Wizards vs. Pirates: Closing Statements and Final Standings

In the final bit of Wizards vs. Pirates, it's time to look at the last few strong points that wizards and pirates alike hammered out. I'll examine not only who presented the best initial arguments, but who could maintain their positions and defend their game. So, wizards or pirates?

Prerequisite Reading

If you haven't kept up to date with Wizards vs. Pirates, it's probably a good idea to take a look back at the previous posts. See them by following these links:

• Wizards vs. Pirates Polls Open
• Wizards vs. Pirates Standings
• Wizards vs. Pirates Opening Arguments
• Wizards vs. Pirates Rebuttals

This, That, and Those

Minus seeming issues with gold, Blaze Duskdreamer goes further to say that Pirate101 entirely lacks the "wow" factor that defines Wizard101: "I never did like the graphics, the plain look of the game. The colors are dull and the drawings very flat and washed-out looking. Nothing just wows. Nothing. I sincerely hope this improves. But I'm wowed by the environment on Wiz all the time. Even Wizard City graphics are pretty darned awesome. I haven't been wowed once on Pirate."

Rogan Firehammer concurred, bashing Pirate101's ship-to-ship combat system, saying, "Strategy in Pirate101? Try battling ship against ship. What a joke. It's more of a coordination test. Put your fingers on the 1, 2, 3, and 4 keys, watch the timers on the bottom right, then press the correct button when the timer gets to zero, IF you are lucky enough to have all 4 slots filled. Lots of strategy there, it is BY FAR the worst aspect of the entire game (though it ties into the gold aspect too, since you can't afford to buy the best stuff for your ship cause you don't have enough gold, and that is IF you can find a vendor that has stuff that your ship can use."

Dreaming of a Bazaar

If you remember the last post, you know that the Bazaar was a common theme. While there wasn't currently one in Pirate101, there were plans to complete and implement one. So said that they'd come back and try Pirate101 when it was actually complete - which included having an auction house. However, others had a different idea.

Hocuspocus22 says, "There wasn't always a Bazaar on Wizard101. There wasn't always PvP. Techinically, Wizard101 isn't done yet. There are still more worlds to come, more features to come out. Pirate101 is young and new, things like that will come when the time comes, just give the game some time to develop. Plus, it's a lot more satisfying to get your gear/items as a drop, instead of simply going to the Bazaar, and buying it. Where's the satisfaction in that? The bazaar isn't important, and it is definitely not needed; it's just there so that people who hate working to get their gear don't have to."

The Power of Companionship

~Onion Knight~ had an interesting thought on how companions contributed to the game. Through his words, he implied that this connection was something that Wizard101 definitely lacked, especially due to the fact that the character played on his or her own. He said, "I just adore the humor in this game. There are so many memorable lines and lovable characters. The Commodore just cracks me up - he's the one of the reasons I wanted to make a Privateer in the first place! Ratbeard's and Bonnie Anne's constant bickering never gets old, and El Toro's sense of justice mixed with his naïve personality is too perfect."

Who Argues It Best?

So you've heard a variety of opinions already, and you've probably even read all three (Wizard101 Central, Wizard101 UK Boards, Pirate101 Central) threads. In fact, you may have even joined in on anther discussion on the official Pirate101 Boards. However, what it all boils down to is what I've stressed the whole time - who argues it best? After all, while the games are the topic, it isn't called Wizard101 vs. Pirate101. It's Wizards vs. Pirates!

I wanted to see who would first state their opinions, then back them up against questioning, then further respond to other opinions that did not match up with their own. I was keeping my eyes out for who stood up and defended their game. 

All of that said and done, this year, I have to give it to the pirates. Starting with what some would consider an initial disadvantage, the pirates did surprisingly well, arguing that Pirate101 was more strategic and had more colorful characters and definitely a better storyline. When the idea of the Bazaar popped up, it was immediately refuted over and over. What finally really stood out to me was that Cret92 took on the weight of the gold argument, not only giving several responses on Pirate101 Central, but hopping on over to Wizard101 Central to disperse the myth there as well.

Especially given the ratio of users on Wizard101 Central and the UK Boards to Pirate101 Central, I'd say they all did a great job. Now, don't get me wrong, the wizards made strong arguments as well, but the pirates, in my eyes, put a greater amount of effort as a whole into this.

Back Again?

I'm not sure if Wizards vs. Pirates will return again next year or not. I'll probably base it, in part, on everybody's feedback, so let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!