Pirates of the Caribbean

"It may be a little buggy, but still a very fun RPG experience"

Pirates of the Caribbean is an open-ended Role Playing Game(RPG) that takes place on the sea. You live the life of a pirate by the name of Nathaniel Hawk and can explore the sea with your ship and crew, and also explore islands and visit towns. The game has a completely different story than the movie, so you get a whole new adventure to go along with the excellent movie. Without further ado, let's examine this game more closely.

Gameplay - 7
It's still good, but the gameplay in the game is probably the weakest part. Some things are better than others. AS for fun factor, this game is very good, and a fun RPG to play. You mostly have complete freedom to do what you want. It's not like Morrowind in that you truly decide what you want to do, but it's not like other RPGs in that you are given a specific path to follow and have no other choice. You can explore towns and the islands you are on, sail the seas to anywhere in the Caribbean, and also battle ships and other enemies with sword melee. The main thing wrong with this game is the glitches you can encounter in the game. That's what mostly keeps this game from being superb and the gameplay from being much higher. Overall, this game is a lot of fun to play, and one of the better RPGs to come out.

As for the control and difficulty, it is good, but the low part of the gameplay. The hardest thing in the game to me is controlling your ship in a battle. This game has a high learning curve, and it's hard to know what to do and how to control your ship. It's easier to control your character on land. The battles are fairly good, and I like them. The sword fighting is fun, and is slightly difficult, in that it takes a short while to get used to, and it does take some strategy. You can't just run and hack someone. The ship battles are definitely the most difficult part of the game. Overall the fighting and controls take some time to get used to, and you will die several times before fully grasping what to do, but since you get the hang of it, it is really fun. The game is slightly difficult, but it's nothing that's frustratingly hard. When you get the hang of it, then the gameplay is good and this is a really fun game to play. Don't expect to do everything when you first start out, because it does take some getting used to.

Story - 8
Like every RPG, the game requires a good story to be interesting. This game has a fairly good story, but it isn't the greatest. However, this is more of an open-ended RPG and not a console RPG that is more common. You don't strictly follow a story in this game, since you have some freedom to roam around and do as you please. The story itself is nice, and it draws you into the game. It may not the best, especially in terms of most RPGs, but it is a good story, and definitely worth playing for. It fits the game nicely, and is quite interesting.

Graphics/Sound - 10
Definitely the strongest part of the game. This game has some of the most beautiful graphics you can see in a game. The water, as in most other XBox games, is amazing looking. The design of all the characters is nice. The ships are impressive looking, and you can see the damage to your vessel. Overall, the graphics are impressive, and realistic looking. The animation runs smoothly, and even the environments if the jungles and islands are nice. There's nothing that is a soar spot in the graphical department.

The sound is also a good thing in the game. The music is fairly nice, though not memorable. It fits nicely with the action though. The sound effects are nice, and well done. The clanking of the swords when fighting and cannon file during ship battles sounds great. Also the voice acting is nicely done. The sound in the game isn't the best you'll hear of course, but it is very nice, and is something good to hear. Overall it's nicely done.

Play Time/Replayability - 8
For most RPGs, they don't have very high replay value, because once you beat it, there's nothing else to do. But this game is a good game, and has some high replay value. It's not completely open-ended, but it is enough to where you can do a lot of things on your own without focusing on the main quest. You can trade goods between towns, explore the islands and dungeons, build up your crew and get new ships, acquire new officers, and other things. The game is fairly long, and is appealing to play. There is a lot to do besides the main quest, so this game will provide you with plenty replay value.

Final Recommendation
Overall, this is a great game. The only major problem with it is that it is buggy. The other game from Bethesda was also a little buggy (Morrowind). The glitches and bugs are the only things that keep this game from being a 10. Everything else in the game is great, and provides an enjoyable RPG experience. This game is worth buying, and is a lot of fun to play. I personally have not encountered many bugs in this game, and the only major problem I've had is occasional freezing up from the game. So some can experience more problems than others. If you can look beyond the glitches, then this is a great RPG to pick up. It's not the best you can get, but it's a really fun game and worthy of a purchase. I would recommend it if you are in the mood for a good RPG, and especially if you like pirates and not following a strict storyline.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/24/03, Updated 07/24/03