have more, better cannons. Then if you try to board, you die. I haven't successfully boarded a ship yet. One swipe from the enemy captain and I die. Isn't that a bit silly? So to build up your ship and cannons, you have to travel back and forth between the same two islands trading goods. Very frustrating. Yet somehow despite these frustrations, I feel like if I can just get better there is fun to be had. Will give it a couple more games and see...

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-

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 Next 

Actions