Pirates of the Caribbean

"Did you hear about the Pirate game, it's rated arrrg!"

Okay, lets get the ball rolling.

Graphics 10/10
The graphics in this game are simply beautiful. There is no other way to say it. I was amazed at the amount of detail in the water and in the ships. The most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in a game was a ship battle on a night with the moon out. I was simply amazed at the amount of detail. The character details are also very decent. I at sometimes felt that I was actually there, in the game, not playing it, but living it. The only real problem in the game was that the amount of graphical slow down. The minute you enter a port, you will know what I mean. The game drops to a very low frame rate, and the graphics get quite choppy. But other than the minor slowdown, the game is a beautiful one.

Gameplay 9/10
I would have to say, this game is a good one. I shall start with the land gameplay. The character has many options in the town, he can buy and sell things, purchase things, talk to random people about stuff. Did I mention that almost all characters are mortal, and by that, I mean, if you are in a bad mood, you can slaughter them all, like a pirate. The quests you can take are many. You can be hired by Tavern owners, or other people. You can also buy things to store in your ship, and import things to sell to other islands. Also, you can smuggle contraband to other smugglers. In other words, the game can go on forever. The combat system is done well on land. Using the A and L trigger to attack and defend, and the pistol is set to R trigger. The controls feel very natural, but the only problem with the character control, is that the camera gets very weird when you try to enter, and leave things. It always got me confused.

The ship combat and sailing is also very well done. You can travel very quickly by map, or decide to take the very long, but graphically stunning journey in normal time. The storms are annoying, but that is because I have never been able to successfully navigate one. They sunk my ship quickly, but none the less, adds to realism. The combat in ships is done okay. The character settings allow for more accurate cannon fire, and more effective reloading. The camera is self controlled in 3rd person, so naturally, it sucks. The sails always seem to get in the camera's way. But, that is forgivable.

The story is something to rejoice at. There is a story in this nonlinear game. I am not going to say about what, cause that would be spoilers. But, while you are doing the main quest, you can take side quests also, which make the game. You can explore dungeons, and caves, and the jungle. You can ransack ships, and take over forts, but the fort thing is very hard to do. You need a good fleet before you can plunder them. That adds much replay to the game.

Sound 8/10

There is not much to say about the sound. There is the sword slashing, which sounds realistic, along with the gunfire. Then there is the little spoken dialogue, cause the game is an RPG of this sort, there is no talking, only text, but that doesn't give this the low score. The reason why the score is so low is because of the annoying music that repeats itself millions of times. The ocean is also almost relaxing. The game itself has a good realistic feel, that makes it seem it was set in the times of swashbuckling story times.

Rent or Buy: Buy.

The game has much replay value due to the fact that it is nonlinear. I have played this game, looking for treasure in the cities, and having much fun. I still haven't been able to put it down. I completely recommend this game for all people to play.

Ratings:
Graphics 10/10
Gameplay 9/10
Sound 8/10

Overall rating: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/03, Updated 07/06/03