Sid Meier’s Pirates: Old But Gold Pirate Fun

So far in my entire tenure at IndieGala, I’ve had several firsts. Sid Meier’s Pirates Gold Plus (Classic) is the last of those…or is it?

It’s the first time that I’m mentioning a game from the publisher Retroism, and it’s a first post that involves pirates. I’ve had plenty of other topics though. Rhinos, robots, angels and devils. But we do have Sid Meier’s Pirates at our sale here at IndieGala. We also have Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag and LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game too. And of course, who could forget the iconic LucasArts Monkey Island games.

But, Sid Meier’s Pirates (Classic) is part of our Retroism Classic Explorer Pack, and of our summer sale. However, the pack consists of Sid Meier’s Colonization and Sid Meier’s Covert Action as well. So you can purchase the games as part of a bundle and enjoy them together.

But what I’m going to focus here in this post is Sid Meier’s Pirates! Gold Plus, one-third of the bundle. And of course, I’m going to shine a light on some of the best pirate movies out there. Or at the very least, some of my favorites. No One Piece movies or episodes thou, but we do have several games readily available for the Luffy fans.

So, before I dive into the dangerous and thrilling world of pirates, a word or two about the game is in order.

Sid Meier’s Pirates: What’s the game all about?

Ahoy Mateys!  In Sid Meier’s Pirates you will crisscross your way along the 17th century Spanish Main in search of all-new adventures. Also, you’ll lead a crew of hot-blooded buccaneers into rollicking harbor towns. And risk your booty and your life plundering enemy ships! You’ll get to hunt for magnificent treasures! Unravel the mysteries and clues of your adventure! Even battle your way through enemy waters on grueling rescue missions!

 Will you win your rightful place in history? Or will you end up shipwrecked on a distant island? The answer can only be found in the swashbuckling Pirates! Gold.

Sid Meier’s Pirates: Pirates Then VS Now

Before delving deeper into fictional pirates, what about the real life ones? The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) defines piracy as the act of boarding any vessel with an intent to commit theft or any other crime. And with an intent or capacity to use force in furtherance of that act. However, the earliest documented instances of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the ships sailing in the Aegean and Mediterranean waters in the 14th century BC. Today, pirates are armed with automatic weapons, and machine guns, grenades. They also use small motorboats to attack and board ships. A tactic that takes advantage of the small number of crew members on modern cargo vessels and transport ships. Piracy has come a long way, don’t you think?

Disney is filled with pirates, not all like Sid Meier’s Pirates thou

So, without further ado, let’s pick the best and most interesting pirate movies. Yes, probably the most familiar pirate movie today is Disney’s swashbuckler extravaganza Pirates of the Caribbean. And Jack Sparrow is the most beloved pirate of that franchise. But another great movie that preceded Pirates of the Caribbean needs mentioning here. Hook. The 1991 Steven Spielberg is a really good pirate movie, and so is the 2002 animated Disney animated classic Treasure Planet. I love all of the three aforementioned Disney classics. But let’s get serious now. Let’s start over. Let’s start with….

The Goonies

Does it get any better than the Goonies? It’s a true 80’s staple and one of my favorite childhood movies. Ever. Directed by Richard Donner, written by Chris Columbus and based on the story of Steven Spielberg. The best of the best were involved in the making of the movie, and it shows. Goonies is an exciting cinematic adventure. Not to mention it was filled to the brim with incredible actors. It’s one of those movies that I can never get enough of, and it’s always more exciting than the last time I saw it. Also, I always wanted to go on an adventure like that of the Goonies, and I’m sad to say that I never got the chance. Oh, well.

Cutthroat Island

To this day I stand by my claim that this movie was so ahead of its time. Growing up, I didn’t see that many female pirates in movies. Yes, Anne of the Indies and The Buccaneer are classics, but very few movies followed them. So, I’ll blame the critical and financial doom of Cutthroat Island to the terrible production and wasteful spending of the budget. Oh, there was the subsequent total demise of the pirate genre. Can’t forget about that. But I actually loved Geena Davis in this movie. Matthew Modine was equally great and so was Frank Langella. It’s a shame that Cutthroat Island met with such horrible fate because it was actually great in plenty of other areas. It’s still one of my favorites from the ’90s.

Captain Phillips

A biopic about some of the modern-day pirates. And it’s actually good. It has incredible performances from Barkhad Abdi and Tom Hanks. A movie inspired by the true story of the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking, and of course merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips. It’s a tense and engaging movie that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end. And who’d have thought that one of the most famous lines ever “Look at me! I’m the captain now!” was an ad-lib by Barkhad Abdi. However, it was that Abdi later also starred in another movie about Somalia called “Pirates of Somalia.” Cool right? I thought so too.

The Princess Bride

Yes, I’m including The Princess Bride on this list. I thought about adding Roman Polanski’s Pirates here, but this is a nostalgia-based pick. As with plenty of the movies in this post, The Princess Bride is a blast from my childhood. It’s also one of the funniest movies that Rob Reiner made in the ’80s. That’s saying a lot since he made This Is A Spinal Tap and When Harry Met Sally… in the ’80s as well. So, the Princess Bride is in good company here. And the cast is perfect too. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright are just the cutest, Mandy Patinkin Wallace Shawn, Billy Cristal are incredible. And there’s the late Andre The Giant. A giant teddy bear, according to his co-stars.

Your picks

What are some of your picks? Your favorite pirate movies (or games)? Tell us in the comment section.  We’d love to know all about them.