Pirates of the Caribbean

"arrr...This be a fine ship but she's infested with BUGS"

Pirates of the Caribbean, This is a GREAT game with amazing potential, I personally enjoy this game, but I've got more patience than others with annoying bugs and glitches. Now, on to the review.

Graphics - 10/10: Perfect, couldn't be done any better, the sea effects are BREATHE TAKING to say the least, when you see the sun setting over the sea it looks real, the ships look fantastic, the only slight problem is some of the characters don't look 100% proportional, but its slight and the problem is almost unnoticeable.

Sound - 8/10: Not memorable, but not a problem either. Not much to say about the sound, the gun shots, cannon blasts, swords clashing, the pirates/citizens speech, its all good, but not memorable.

Music - 8/10: Nothing memorable here, good background music, suits the game well, no problems here.

Controls: This needs to be broke down into two categories.

Controls at Sea - 10/10: Perfect, couldn't of been done any better, I have no complaints, maneuvering the ship is easy, issuing commands is equally easy.

Controls on Land - 4/10: This is an issue with this game, the controls are annoying to say the least, its a problem when in combat and their are multiple opponents, turning quickly becomes an issue, when you walk up in a tight space where you can't go forward, or walk against a wall or door you have to walk backwards to get out of the situation, which can get you killed when you have say pirates or angry guards chasing you. Also, when moving about freely in a town or jungle the controls could of been a lot better, if this game could of combined the land controls from Fable with the sea controls from this game it would of been PERFECT, but alas, maybe if there is a sequel on the Horizon we will see this improvement.

Game-play - 8/10: Its good the open exploration style seen in games like Fable, in this game you can be either the greatest explorer to ever roam these seas, the master of the trade routes or a blood thirsty pirate, its all matter of personal preference, There's no real cities from the era in this game, they are all fictional, don't go looking for Santiago or Tortuga, they aren't in this game.

Glitches/Bugs: Here they lie, in their hideous glory, hiding, waiting for the un-expecting gamer who hasn't saved in a while. During loading sequences the game will suddenly freeze, sometimes the screen will go grey, freezing the whole thing, this happens in one town more than others, and sometimes you'll get the bad disc message followed by your game reseting, so SAVE FREQUENTLY.

Replay Value 10/10: Very good if you can overcome the glitches, starting a new game and playing it through differently is always fun, and the graphics will make you want to come back for more.

Buy or Rent?: Rent it first, if the glitches don't deter you from having a great gaming experience, then go buy it, I bought it, but I can live with the glitches, others may not be so patient and willing.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/22/04