Pirates of the Burning Sea - T

Slightly flawed, huge online RPG for pirate fans.

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Category/Genre: Video Games - Massivly Multi-player Online Game (MMOG) Platform: Windows Price: $49.99 Online Enabled: Yes Graphics: Medium. Unique towns keep the game fresh but lack sparkle overall. Playability: Hard. Complicated, but rewarding. Parts of the game lack instruction. Reading Level: Heavy Release Date: 01/21/2008 ESRB Rating: T for Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes,

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that the game has bloody swordfights, gunfights at sea, some mild cursing, and a fair amount of alcohol references. However, the biggest concern is the same as with any other online game of this genre--it is easy to get "hooked" since the game is, in essence, designed to never be truly beaten. This in turn, keeps players paying the monthly subscription fee to play. In addition, as an online game, it is difficult for the developers to completely control the environment, so it is possible to run into more adult language or topics on the in-game message boards. Common Sense Media does not recommend online play for kids under age 12.

Families can talk about where they get their main enjoymentfrom when playing video games. Is it beating the game? Is it in growing and developing their characters? Is it finding new stories and being part of the story as it plays out? In a game as large as this one, do any of those motivations change?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Jeremy Gieske

PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA moves away from the traditional online role-playing fare of elves and goblins, instead letting players fight on the high seas and port towns of the Caribbean for riches and power. Players choose to be either a rascally pirate fighting for their own acclaim or as a British, Spanish, or French captain fighting for the glory of their country. As one of the nationalists, players can also choose whether to center their strategy on skillful trade as a merchant or focus on military strength as a naval captain or privateer.

Overall the game sparkles like a freshly opened treasure chest. With a huge map of the Caribbean before them, the game offers a nearly endless supply of well-designed quests. Missions are diverse, ranging from crossing swords with local pirate gangs, to running rum into a blockaded city. An overarching goal has players working together as a nation to conquer other nation's ports for control of important resources. The game really shines when players take to the sea. The game goes far beyond simply having the biggest ship/most guns to win. In fact, through the skillful use of sailing techniques and strategy, lower-level players can play and compete with higher-level players -- a unique opportunity in a game of this genre.

The game isn't all diamonds and rubies though -- a few flaws tarnish an otherwise well-done game. The sword fights are far inferior to the action at sea. Fewer options for strategy, and a lot of similarity between one battle to the next makes the land sequences far less interesting. Boarding an opponent's ship is particularly frustrating, since targeting a particular enemy such as the captain is a real challenge. Another major fault of the game is the lack of instruction for the more challenging aspects of the game. In particular, players are left to figure out the fairly complex economic system of manufacturing and trading goods after only a very brief tutorial. Players short on patience may grow tired of trying to figure out the game before they start to uncover some of its true treasures.

Younger fans of pirate-related games would probably love Sid Meier's Pirates! as an alternative to this game. For teens who like the online RPG type of gameplay, World of Warcraft offers a vast environment to explore and conquer.

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Content		CS	adults	kids
Content
Sexual Content Although the player has little involvement with them, brothels can be found in some of the cities. Minor innuendo with a small number of non-player characters--particularly in the pubs.
Violence Almost all quests involve violence of some sort -- either on land or at sea. During sword fights, blood is easily visible -- spraying from wounded opponents.
Language Occasional "damn," "bastard," and "hell" from bartenders, and other non-player characters. Although filters exist, other human players in the game have a knack for finding new ways of expressing themselves using vulgar/suggestive terminology.
Message
	Social Behavior Teamwork is an important part of many missions, both with non-player characters and other human characters. Some missions have a darker side to them, such as being paid to kill others for revenge.
	Commercialism
	Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Players can purchase and ingest alcohol for themselves and their crews. Players frequently visit local pubs to get quests or talk to other players. Drunk non-player characters are shown in the pub. Some characters can be seen smoking pipes/using tobacco.
	Educational Value Snippets of real history are laid within the storylines. Players also get a firm grasp on how supply and demand works within the economic system.