Saving Captain Phillips recreates recent pirate attack

by Griffin McElroy { Apr 21st 2009 at 5:00PM }

We've recently had a betting pool going in the imaginary Joystiq offices in which we wagered how long it would take for a video game adaptation of the recent pirate attack of the Maersk Alabama to be developed. It's got all the necessary elements for a blockbuster action title: Snipers, heroic captains, climactic shootouts and, of course, nautical negotiations. Unfortunately, none of us had the gumption to bet such a game would surface in a mere nine days.

Online gaming portal Games2Win recently uploaded Saving Captain Phillips, a Flash title that places you in the shoes of the three Navy SEAL snipers who did the titular saving. You're tasked with taking out four pirates holding Captain Phillips hostage on a lifeboat -- though in the real-life hostage situation, only three pirates were aboard the lifeboat when the saving took place. Disappointingly, the game is about as good as it is historically accurate. It's a solid effort, but we think we'll wait for Infinity Ward to try their hand at game-ifying the high seas standoff.

Tags: captain-phillips, flash-game, games2win, pirates, saving-captain-phillips, snipers, somalia

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dirty @ Apr 21st 2009 5:07PM

The world is just moving too fast these days.

343 Guilty Fart @ Apr 21st 2009 7:28PM

I'm actually surprised it took this long. Back when the shoe got thrown at Bush someone had already made a game of it 24 hours after the incident.

Mr Khan @ Apr 21st 2009 5:08PM

It could have been a fairly romantic (in the non-love sense of the term) story if it had been on a larger scale. 4 pirates and one guy just doesn't make for good drama

Which i'm not trying to cheapen the emotional context of what happened or anything, just saying that the event was not as epic as the sum of its parts (pirates + hostage situation)

Do have to respect the SEALs for resolving it so neatly, though.

Look At This Suit @ Apr 21st 2009 5:12PM

It's a shame that we only hear about the SEALs when things either go wrong, or a civilian was rescued. But, I guess that's what happens when they do their job so damned well. If they did it right, they never did it.

Moptimus Slime (Gobot in disguise) @ Apr 21st 2009 5:37PM

yeah, if he and Chuck Norris teamed up with John Rambo to take down an entire fleet of pirates, it would've made one of the best Made for TV movies EVAR!

Rein @ Apr 21st 2009 5:55PM

Four pirates and one guy sounds like a good porno...

Doctor Nick @ Apr 21st 2009 5:11PM

You are being lied to about the somali pirates: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/you-are-being-lied-to-abo_b_155147.html

The pirates never had a history of killing their captives. Now, they've vowed to kill any US and French sailors they come across now. Thanks, US Snipers.

Tegolin @ Apr 21st 2009 5:23PM

So now they are real pirates?

Look At This Suit @ Apr 21st 2009 5:24PM

A Commander in the Navy made the call that the Captain's life was in immediate danger. What do you think they were going to do with a hostage? Hit him with a fluffy pillow if we didn't give in to their demands?

Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Apr 21st 2009 5:26PM

NOBODY EXPECTS THE SOMALIAN PIRAT...sorry, I'll stop now.

Doctor Nick @ Apr 21st 2009 5:32PM

It doesn't make any sense that the pirates would kill the captain. If they had killed the captain, they wouldn't have been able to collect any ransom, and they would have invited retaliation against them. They have had a history of treating their hostages well to ensure payment.

It's far more likely that they took them out just because they felt it would be the 'cleanest' option, because the lives of a few third-worlders are worthless to the US.

Moptimus Slime (Gobot in disguise) @ Apr 21st 2009 5:32PM

play him off, Keyboard cat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ

Latin_Trident @ Apr 21st 2009 5:48PM

the Dr. does make a good point! The pirates didn't kill anybody before. If any boats get near our shore, we 'hijack' the ship and put them in prison unless they have permission to be there or pay the ransom (tax) to pass by. Just saying

Markusdragon @ Apr 21st 2009 5:59PM

The problem is that if you give in to the demands of pirates, you're saying that you're willing to pay money for hostages, and so more hostages will be taken. This was basically America telling the pirates that kidnapping civilians is not a nice easy pay check.

Whilst the pirates may say that they're going to kill any US sailors they come across now, the chance of them striking US ships is a hell of a lot less now simply because they're not the easy potential target that they once were.

Latin_Trident @ Apr 21st 2009 6:21PM

The shipping companies should higher security teams to go with them on the voyages. This would not only create jobs, but it will also save the nation $$$ from sending soldiers all abroad patrolling the ocean (which doesn't belong to America).

Moptimus Slime (Gobot in disguise) @ Apr 21st 2009 6:38PM

@Latin_Trident:

1. The US has right to do so under Hostis humani generis, which is allowed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas Treaty

2. When we "hijack" ships, we take the crew to port and give them a trial as guaranteed under the Constitution, instead of holding them hostage and asking that their home nation pay a ransom in exchange for their lives

3. The definition of piracy is "an act of robbery or criminal violence caused by a nonstate entity". When the US "hijacks" ships, its by a state ship, not Joe Sixpack on his party barge

4. Under international law as agreed upon by the Convention mentioned earlier, the high seas belong to no one. Territorial waters (which is defined as being within 12 miles of a countries coastline) the only place where a country truly has jurisdiction over a vessel, as it is in "their" waters. Somalia has NO control over what happens outside of 200 miles within their coast. The boat was out 240 miles from the coast.

John @ Apr 22nd 2009 2:30AM

The US and other countries are starting to take a stand against piracy. The US just happens to have the most ships and personnel in the region currently.

This is not a Unilateral US decision. they have been discussing among the UN and NATO how we are going to deal with piracy for a long time.

Blackwater will be getting in to offering services to protect ships traversing the Gulf of Aden soon.

When we make the prospects of piracy too expensive for these people to consider it will go away. The risk of losing your life is a pretty expensive one.

And finally the US is not killing "brown people" the US was killing Criminals.

The United States Navy - Making piracy obsolete since 1775

OTAM @ Apr 21st 2009 5:13PM

JFK Reloaded is more fun.

ELUNO @ Apr 21st 2009 5:15PM

602? That's score is horrible!

Sir Buzz Killington( The Artist formerly known as Jakka) @ Apr 21st 2009 5:21PM

Damn...the fact I thought this was some game related to the recent Pirate Bay raid/trial sure proves my news priorities are kind of fucked up.

Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ Apr 21st 2009 5:36PM

so did i...

aacman007 @ Apr 21st 2009 5:27PM

I got 1942 my first try.

Reader @ Apr 21st 2009 5:43PM

I did better. I got the kill screen.

Dirty @ Apr 21st 2009 5:45PM

Did a real nerdy guy walk around your office letting everyone know before you did it?

Markez @ Apr 21st 2009 5:52PM

Great film. That nerd, along with Billy Mitchell are possibly to the 2 biggest losers I've ever seen.

blueruckus @ Apr 21st 2009 6:17PM

Cool game. Kinda short. Hope they add DLC soon. I will NOT pay for DLC though, they should have added it in the first pla- wait... sorry.

tifosiotaku @ Apr 21st 2009 6:17PM

Griff, you're technically wrong. There were four pirates on board. Three were killed, and the fourth was taken into custody.

What makes this awesome is that the three pirates were killed by a grand total of THREE BULLETS.

AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!

amaturegolfer05 @ Apr 22nd 2009 12:35AM

Actually one of the pirates was receiving medical attention on board the US ship, while this was going on the remaining three were sniped and sniped quite well.

tifosiotaku @ Apr 21st 2009 11:08PM

Still, fps_doug is saluting those heroes...

bamb0o-stick @ Apr 21st 2009 6:43PM

Wait a minute, so its okay to create a game about an event 9 days ago, but if Konami makes a game of events in Falluja, people grab their torches and pitchforks? Talk about a double-standard.

Mikey @ Apr 21st 2009 7:09PM

How the hell does this scoring system work? The less time it takes me to beat it and the fewer bullets I use, the lower my score. Is it like golf?

Douche Bigalow @ Apr 21st 2009 7:46PM

The awesomest thing is that after you win the game, it gives good-for-nothing Obama an achievement point.

Mayne @ Apr 21st 2009 8:40PM

The soundtrack is awesomely hilarious.

ShankShank @ Apr 22nd 2009 2:25PM

It's depressing how quickly jingoism springs up in everybody after we kill a group of teenage pirates with no intent to kill their captive. It's as stupid as the whole post 9/11 GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS KILL THE BROWN PEOPLE WHO HATE OUR FREEDOMS

Rocketboy @ Apr 21st 2009 11:40PM

So what you're saying, is that you'll take the place of any of the hostages currently being held captive?

John @ Apr 22nd 2009 2:35AM

I doubt if someone broke into your home and was holding you hostage you'd be as disdainful of the police snipers that saved your life.

These are are criminal lowlifes, piracy is an international crime, fuck them.