Sid Meier's Pirates!: Live the Life (2004)(PC, 2004)
Graphics-7.5 Sound-8 Control-7.5 Challenge-7/8?* Story-5.5
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Highest rank on Rogue level
+
Zoomable in-game view with two perspectives (TD or TP/chase view)
More advanced sea combat (buy ship upgrades (cannon range and accuracy, crew capacity, turning speed), three shot types (specialized for hull, sail or crew damage respectively), multiple cannons load one after the other so you can choose to wait and fire off a stronger volley or keep firing smaller ones - you'll fire more than one ball at once here, multi-ship combat, crew and cargo can fall into the sea and you can retrieve both by moving into them)
Can now see neutral and enemy ships directly on the world map (you can see them attacking other ships, taking over towns, delivering goods or treaties) meaning there're no random encounters
Better animation and lighting (you now see a ship's crew during a sea battle and individuals falling overboard), animated cutscenes
Each ship now has its own minimum effective crew status and you can still keep and use a ship if you're below it but at a reduced effectiveness (slower and less manouevreable, slower reloading) whereas previously if you didn't fill the cannon crew quota the ship wouldn't fire
Interactive sneaking into and out of enemy towns (previously just a dice roll)
Dancing mini-game as part of courting a governor's daughter (fun but how the timing is displayed is a bit weird compared to other rhythm games)
Special items added (jewellery and dancing shoes will help you win the heart of a governor's daughter, a fine sword will help with duelling, a weather glass or barometer helps deal with storm cloud damage, etc.)
Crew specialists (the cook keeps your men happier during long journeys at sea; the sail-maker repairs sail damage after a battle, etc.), In-game glossary of terms
Zoomable world map with display options (and easy to access info on each town like in Gold)
Can hover the cursor over another ship to check its nationality and type
Five difficulty levels (previously four)
Nameable ships
Added wind speed mechanic
Many save slots - not nameable but they show the current location and date (can only save outside of town here as opposed to only in town in previous versions which makes the game easier, money stat isn't shown when loading a game unlike in the NES ver.)
A governor who you've received a mission from no longer fails you if you return without having completeted it
Can change the flagship in a fleet (Tab)
Added indian/native american ships and villages (can convince the chief in one to attack specific towns)
Added christian missionaries and settlements (jesuit missions) - priests in these can mediate with nearby enemy gorvernors
Added pirate settlements (can convince the pirate captain in one to attack specific towns)
Quest messages displayed on the world map at their relevant locations (can be toggled on or off)
Some new moves added to duels (jump and duck, taunt, enemy swing attack using a mast rope, can use nearby obstacles to attack with, can buy a gun which is fired right before duels but it doesn't seem to make that much of a difference) and they are more cinematic - however you can no longer move back and forth manually
Some hidden settlements (need a dutch rutter to reveal them)
Can see your current ship speed outside of battle (a bit glitchy though?)
A nation may send out a warship if you keep attacking their ships
If you steal a pirate's buried treasure then he'll come after you
Hitting a ship from the front or rear does more damage
Day to night cycle during ship combat (battle ends if night is reached and nothing much happens for a period of time)
Landmarks and settlements (new towns) change location from game to game
Decent writing
Crew recruitment is no longer a random event in taverns
Aging no longer stops the game for you at 34+ yo - it simply becomes harder (in Gold you could be seriously injured up to 9 times before age 34 before the game forces you into retirement)
Rank with a nation also affects prices/recruitment options/goods available for towns in that nation here
9 ship classes with 3 types each
Resolution and detail options, audio level options
More advanced land battles overall (basic deployment (Tab), new enemy troop types (guards and artillery, native bowmen and spearmen)
New orders (turn, close or ranged combat, hold), flank and rear attacks)
Quick travel from land to your ship option (R) and land movement is a bit faster
New gear shows on the character model in duels
The same treasure can't change location from randomized map piece mechanics here (I think)
Can't become drunk and lose your crew etc. from visiting a tavern over and over in this version
No random event when fleeing from sea battles which can cause one of your ships to be shot down anyway?
Fast dialogue and transitions (skippable cutscenes as well)
One new random event at taverns (a guard bothering the added waitress)
Can now see the carry capacity effect of selling a ship before selling it
Multiple endings (minor story differences between each though and it's just a screen with text and your character in clothes fitting your final rank)
Xbox: Added sea combat segment where you jump onto the opponent's ship and thing out the crew, better sneaking segment, QTE scene before duels where you can grab a sword being thrown at you?,
? Gold: higher carry capacity (over 255)
+/-
Turn-based land battles here
The other ships in your fleet now show in-game (they automatically follow the flagship like in a JRPG)
Storm clouds can now damage your ships
Quest log now shows missions and current treasure map pieces only (who's at war with who and other info is shown in the captain's log, some info like tips on where to trade a certain good isn't shown though so you have to write it down) - still a bit sparse on mission info but does show where you're supposed to go marked on a map
The wind changes direction less frequently and less drastically than in previous versions but sailing seems a bit faster in general (generally blows from the east which is realistic but sometimes annoying)
You get a few more recruits from won ship battles than in Pirates! Gold (MD)?
Can manually look at other ships from afar using a telescope (right-click) but you can't move at the same time
The option to advance to the next difficulty level after dividing the plunder only becomes available if you did well enough on your current voyage here
Can't flee from a duel here?
Can't pick starting age for your character
Can't play as a non-European
Can't increase/add other proficiencies/skills during the game
The evil nobles can travel around (if the one you were searching for does you can get info on his whereabouts at the tavern)
Repair cost changes with damage percentages here
Time generally passes quickly but stops during certain activities (duels, land combat, being in town or in dialogue, menus/info screens, shopping, plundering) and passes slower during sea combat
Easier to find treasure due to the landmarks
Can't kidnap or kill governors
Can't leave towns by foot anymore? (so can't use this dividing the plunder tactic: as long as you do not board your ship an unhappy or angry crew can't desert you and take money with them)
Can't move around on your own in towns here besides the sneaking segment (wasn't done that well on MD but still)
Shops are still divided into two here (one ship shop and one for goods & cannons)
Rapiers seem favored for duels since they end rather quickly here (push your opponent back a few times and they'll get knocked out in a number of ways)
Attacking a town and winning doesn't mean you'll conquer it
More forgiving regular cloud effects (won't change your course)
Harder to sneak into the tavern than the governor's mansion
A bit harder to find incan treasure/lost city treasure map pieces (need to woo on governors' daughters)
Can be rewarded with land but it's only used for the final score
Can't lose land or titles
Can't fire crew members
Increasing your crew size quickly makes your crew angry on medium+ difficulty
Randomized starting point
No "capture this town" missions?
Becoming a bishop has nothing to do with helping missionaries in-game
This version seems to handle pirate capture and jailing automatically after you've beaten them in combat
No sun sight mechanic?
Can't destroy forts?
? Richer spanish towns are less likely to trade with you (spanish trade law)
? You can actually find the Incan treasure four times (save and reload before charming a daughter to get a better map piece from that member and then collect the treasure before finding the next piece)
? Easier to get the max score without playing on Adventurer than on NES
? Fleeing from land combat usually decreases gold rewards from repeated attempts at attacking a town since its inhabitants will hide some of it - I did also notice a slight difference in the wording of the ending after maybe escaping from a few more sea battles)
-
Some control/interface issues (HUD shows wind speed but not your ship's speed, the dancing mini-game is much harder on Journeyman and above because you can't see the yellow indicators even if you have the dancing shoes and they're a bit faster as well - it seems the timing is a bit off (after the beat) for getting the best reaction as well?, if you said no to buying a treasure map in a tavern then you have to re-enter the town to be able to talk to that trader again, need a guide for ship stats, no fast travel at sea, no mini-maps, large dark clouds sometimes get in the way when sailing under them if you don't zoom out (should've become transparent), messages (ship messages to you and messages about town changes) while sailing display too quickly and the former are a bit hard to read when displayed over certain ships (they also become smaller when zooming out for some reason) - pausing doesn't stop these messages from cycling quickly and there's no message speed option, have to zoom in a lot to view quest messages on the world map screen, the zoom level on the world map resets every time you exit it, can only upgrade one thing on your ships per town, huge hit boxes on landmarks)
Still can't leave any ships at a friendly town nor buy any ships at any town
Only five time periods here (no 1560 option)
No ship vs. land combat/ship sieges (you have the option of deployin your men on land or you get the option to sneak into it here and your ship can be shot at in-game but won't sink unless you try to make it sink) - for some reason NPC ships can still attack towns
No separate screen with a flag animation when engaging with another ship - just a small menu prompt now
Can't choose between strong and normal attacks in duels here
Less stylish in-game menu than in Gold, Sometimes ugly/plain interface design
Can't pick from three different swords before each duel on Apprentice level here
Can't see the map when accepting an escort/treaty delivery mission
Can't click on a location on the world map to set sail towards it (there's a prompt that triggers when far out at sea letting you pick a destination but it doesn't show the map while picking so it's kind of useless)
Sometimes poor pathfinding near land or in narrow paths between islands (escorted ships tend to circle around quickly a couple of times right after spawning)
No enemy ships during land battles
Can't manually ask about an evil noble if he had left the town he was supposed to be in
You'll need a manual and preferably a guide as well to play it properly unless you've played the prequels
No "command a famous expedition" option
Still a bit repetitive
Pretty time consuming in general
Quest info is sometimes outdated once you get to the relevant location due to sailing there taking too long (it's good to get an informant close to the treasure fleet and silver train locations - in fact there is no silver train here?)
Still can't choose to recruit only part of a new group of recruits
Trial & error (Montalban's large indian mercenary force defending his hideout, you only get to keep the flagship in your fleet and some crew+food+your share after dividing the plunder and continuing play by starting a new expedition (goods and sugar are lost and you lose a few months of time as well), can't ask about the details of a governor's mission before accepting or declining - seems you can decline later here though, )
Some buried treasure is barely worth it (2k near Gibraltar)
Can't take famous pirates and pirate hunters as hostages here (nor ask hunters or criminals about the silver train/treasure fleet)
Some cheap random events (evil noble locations and other locations are randomized and can end up far away and/or at a well defended colony - save before taking a mission to prevent this?)
Missing a few artwork stills/cutscenes seen in the original (getting the treasure fleet and silver train treasures)
The music and ambience cuts out while viewing the world map
? Having attacked a hostile town and won doesn't mean you can walk into that town from land or sail into it normally?,
? Can't capture a town unless it's <600 pop? (end up back in the ship outside of town after attacking by sea and winning - the town seems to replenish some of its soldiers between battles here, attacking from land and draining the town of all defenses then dragging out the sword duel until there's just one guy doesn't seem to work either),
? Can’t play peacefully because your crew gets pissed if you don’t loot?
Notes:
-Glitchy diplomacy (you can attack several ships outside one of a nation's ports (tried it with the Spanish and Dutch) and still not have them become hostile towards you - instead you get rewards and new missions),
-See the Pirates! Gold review for info on the aspects which stayed the same
-Best ships and how to get them: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/915017-sid-meiers-pirates/cheats
-Became a Bishop at Rogue level with 94 fame points, all quests finished except for the hideout, found one lost city
Bugs:
-Traveling evil nobles sometimes get stuck for over a year near the town they started traveling from (happened near St. Augustine for me),
-Can get your ship stuck near Santo Domingo (entering a battle doesn't help),
Level Design-7.5 Frustration-7.5 Fun-7.5 Originality-6.5
Overall Score-7.5
*Highest rank on Rogue level
+
Zoomable in-game view with two perspectives (TD or TP/chase view)
More advanced sea combat (buy ship upgrades (cannon range and accuracy, crew capacity, turning speed), three shot types (specialized for hull, sail or crew damage respectively), multiple cannons load one after the other so you can choose to wait and fire off a stronger volley or keep firing smaller ones - you'll fire more than one ball at once here, multi-ship combat, crew and cargo can fall into the sea and you can retrieve both by moving into them)
Can now see neutral and enemy ships directly on the world map (you can see them attacking other ships, taking over towns, delivering goods or treaties) meaning there're no random encounters
Better animation and lighting (you now see a ship's crew during a sea battle and individuals falling overboard), animated cutscenes
Each ship now has its own minimum effective crew status and you can still keep and use a ship if you're below it but at a reduced effectiveness (slower and less manouevreable, slower reloading) whereas previously if you didn't fill the cannon crew quota the ship wouldn't fire
Interactive sneaking into and out of enemy towns (previously just a dice roll)
Dancing mini-game as part of courting a governor's daughter (fun but how the timing is displayed is a bit weird compared to other rhythm games)
Special items added (jewellery and dancing shoes will help you win the heart of a governor's daughter, a fine sword will help with duelling, a weather glass or barometer helps deal with storm cloud damage, etc.)
Crew specialists (the cook keeps your men happier during long journeys at sea; the sail-maker repairs sail damage after a battle, etc.), In-game glossary of terms
Zoomable world map with display options (and easy to access info on each town like in Gold)
Can hover the cursor over another ship to check its nationality and type
Five difficulty levels (previously four)
Nameable ships
Added wind speed mechanic
Many save slots - not nameable but they show the current location and date (can only save outside of town here as opposed to only in town in previous versions which makes the game easier, money stat isn't shown when loading a game unlike in the NES ver.)
A governor who you've received a mission from no longer fails you if you return without having completeted it
Can change the flagship in a fleet (Tab)
Added indian/native american ships and villages (can convince the chief in one to attack specific towns)
Added christian missionaries and settlements (jesuit missions) - priests in these can mediate with nearby enemy gorvernors
Added pirate settlements (can convince the pirate captain in one to attack specific towns)
Quest messages displayed on the world map at their relevant locations (can be toggled on or off)
Some new moves added to duels (jump and duck, taunt, enemy swing attack using a mast rope, can use nearby obstacles to attack with, can buy a gun which is fired right before duels but it doesn't seem to make that much of a difference) and they are more cinematic - however you can no longer move back and forth manually
Some hidden settlements (need a dutch rutter to reveal them)
Can see your current ship speed outside of battle (a bit glitchy though?)
A nation may send out a warship if you keep attacking their ships
If you steal a pirate's buried treasure then he'll come after you
Hitting a ship from the front or rear does more damage
Day to night cycle during ship combat (battle ends if night is reached and nothing much happens for a period of time)
Landmarks and settlements (new towns) change location from game to game
Decent writing
Crew recruitment is no longer a random event in taverns
Aging no longer stops the game for you at 34+ yo - it simply becomes harder (in Gold you could be seriously injured up to 9 times before age 34 before the game forces you into retirement)
Rank with a nation also affects prices/recruitment options/goods available for towns in that nation here
9 ship classes with 3 types each
Resolution and detail options, audio level options
More advanced land battles overall (basic deployment (Tab), new enemy troop types (guards and artillery, native bowmen and spearmen)
New orders (turn, close or ranged combat, hold), flank and rear attacks)
Quick travel from land to your ship option (R) and land movement is a bit faster
New gear shows on the character model in duels
The same treasure can't change location from randomized map piece mechanics here (I think)
Can't become drunk and lose your crew etc. from visiting a tavern over and over in this version
No random event when fleeing from sea battles which can cause one of your ships to be shot down anyway?
Fast dialogue and transitions (skippable cutscenes as well)
One new random event at taverns (a guard bothering the added waitress)
Can now see the carry capacity effect of selling a ship before selling it
Multiple endings (minor story differences between each though and it's just a screen with text and your character in clothes fitting your final rank)
Xbox: Added sea combat segment where you jump onto the opponent's ship and thing out the crew, better sneaking segment, QTE scene before duels where you can grab a sword being thrown at you?,
? Gold: higher carry capacity (over 255)
+/-
Turn-based land battles here
The other ships in your fleet now show in-game (they automatically follow the flagship like in a JRPG)
Storm clouds can now damage your ships
Quest log now shows missions and current treasure map pieces only (who's at war with who and other info is shown in the captain's log, some info like tips on where to trade a certain good isn't shown though so you have to write it down) - still a bit sparse on mission info but does show where you're supposed to go marked on a map
The wind changes direction less frequently and less drastically than in previous versions but sailing seems a bit faster in general (generally blows from the east which is realistic but sometimes annoying)
You get a few more recruits from won ship battles than in Pirates! Gold (MD)?
Can manually look at other ships from afar using a telescope (right-click) but you can't move at the same time
The option to advance to the next difficulty level after dividing the plunder only becomes available if you did well enough on your current voyage here
Can't flee from a duel here?
Can't pick starting age for your character
Can't play as a non-European
Can't increase/add other proficiencies/skills during the game
The evil nobles can travel around (if the one you were searching for does you can get info on his whereabouts at the tavern)
Repair cost changes with damage percentages here
Time generally passes quickly but stops during certain activities (duels, land combat, being in town or in dialogue, menus/info screens, shopping, plundering) and passes slower during sea combat
Easier to find treasure due to the landmarks
Can't kidnap or kill governors
Can't leave towns by foot anymore? (so can't use this dividing the plunder tactic: as long as you do not board your ship an unhappy or angry crew can't desert you and take money with them)
Can't move around on your own in towns here besides the sneaking segment (wasn't done that well on MD but still)
Shops are still divided into two here (one ship shop and one for goods & cannons)
Rapiers seem favored for duels since they end rather quickly here (push your opponent back a few times and they'll get knocked out in a number of ways)
Attacking a town and winning doesn't mean you'll conquer it
More forgiving regular cloud effects (won't change your course)
Harder to sneak into the tavern than the governor's mansion
A bit harder to find incan treasure/lost city treasure map pieces (need to woo on governors' daughters)
Can be rewarded with land but it's only used for the final score
Can't lose land or titles
Can't fire crew members
Increasing your crew size quickly makes your crew angry on medium+ difficulty
Randomized starting point
No "capture this town" missions?
Becoming a bishop has nothing to do with helping missionaries in-game
This version seems to handle pirate capture and jailing automatically after you've beaten them in combat
No sun sight mechanic?
Can't destroy forts?
? Richer spanish towns are less likely to trade with you (spanish trade law)
? You can actually find the Incan treasure four times (save and reload before charming a daughter to get a better map piece from that member and then collect the treasure before finding the next piece)
? Easier to get the max score without playing on Adventurer than on NES
? Fleeing from land combat usually decreases gold rewards from repeated attempts at attacking a town since its inhabitants will hide some of it - I did also notice a slight difference in the wording of the ending after maybe escaping from a few more sea battles)
-
Some control/interface issues (HUD shows wind speed but not your ship's speed, the dancing mini-game is much harder on Journeyman and above because you can't see the yellow indicators even if you have the dancing shoes and they're a bit faster as well - it seems the timing is a bit off (after the beat) for getting the best reaction as well?, if you said no to buying a treasure map in a tavern then you have to re-enter the town to be able to talk to that trader again, need a guide for ship stats, no fast travel at sea, no mini-maps, large dark clouds sometimes get in the way when sailing under them if you don't zoom out (should've become transparent), messages (ship messages to you and messages about town changes) while sailing display too quickly and the former are a bit hard to read when displayed over certain ships (they also become smaller when zooming out for some reason) - pausing doesn't stop these messages from cycling quickly and there's no message speed option, have to zoom in a lot to view quest messages on the world map screen, the zoom level on the world map resets every time you exit it, can only upgrade one thing on your ships per town, huge hit boxes on landmarks)
Still can't leave any ships at a friendly town nor buy any ships at any town
Only five time periods here (no 1560 option)
No ship vs. land combat/ship sieges (you have the option of deployin your men on land or you get the option to sneak into it here and your ship can be shot at in-game but won't sink unless you try to make it sink) - for some reason NPC ships can still attack towns
No separate screen with a flag animation when engaging with another ship - just a small menu prompt now
Can't choose between strong and normal attacks in duels here
Less stylish in-game menu than in Gold, Sometimes ugly/plain interface design
Can't pick from three different swords before each duel on Apprentice level here
Can't see the map when accepting an escort/treaty delivery mission
Can't click on a location on the world map to set sail towards it (there's a prompt that triggers when far out at sea letting you pick a destination but it doesn't show the map while picking so it's kind of useless)
Sometimes poor pathfinding near land or in narrow paths between islands (escorted ships tend to circle around quickly a couple of times right after spawning)
No enemy ships during land battles
Can't manually ask about an evil noble if he had left the town he was supposed to be in
You'll need a manual and preferably a guide as well to play it properly unless you've played the prequels
No "command a famous expedition" option
Still a bit repetitive
Pretty time consuming in general
Quest info is sometimes outdated once you get to the relevant location due to sailing there taking too long (it's good to get an informant close to the treasure fleet and silver train locations - in fact there is no silver train here?)
Still can't choose to recruit only part of a new group of recruits
Trial & error (Montalban's large indian mercenary force defending his hideout, you only get to keep the flagship in your fleet and some crew+food+your share after dividing the plunder and continuing play by starting a new expedition (goods and sugar are lost and you lose a few months of time as well), can't ask about the details of a governor's mission before accepting or declining - seems you can decline later here though, )
Some buried treasure is barely worth it (2k near Gibraltar)
Can't take famous pirates and pirate hunters as hostages here (nor ask hunters or criminals about the silver train/treasure fleet)
Some cheap random events (evil noble locations and other locations are randomized and can end up far away and/or at a well defended colony - save before taking a mission to prevent this?)
Missing a few artwork stills/cutscenes seen in the original (getting the treasure fleet and silver train treasures)
The music and ambience cuts out while viewing the world map
? Having attacked a hostile town and won doesn't mean you can walk into that town from land or sail into it normally?,
? Can't capture a town unless it's <600 pop? (end up back in the ship outside of town after attacking by sea and winning - the town seems to replenish some of its soldiers between battles here, attacking from land and draining the town of all defenses then dragging out the sword duel until there's just one guy doesn't seem to work either),
? Can’t play peacefully because your crew gets pissed if you don’t loot?
Notes:
-Glitchy diplomacy (you can attack several ships outside one of a nation's ports (tried it with the Spanish and Dutch) and still not have them become hostile towards you - instead you get rewards and new missions),
-See the Pirates! Gold review for info on the aspects which stayed the same
-Best ships and how to get them: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/915017-sid-meiers-pirates/cheats
-Became a Bishop at Rogue level with 94 fame points, all quests finished except for the hideout, found one lost city
Bugs:
-Traveling evil nobles sometimes get stuck for over a year near the town they started traveling from (happened near St. Augustine for me),
-Can get your ship stuck near Santo Domingo (entering a battle doesn't help),