There are some signs that Captain Blood may fall short of perfection. For one thing, Captain Blood bears a strong resemblance to Steven Seagal. This previewer even thought, "Oh, no! Is Steven Seagal going to be in this game?" Fear not, reader. Steven Seagal is not in this game. Unfortunately, neither are ninjas. Although they may have been hiding.

More problematic are the game's occasional nods to gameplay at the expense of realism. For example, not once did I notice the captain or his crew swabbing out the Gatling cannon, which surely would have become too fouled to fire. The fencers among us will be appalled to see the captain using a rapier to slash and chop his opponents, when even a fool or a foilist would know that such cuts require an edged blade. Where it counts, however, the developers have correctly modeled the weapon's properties: I saw the captain flip said rapier into the air, grab it underhanded by the hilt, and thrust it through some poor sailor's throat. The audience I was with exploded in delight and approval at the captain's fine sporting technique.

Captain Blood will be redecorating your screen via 360 and PC later this year.