Metascore
56 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 23
  2. Negative: 8 out of 23
  1. Tense, drawn-out battles ahoy! Combat at sea has never been such fun. [Sept 2006, p.96]
  2. 80
    The formula still needs a bit of work, to be sure, but Age of Pirates is definitely a potent breath mint fit for the mangiest of pirates, if only for the seaworthy ambience and ability to play in full pirate regalia without feeling silly.
  3. 79
    There is no end, provided you don't die and don't grab all the ports. It's pretty much a pirate simulator, though things like health and your personal cash not in your way of sailing around sinking things.
  4. But in spite of its repetitive gameplay, Age of Pirates offers Akella's most polished pirating excursion yet, and its introduction of a multiplayer mode, which allows you and up to 15 of your mateys to duke it out on the high seas, adds even more value to a solid sandbox game. [Dec. 2006, p.98]
  5. Clunky island controls and gameplay darken what is otherwise an extremely enjoyable action RPG that truly shines during its high seas adventures.
  6. The controls are easy to get into and figure out, and the option to play the story or just do whatever you want to do makes it a definite that there are lots of hours of gameplay to be found here. The controls were clunky.
  7. Age of Pirates is plagued by slipshod sword fighting and a cluttered interface, but its breadth and freedom--no plot constraints here--are absolutely commendable. [Oct. 2006, p.69]
  8. It's a barebones swashbuckling experience wrapped around a buggy and repetitive gameplay core that skirts the edges of the mundane.
  9. The gameplay itself is lacking, whether you walking on land, sailing a ship, or battling in any form, you aren't really battling because the gameplay itself is fun or interesting, you're playing to continue the experience of expanding your goals and reaping the rewards after it.
  10. Where Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales falls down is in providing and engaging storyline to back up the strong gameplay.
  11. 60
    This game will make you want to spend your entire life at sea, watching the flowing waves, dodging water spouts, dueling with enemy ships, and plundering booty. The rest of the game, sadly, feels more like a chore than an adventure.
  12. From the unfriendly, baffling set-up screen, everything is unwieldy and cobbled together. [Oct 2006, p.79]
  13. The graphics and environment are beautiful, and the open-ended gameplay with RPG-like elements work great, but they cannot recover from the other shortcomings.
  14. The idea of a pirate RPG with naval combat and basic economic functions is such a good one, but here it's largely obscured by the awkward interface, strange design decisions, and poor attention to detail.
  15. AOPCT is missing something. Even on easy mode it is far too lethal preventing you from getting into the game without many failures and game restarts and reboots.
  16. A countless number of rough edges and some major bugs sap just about all the potential for entertainment from this overambitious, underdeveloped game about the pirates' life.
  17. Think of your least-favorite, most painful to endure pirate movie (like maybe The Pirate Movie), multiply it by 10 and turn it into a PC game, and you'll get the idea of what it's like to play Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales.
  18. Things could've improved in the later parts of the remarkably minimal story when you start colonizing islands, but because every nation on the map will swiftly descend on your new outpost, even this is reduced to grinding out enough cash and crew to withstand the assault.
  19. 40
    Unfortunately, all these mild enjoyments delineated above are ruined by the bugs that crawl throughout this game. One bug wipes out all the cargo on your ship every time you set sail. Another prevents merchants from buying or selling anything. A third cuts off a minor side quest.
  20. 40
    Players with the patience to slug through the interface and the slow parts of the game will discover an overarching story, allowing them to reunite with lost family members and even conquer the whole of the Caribbean under one flag.
  21. In its present state, however, playing it is about as enjoyable as walking the plank in shark-infested waters. [Nov. 2006, p.72]
  22. From the bugs to the unimaginative feel of the adventures, this seems to be a game that was rushed to market too fast. At the end of an evening of play, there just weren't any great yarns of the sea that we had to rush off and describe to friends.
  23. A tedious, irritating waste of promising material. [Oct 2006, p.87]
User Score

Generally unfavorable- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 6
  2. Negative: 4 out of 6
  1. JamesK
    2
    Many many bugs big letdown the graphics are truly awsome and the same with geological layout such as vegetation and buildings. But the scripting is poor so many places you cannot go such as the bank,beaches and jungle's maybe im to much of a potc man, but it would improve the game significantly and so would a patch that would solve all bugs. Full Review »
  2. RobertT.
    0
    It is advertised as being online. Maybe it was 3 years ago. I see posts in Forums where it has not been working online internet service by Playlogic or atari since 2006. So where are the games I ask? Full Review »
  3. MikeW.
    0
    Being a big fan of Bethesda's Pirates of the Caribbean i was really looking forward to the release of this game. But there was so much wrong with this game that i took it back to the store for a refund a couple of days later and went back to POTC. Full Review »