Tempest - Pirate City

As much as I can tell the new contents make it easier to reach end-game status since you can pretty much buy yourself into the world of big things very fast. As for those who are already at that point there is barelly anything new. Some new quests, a new ship, and the ability to build a settlement. Well, building is a little strong word to use here but you can do this or that with the place. Good enough if you just want to have some light fun. I have to repeat the previous review however. The known bugs and issues remained unsolved and you still can't play with friends on local network. Knowing this the DLC doesn't worth more than a free patch in my eyes.

Game crash on tutorial. That was fast. I didn't even manage to open my shanties song book.

Personally I am very pleased with this title, I think its a strong pirate/naval RPG. This game follows the same basic type of setup as Sid Meiers Pirates, you sail around a fictional ocean world completing quests and missions. There are 6 or 7 factions where you can complete missions for them and win their favor or sink their ships and fall out of favor. There is a basic pirate tutorial that teaches the very basics of the game, and then the advanced game techniques you figure out with time. I think the grahics and engine are very good, the sailing through water is great, the Naval battles are terrific (why do we play pirate games anyway). The AI is pretty standard, not great, but good enough to make the battles fun. The broadsides are enjoyable. When you board a ship it shifts to 3rd person view and you take sword and pistol to take over the enemy ship. The AI isn't really smart here and pretty much is a bunch of computer NPCs hacking each other; its not bad, but it does begin to feel generic after a few runs. The boarding fights are cool in comparison with other games like PR or Tortuga in which boarding is a roll of the dice and there is no interaction. There are several different types of ships that are customizable in ordinance (not just round, chain, and grape) and give you different advantages. This game also has a fantasy/magic component with runes you can get to upgrade your ship, things like rain of fire, shield, or summon the Kraken. The sea monster aspect to this game is really cool. It has a cool fantasy/arcade feel to it, it really sets it apart from dryer pirate titles like the Port Royale series or Tortuga. The land missions are a cool element, you may have to fight skeletons or other pirates to find hidden treasures (or similar on land). Again the AI/engine does not shine here but it's ok. If you're into pirate games, you can't miss this one for only $13.00. I think its a 4 out of 5 all day long.