Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

"This game is not as bad as people say. Here's the true review!"

Harr,harr....raise the platforms, lower the jibs! Yep, Disney interactive studios have shown their talent once again. With the release of the first POTC game in 2006, they're BACK!!! First of all, let me remind you, that this game is not for hardcore gamers. This game is mostly for casual gamers (just like me!) as it is fairly simple and straight. All you have to do is block, fight, block, fight. But this block and fight technique gets interesting as the game progresses. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is exactly the type of game you'd expect it to be. Take control of the main cast members in an adventure that parallels the movies, controlling Jack, Will, Elizabeth, and Barbossa in third-person action. The game focuses primarily on action, with enemies spawning from any and every location, each of which is focused on a main area from the movie. And for the most part it works.

Presentation-8/10
As soon as you pop the game on your PS2, a nice scenery with a ship sailing (you know what it is) is revealed. But the true drawback of this game's presentation is that the same loading screen pops up frequently. For example, when you start the game, it loads for about 10 seconds and then they show you a cut scene .After the cut scene, the same loading screen appears for about 10 seconds again (which is quite boring in my opinion) and then the game starts. One of the finer points of this game, though, rests in the sheer amount of cinematic game play that peppers the experience from top to bottom. The game is constantly delivering line after line of VO, whether it's mid-battle accompaniment or in-game cut scenes. On the visual side, Pirates does a decent job of making good with what the game has. Wii and PS2 were split from the 360/PS3 project for a reason, and as such the games are tailored to fit the less graphically-intensive platforms. Animations are solid, textures and lighting are pretty impressive for a licensed, non-HD effort, and at no time do the visuals bog down the experience.

Story-6/10
There is no interesting story in this game. This game is a mix up of all the POTC movies. Of course, this game is quite funny, like you'd expect. You start out as Sparrow himself trying to escape from a ('orrible) prison. You are accompanied by a mysterious man who provides you a sword and a path to escape. At first, he is your only trust, but as the story progresses you get help from Tia Dalma (you'll know who she is if you're familiar with the movie) and Captain Barbossa. At World's End's story generally follows the movie's, which is to retrieve Davy Jones' heart from Lord Becket, but it's really hard to get everything since it's all sort of just thrown together. It's more or less just assumed you know the story of all three movies going in to the game, because really, why would you play such an average game if you weren't previously exposed to the subject matter. From the plot's standpoint it's just really bland, even when you consider the grand scope both of the sequels had. Fighting from Tortuga to Singapore is only interesting because of the actual level design, the combat, characters, or dialog that weaves it all together. Even if you have watched the POTC films, you'll be confused as to where exactly you're at in the story, as the cut scenes only grab the very core parts of the film, and everything in between unfolds differently. Of course you will recognize certain scenarios, dialogue, and locations straight from the movies, but the majority of the game is in itself original.

Gameplay-9/10
The game play is the true advantage of this game. When the game started, for a second, I thought I was playing a God of War game (if you don't know what that is, then throw away your PS2!).The camera angles are fixed and there are no camera issues. You get to play as many characters from the POTC movies, such as, the legendary Capitan Jack Sparrow, Will turner, Elizabeth Swann etc. The combat is extremely simple, as I said above. The enemies wait for their turn to get beaten up by our heroes. The game does not contain any blood or gore apart from scenes of stabbings. In addition to this, you also have God of War style 'Quick Time button pressing events'(known as Jackanisms) wherein you will be shown some buttons on the screen and you have to execute them quickly to finish off a boss or to escape traps. Like many games, you have a basic attack, a heavy attack, a block button and a grab attack. You also have some special weapons such as bombs, daggers, pistols etc. During climactic moments, you'll engage in duels that'll require some careful timing as opposed to just button mashing. But there isn't anything special about the dueling, so it's not even worth the thought. There are a few mini-games and a multi-player mode, but all of that just seems like filler in contrast to the lacking main game.

Controls-7/10
The controls are a bit odd for this game. The X button is for the basic quick attack, the square button for the heavy but slow attack, the R1 button to block, the O button to grab the enemies and the D-Pad to scroll between various items. Unfortunately, there is no jump button in this game. As one of the finer points in the game, sword dueling is a blast, as it plays out like a more refined battle strictly between two characters. You'll be able to move left and right only, using a combination of grabs, thrusts, light attacks, and power attacks to take down a rival.

Sound-8/10
The sounds for this game are just right. An orchestral score plays in the background during the game (which makes you feel as if you're a pirate), which are mostly ripped out from the POTC movies. The sounds of slashing and striking of the sword are really great. The heroes also deliver comments like-"You need to train more”, “You're wasting my time" etc. The main cast wasn't available for VC recording, but the sound-alikes are top notch, as Jack Sparrow and Will Turner come alive in the interactive world in a way that few other licensed games are able to deliver.

Overall, this game is not as bad as people say. This is a good game, especially, if you're onto God of War style game play. Pirates of the Caribbean may not be the most original or fine-tuned title out there for PS2 or Wii, but as a licensed pairing with the third movie the game still serves its purpose, as the design combines the age-old art of action titles with the music, presentation, and characters of Pirates of the Caribbean. At no time during our adventure we're our minds collectively blown, but there were certainly high points during the game, making it worthy for a purchase (if you're a casual gamer, that is!). Both the Wii and PS2 versions are essentially the same, with Wii looking a little better and PS2 implementing button control over an often-basic – but marginally entertaining – motion control system. If you're a fan of the movies, you'll dig playing the game. If you have finished all you're games and looking for a game just for fun to kill time without blood or gore, then this game is right up you're ally.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/09

Game Release: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (US, 05/22/07)