When Pirates of the Burning Sea finally goes live this January, we'll be halfway to the Pirates vs. Ninjas MMO that ever uber-nerd has been dreaming of since they first laid eyes on the internet. But there's a lot more here to be excited about than living out closet (or not so closet) obsessions with swashbuckling; PotBS marks a shift in attitude towards in-game combat that many other MMOs (cough, World of Warcraft, cough) have struggled with. Tack on superb character customization options and a well-thought-out rewards system, and we just might have a solid argument for why pirates are better than ninjas (so far as MMOs are concerned).
Here's the bare bones of what you need to know: Pirates of the Burning Sea has players picking a faction/country (France, Spain, England, or Brethren of the Coast [Pirates]) and a Career (Officer, Privateer, etc.), and then setting off in one of their 3 custom ships to do whatever it is they want to do (fight pirates, capture ports, sell goods, etc.). The game has been in development since 2002 and after a few false starts, it'll be hitting shelves January of this year (after a Beta delay that knocked it out of October). The reasons why you should play it are many, but if need just one, here it is: EFFIN' PIRATES!
