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Intro
The Pirates of the Caribbean return in game form, swashbuckling across the motion sensitive seas of the Nintendo Wii. In this third saga of the Pirates franchise we’ll see if Captain Jack can return from the dead to save the day.

Game
Chatty Jack returns to game form to give players one more romp as the old pirate, Jack Sparrow. Since, Dead Man’s Chest was passed by Disney Interactive; they have squeezed a little Dead Mans Chest, along with the third movie, At Worlds End into this production. If you enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean movies in the past, then you know exactly what you’re in store for. The characters, the action, and the comical dialog have retained a sense of the motion picture in the game adaptation.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is a multi-platform release on all platforms we are only focusing on the Wii version for this review which is similar to the PS2 version, as well, The Nintendo Wii version is notably different from the other next-generation consoles, adding motion control support with visuals that step it up a notch from what we expected. Eurocom does what is necessary to produce a fluid action game based around the Pirates of the Caribbean universe with a straightforward approach and a no brain linear path. At World’s End is generic and rather dull in respect to original acts, but for what it wants to accomplish, it weathers the storm and comes out the other end unharmed.

Disney Interactive (Chicken Little, NMBC: Oogie’s Revenge, Chronicles of Narnia) and Eurocom (Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, James Bond 007: Nightfire, Spyro: A Hero’s Tail) capture the authenticity of the franchise, letting players become the puppet master of the movies main characters (Jack, Will, and Elizabeth) as they travel across the numerous settings in the movie. This linear adventure features a lot of sword fighting using the Wii remote, simple puzzle solving and some collection aspects into the mix. At World’s End is what you’d consider for a straight ahead movie-game port. I’m not going to hide the fact that At World's End ended up being a little boring because of the shallow and repetitive action, but in the end, I still came out having fun.

At Worlds End is suitable for all ages and thanks to the glowing areas around the maps you can easily navigated from room to room without too many issues of being stuck. This makes the experience a more pleasing one where you can turn off your brain and have fun. If you are a gamer that needs challenges Pirates can only abed you with its messy fighting mechanics and limited fighting area. At Worlds End often seems like it was designed with a 2D sensibility when it comes to the side scrolling action in the battlefield. This restricted size feels an unnatural at times and closes in the game space; I would have opted for a more wide open warzone with more than a few enemies on the screen at once. If you didn’t know At Worlds End was on the Wii, you wouldn’t know this was a game designed to be a next generation title.

Sword fighting which occupies the main chunk of your gameplay acts out like a Wii-mote, wiggle fest, which is the equivalent to button mashing with a controller. For the most part I was waving the Wii-remote around without a clue to my actions while I slayed the onslaught of foes that dared cross my blade. The controls are Pirates biggest flaw and belong to be submerged in Davey Jones locker. The swordplay is very loose with the motion controls and it becomes tiresome and boring. The controls are too precise which makes you tighten those wrist straps as you wildly swing you Wiimote around the air. Even without precise controls some aspects are nicely implemented and fighting multiple enemies is easily accomplished without too much thought. Besides the questionable sword fighting mechanics, all other aspects of the controls are nicely handled.

Pirates has a others extras built into the gameplay like mini-objectives, style points, extra throwing weapons, and button press action sequences to keep your interest. All in all it’s a little extra coating that helps broaden the game experience. At World’s End also adds a bit of spice with a number of multiplayer options which have to be unlocked. The multiplayer aspect is in form of challenges like taking out a number of enemies in a certain time limit which also features extra unlockable characters of the entire games cast. This is pretty cool if you have the willpower to play through a few more rounds of wildily swinging sword fighting.

GFXSND
The graphics surprised me because they are done rather well, given the Wii platform, and generic nature of the game. The animation is fluid, capturing the punch drunk Captain Jack Sparrow and all his swaggering and over exaggerated mannerisms. The production of the Wii version was split from the Xbox 360 and PS3 version, so you don’t have a reason to compare them to the underpowered Wii version, so it’s not perfect mind you, with jaggies and a little roughness. Overall the graphics and sound have a good enough showing to immerse you into the game experience without noticing any glitches or under produced segments.

Lowdown
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End does a great job of making you feel like you’re playing through the film. Becoming a pirate in the glory days of swashbuckling high sea adventures might not have the swagger of an original concept like Sid Meier's Pirates, but it’s good enough given the colourful cast of characters and fun loving plotline. The gameplay is shallow, monotonous, and straight forward while remaining fun. I wouldn’t dip into my treasure chest and spend my loot on Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, but I can easily recommend it as a rental.

Gameplay: 6, Graphics/Sound: 6.5, Innovation: 5, Mojo: 6. Final: 6 / 10


The Good Fun Plot line, Simple Gameplay, Multiplayer, More than Jack, Presentable Graphics
The BadLinear Gameplay, Wiggle-Fest Controls, Nothing Original

Reviewed by Jimmy | 06.11.07

Features

  • THE MOST DYNAMIC SWORDPLAY EVER: Use your cunning and savvy to become the greatest pirate of all time Play as Captain Jack, Will and Elizabeth to unleash a variety of attacks.
  • GO BEYOND THE MOVIE: Use your cunning and savvy against the most notorious villains of pirate lore
  • NOTORIETY: Jack’s fame as a pirate increases as he strikes fear and admiration into the hearts of his pirate brethren
  • INTERACTIVE SURROUNDINGS: Real physics and dynamics enliven both armed and unarmed combat
  • EXHAUSTIVE UNLOCKABLES: New moves, Secret Characters, Inventory Items, Weapons and Secret Locations

BoxArt


Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

 
Publisher
Disney Interactive
 
Developer
Eurocom
 
Genre
Action
 
Released
May 2007
 
Platform
Wii, DS, PS2, PS3, PSP, X360, PC

ESRB
Teen


Lowdown