• Posted March 24th, 2011 at 09:10 EDT by Mike Harradence
• 2 Comments

The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.

Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We've got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.

Today, we batten down the hatches for some high-seas hijinks in the pirate-themed Age of Booty.

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Developer: Certain Affinity
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1-4

You may not know it, but pirate point ‘n click romp Age of Booty’s origins can be traced back to Pimps at Sea, the long-running and highly amusing April Fools gag instigated by the chaps at Bungie Studios. Taking the form of a bread and butter, sea-based strategy outing, Age of Booty puts you at the wheel of a pirate ship as you navigate the waters seeking to expand your riches. As you cruise the high seas, you’ll scoop up various items such as gold, wood and every pirate’s favourite delicacy, namely bottles of rum. These resources can be channelled into accomplishing various tasks, such as expanding towns and keeping things on your leaky vessel – forgive the pun - ship shape.

As far as the single-player shenanigans go, the main focus is to increase your resources by capturing towns. This in turns allows you to augment your ship with various upgrades, such as bumping up its attack power, armor or speed. It’s not all plain sailing however, as the process of pimping out your vessel is something of a double-edged sword. For example, kitting your boat out with a canon will come at a reduction in overall speed. Of course, you’ll spend a large amount of time sending enemy ships to Davey Jones’s locker, who will also be out to nab as many towns on the map as possible.

Captured towns yield many advantages outside of generating copious resources. For one thing, you’ll be able to repair any damage your ship has sustained by docking next to it, and unleash hell on any enemy ship that cruises within range. You can also ensure towns are well protected by investing in some destructive defensive measures. The process of capturing a town couldn’t be easier, either; just cruise past, fire away and you’ll have the residents flying the white flag in no time flat. Other distractions on offer include merchant ships that cough up curse crates when sunk, which net you bonus items such as bombs and whirlpools. You’ll also be able to plunder small villages for extra goodies in addition to capturing towns.

It’s not just a solo operation either, as you’ll have the backing of your AI-controlled mates to supplement your efforts. However, communication is a decidedly limited affair, hence why it’s no surprise that Age of Booty packs in a meaty multiplayer component. Here, you’ll be able to converse with teammates effectively to coordinate attacks, making way for some heated matches. With four game types (Dueling Duos, Triple Trouble, Four By Four and Battle Royale) on offer, there’s enough contention-filled antics here to keep Age of Booty’s ship afloat for some time. The single-player is no slouch either, packing in 21 missions across three difficulty settings to plunder to your heart’s content. Shiver me timbers, matey!

Join us again tomorrow as we take another step Inside PlayStation Network.