PIRATES: THE LEGEND OF BLACK KAT

It has been a while since I've seen a pirating game, and even longer since I've actually played one. After being in development limbo for what seemed like an eternity, PIRATES: THE LEGEND OF BLACK KAT has been released for the Playstation 2. But while the game does have some innovative ideas, it ultimately gets lost in a rather boring 3D-adventure game.

You are Katarina de Leon, a female pirate on a quest for revenge against the pirates who killed her father. Cutscenes drive the story and manage to create a pirate world that makes it feel like you're actually out on the high seas.

While PIRATES is more of an adventure game, everything is very similar to a platform game. You have a world that consists of a set of islands, forts held hostage, shops, and characters who need you to go on quests. There are also objectives such as find a certain hidden key, or find a map. As you move to the next world you get a whole new set of islands to collect keys and complete quests in.

While on the islands, controls are much like any other platform game. You have a "context-sensitive" button that has a differing function depending on the situation you are in. The controls work fairly well, and you can easily execute a nice sword combo. I found myself quickly growing bored of the foot fighting though; it just seemed to get very repetitive quickly.

Kat isn't a good swimmer, and she'll need a ship to get from island to island. Once you reach your ship you'll find waterways filled with life and enemy vessels. There are multiple weapons to damage the other ships, including some to specifically damage sails or the hull. Of course, you can always use your trusty cannons (that have infinite ammo) to blast ships out of the water. There are also multiple ship upgrades that can be purchased, increasing your capacity for cannons and damage. The other aspect of a ship is the speed. You can use a burst of speed when it is fully charged and hold it until partial or full depletion. The meter then begins to recharge and you can't use it until it's fully charged again. This forces you to use speed bursts a little more strategically.

The sea battling is the better part of the game. It makes getting around in the game much easier and battles can be quite strategic and fun. Ramming ships, using speed bursts and special weapons all comes under consideration during the sea fighting. You have to actually think about the fighting and not just play stupidly.

There is also a two-player mode to add some life to the 18-hour one player game. This mode is entirely based on the ship-fighting mode so it's a lot of fun to play.

Visually the game fails to impress. The character models and textures look very bland at times, and the framerate can have some problems. Nevertheless, the game does manage to portray a world of swashbuckling pirates and even though simple, it does manage to nearly immerse you.

The sound falls into the same category... it's not really that impressive on its own, but it is enough to bring you into the world and make you believe it. There is music while you are sailing, background effects on foot, and some voice-over work that isn't terrible. Not impressive, but good enough.

While the game can get bogged down when Kat is on foot, PIRATES: THE LEGEND OF BLACK more than makes up for it with the awesome sea-faring areas and the immersive world that you are sucked into. PS2 owners should check it out.