Hey folks,
It has been a while since I have posted in the gen but I am working on a paper for class about Pirates in Popular Culture and I am specifically working on Video Games at this point. What I am trying to do right now is come up with a timeline for the games but the earliest I can come up with was the first Sid Meier's Pirates! (1987). Does anybody here know of any that were earlier? Also If you can think of any obscure titles that I might miss, please post a reply so I can make sure to hit them all.
The first I found is from 1983, called Pirate Island. It was a text adventure on the ZX Spectrum.
Lookie here:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/search/index.html?game=pirate&platform=0
A quick search on Home Of The Underdogs reveal 5 games that were released before or on the same year as Sid's Pirate:
1982:
Taipan!
1985:
Treasure Island
1987:
The Ancient Art of War at Sea
Pirates of The Barbary Coast
Plundered Hearts
Taipan! is set in the mid 1800s and in Asia, so I don't know if it counts.
Is that Taipan based on the James Clavell Novel of the same name?
I haven't read the book, but I've seen the film based on it... and it's really good.
If the game is based on the Clavell story, then I don't think theres much in the way of piracy... its more to do with trade and the political effects of the Opium Wars.
But that's one game I wouldn't mind checking out.
Scott Adams' Pirate Adventure was released in 1978 on the Trash-80.
That's the earliest I can think of.
Try www.mobygames.com and search for "Pirate".