Unfortunately,
Sea Dogs is a little spottier when it comes to gameplay. While better than any of its brethren, and an enjoyable game, it’s also damn frustrating.
People like me remember Sid Meier’s Pirates! extremely fondly. I use to run it on an old XT box for hours, sailing the oceans for hours on end. And I enjoyed Pirates! Gold on my 486/33. There was something enticing about the mix of role-playing, adventure, and action that just clicked with me -- and, judging from the fan sites, a lot of other people as well.
Over the years, people have attempted to recapture that charm of sailing the seas. There was Cutthroats recently, which got too bogged down in the details. And now we have Sea Dogs. It takes the other route, and ends up being a little light.
You are Nicolas, recently removed from a Spanish prison to be a slave. The game starts post-escape, with a weak ship and little money. You start at an English port where you can get a letter of marque to stay on England’s good side. One of the great things about Sea Dogs is that you’re not required to do that -- you can sail for the English, the French, as a Pirate, or even under the Spanish. Each of the four “countries” reacts differently, asks you to do different things, and presents a different experience.
Much of the actual game is spent sailing between islands. You’re generally given notification of the existence of new islands which are added to your map. Sailing between two distant places is handled on a map, with “random encounters” interrupting your sailing.
There’s a lot of things to do in Sea Dogs. Besides being an errand-boy for whatever country you ally yourself to, you can run goods between ports, steal goods from other runners, and sail a wide variety of ships. Battles are entertaining and gorgeous, with four different types of shot that you can use and the ability to board the enemy ships. That’s not to say it’s easy, but it sure is fun. As you play, Nicolas gains experience, which allows him to control bigger and better ships. He also has a multitude of skills that you can put points into. Any weak spots can be covered by hired crew which raises your stats for a monthly fee.
Part of the game’s charm is the combination of all of these genres, and while each aspect -- the trading, the combat, and the “role-playing” -- is not particularly strong on its own, the combination of all three makes for an entertaining time. Often frustrating, yes, but entertaining nonetheless.
