While SMP! does look better on the PC, it is not a looker by any means. It feels like it still has its roots from its predecessor both in aesthetics and mechanics. It is obvious this was done on purpose. You can tell a lot of thought was put into updating this classic to the current generation of gaming. Besides - graphics don't make the game.
This update to the classic is hopelessly addictive because there is so much to do. It is open ended letting you sail the Caribbean, get into ship-to-ship battles to your hearts content, there is swashbuckling fun, dancing with the governor's daughter, you can sack and take over a town in turn-based land battles, there is even even sneaking to get in or out of town.
None of these elements are very complicated or in-depth. This may be the biggest complaint of SMP! but I find it to be its strongest asset. For example you will not be buying and selling cannons to add to your favorite ship. That is just busy work that this game does not need.
If when you collide into a ship that has more crew members then you, you get a "Simon Says" mini game, that if completed correctly, shows an animation of evening out the numbers of your opponent's crew. I like this approach; it keeps with the simplicity and pacing of the game.
I am starting to call this the Fabe Effect. It is something that has been changing the face of the video games in many genres, and the first major title to really embrace this was Fable. In that game, you have a true RPG that does not wear standard RPG clothes. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is taking the same cues. And SMP! is no exception. It actually takes it to an extreme. Nothing in the game is overly complicated. It makes the entire package that much more enjoyable.
Just like in the original, there are many things to do with no over arching mission structure. The game starts with your family being put into slavery by the evil Count Montalban, and of course you escape unscathed. Forward 10 years and the game begins. You are charged with finding your relatives and enacting sweet revenge. But just like game such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, there is so much more to do.
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