How to make a remake

After a long vacation, I have returned! It was a tense and busy holiday season. But I got some great stuff for Christmas! I finally got an Eye Toy, Viewtiful Joe, Malice, Kingdom Hearts: Keychain of Memories, and “Character Development and Storytelling for Games“ by Lee Sheldon. And just this last week, I received in the mail Sid Meier’s Pirates!: Live the Life. I ordered myself a limited edition copy from Ebay, since I had missed my original chance to get one. I love pirates. I will play just about any game that has pirates in it, and even the ones that suck I enjoy just because I get to be a pirate. Sid Meier’s Pirates! does not suck, and that makes it a potentially dangerous game, at least to my free time. I played Sid Meier’s Pirates! as a kid. I was introduced to it by a friend of mine, and convinced my mom to get me a copy. I must have played that game more than just about any other on the PC. Ever. And it wasn’t just because it was pirates. Sid Meier captured the experience of being a pirate better than any other pirate game I have ever played. I sailed the seas, crossed swords with other pirate captains, traded goods in different ports, and wooed the governor’s daughters. Pirates! had the feel of a role playing game, much more so than games that are billed as RPGs. This is because every choice you took was meaningful, and they all had consequences. Do I want to stay true to my British nation and only attack the enemies of the crown? Or do I want to be a marauding pirate destroying everyone in my path? I can spend all my time attacking ports, trading goods, searching for buried treasure, or do whatever I want at any given time. It was a brilliantly good time. And the remake lives up to it in every way. This is how to do a remake RIGHT – don’t change a goddamn thing. There are some added features, and a couple things that were really annoying in the original game were fixed, but overall the genius core gameplay is untouched. The graphics have been updated of course, and they are gorgeous. Ocean battles and sword fights are even better than before, thanks to the cinematic quality of the graphics. And they didn’t just make it prettier. They really made it more exciting as well. Sword fighting feels like a classic Flynn swashbuckler. The mechanics are exactly the same as the old game. But instead of just pushing your opponent to the end of the screen, you push him off the poop deck, slide down the banister, snatch up any items on the deck to smash him with them, and finally edge him off the side of the ship. It looks and feels glorious. The additions actually do add to the game, not distract from or ruin any classic gameplay. You can now upgrade your ship which gives you bonuses, but nothing that breaks the balance. There are far more ships to attack and in turn take over. And there is a new mini-game. You now dance with the governor’s daughters in order to woo them. Its fun, completely optional, and actually the hardest part of the game (I think). Oh and there’s this story thing now that you can follow if you like. But it is set up so you can pretty much ignore it if you so choose. Which is good, because forcing someone to follow the storyline would have ruined the classic open-endedness of the game. The only thing I haven’t liked so far is the fact that it seems much easier than the original. I don’t know if I am a more mature and skilled player now, but I strongly suspect the game is actually easier. I remember playing on apprentice level back in the good ol’ days and being able to play for a few hours at most before getting thrashed enough times that my pirate was forced to retire. On apprentice level now, I am sinking everyone right and left. But fortunately the game includes a difficulty level change when you divide the plunder, so I’ll try the next one up and see how I fare. Only I cringe at what the dancing will be like! If you are ever to remake a classic game, here is a wonderful example of what TO do. My childhood has returned to me, better than ever. Sad that the same cannot be said of my husband, who spent his youth playing Bard’s Tale.