Video Game: Puzzle Pirates

Ok, so it's not Gears of War, but it's a video game. That's enough of a similarity, right?

Puzzle Pirates is like a casual game (you know, Tetris, Peggle, Zuma, anything by Pop Cap Games really) for gamers. It's simple enough to be accessible to everyone, yet has enough depth to keep people playing and maybe even paying to dress up their pirate, or even buy their own ship.

The mini-games at the core of Puzzle Pirates are played in order to complete various tasks onboard ships (either computer controlled "Navy" vessels, or ships owned by other players), ranging from sailing, to repairing the ship, to sword fighting when engaged in combat (the more piratey aspect of the game). The more you play, the better your rank in the specific mini-game, although I'm not sure if this confers any bonus aside from bragging rights. The mini-game styles, while all simple, vary in their specifics while fitting the maxim that casual games should be easy to pick up but difficult to master. So they're fun without being frustrating, or quickly becoming boring.

Anyways, if you have too much time on your hands, Puzzle Pirates is an excellent way to kill it. And if you don't have too much time on your hands, this is yet another excellent way to procrastinate. I know what I'll be doing once the school year starts.

2/3 - Worth checking out, although you can definitely live without it. And if you do go without, your productivity won't suffer so... maybe that's a good idea.