The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

THE GOOD

SID MEIER��S PIRATES!

Yes! You young��uns may not remember this one, but the original Pirates!, released in 1987, is one of the great PC gaming classics, a way-ahead-of-its-time genre blender that, along with Civilization, ensured Sid Meier��s status as a legend. Firaxis�� surprise E3 announcement that Sid is remaking the game, complete with a brand-new 3D engine, is cause for rejoice indeed. All we know is, we can��t wait to make Wil walk the plank.

THE BAD

ENTER THE MATRIX

Gee, you couldn��t see this one coming, could you? Yet another lame game based on a movie franchise. The bummer this time is that the franchise is an awesome one, and the gameplay possibilities seem fantastic. But once again, we have a shoddy product rushed out the door to cash in on the unsuspecting fanboys. The other few million will end up in a landfill somewhere, next to those 5 million Atari E.T. cartridges. And rightly so.

THE UGLY

3DO GOES BUST

Like an old, sick horse, 3DO is finally being put out of its (and our) misery, and as sad as it is, we can��t help but think that it��s about damn time. The truth is, this company has been in a long, sad, slow decline for years now, criminally destroying and sullying the names of at least two great franchises��High Heat and Might and Magic��in the process. Remember what Neil Young said: ��Rust never sleeps.�� Good night, 3DO.

Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Computer Gaming World.