Curse of the Black Pearl, from Jack's witty perspective. (Pirates of the Caribbean - The Legend of Jack Sparrow (PS2))

Member Name: Sunrisesunset

Product:	Pirates of the Caribbean - The Legend of Jack Sparrow (PS2)
Date:	17/08/09 (2 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Johnny Depp reprises role, variety of boss battles

Disadvantages: short game, too many combos, no upgrades, tough boss battles

When a major movie franchise is released, it's never long before the film studio decides to cash in on mega sales from game tie-ins. Some game developers rush out a poor game e.g. The Mummy while others put more time and effort into recreating the movie's world, as shown by Harry Potter games.

Jack Sparrow's latest adventure falls somewhere in the middle.

The game is set during the first movie. Jack and Will are about to be hanged, so Jack stalls the inevitable by retelling his own version of the first film's events. It is very funny whenever Will is flabbergasted by Jack's lies! The game also brings back memories from the film, because keep comparing what actually happened to Jack's fantasy version.

Characters: You can choose to play as Jack Sparrow, Will Turner or Elizabeth. JS is always an option, but Turner and Elizabeth only appear on certain levels when it makes sense for them to be there, for example, the part of the movie where JS and Elizabeth are stuck on an island together. Turner wasn't there then so he isn't there now. The only difference between them is JS can throw flaming bottles of rum to set opponents on fire, meanwhile Will and Elizabeth throw knives. You can only refill your stock of rum and knives at certain parts of each level, so don't waste them.

Controls: The controls were average. At times you must press O to interact with certain things, such as cannons, levels, gates, etc, but the very rarely did the game register you had pressed the button straight away. This was all right for most of the game, but when you're fighting in a hard boss battle or caught in the middle of a seemingly never-ending stream of pirates, it gets on your nerves. A disappointing part is that you cannot upgrade your character's strength or health, so you must plan VERY carefully in each battle otherwise you'll run out of lives and need to start again from your last checkpoint. Checkpoints are few and far between, so don't be surprised when you need to replay looooong parts of the level all over again to progress. However, the moment you do get past that 'impossible' fight is worth the aggravation. The money collected in the game, from treasure chests and defeating pirates, can be used to buy different combos, such as pressing X three times to quickly slash three times. By the end of the game my sister and I had only used the quick slash combo because we couldn't be bothered to remember the rest. I'd much rather have had health, weapon and strength upgrades than combos that weren't necessary.

Settings: The game uses the expected settings that fit the pirate era. You find yourself fighting through ships (above and below deck), underground on the Isla de Muerta where the treasure's curse will be broken, in icy caves with a little help from the largest mammal on earth, amidst a pub brawl, and on a desert island.

Graphics: They range from average to great. The in-game graphics are average, even though the characters all look the way they are supposed to. Meanwhile the pre-rendered cutscenes are beautiful to watch.

Monsters: These mostly consist of pirates, but there are also ice monsters, giant spiders (just about bearable for an arachnophobe like myself), and other out of this world creatures. The boss battles stood out in this by far because they fell into two categories: doable as soon as you figure out what to do, and so impossibly hard that you want pull your hair out. To make some of them even worse is that these is no checkpoint before them, so you find yourself fighting through a barrage of pirates or monsters all over again before reaching the boss. By that time you've lost health, possibly even a life, which gives the boss an extra advantage. I advise you to not give up because eventually you WILL do, but don't be surprised if you need to try again and again and again and...

Voice acting: Before I got the game a reviewer said Johnny Depp sounds very bored as JS, so that was always in the back of my mind. Whether he was simply reading the lines or happy to reprise his role, JS's wit and charm is still present here. Do not expect to hear Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, or any other main stars from the film. Maybe they were too busy...It doesn't matter, though, because the people who took over did a VERY good job. Obviously they don't sound just like the actors and actresses, but the similarities is a little spooky.

Multiplayer: When I got this game it was for myself. I play games solo 99% of the time, but when I reached a certain boss battle I could not go any further. I put the game down and left it for a while...which turned into a year. Around two months ago my sister came over for the summer, and this was the only multiplayer game she was interested in- the only other game I've seen her enjoy is The Sims. It was much more enjoyable playing the game with someone else. We could laugh at Jack's wit, tell each other off for getting killed too many times, which leads to GAME OVER, and plan the best course of action. If I missed something she saw it and vice versa- much better interaction than with the playstation controlled character that faffed about. I was shocked when we passed the boss battle I couldn't do alone. I guess having human support means you can lift each other's spirits, at times when you're VERY tempted to give up and go.

In conclusion, I would highly recommend this game to POTC fans, but I would not pay more than five pounds for it because it is short. I highly recommend the multiplayer game when the single player gets too difficult, because playing with a human means you can plan your course of action, which isn't possible with a computer controlled character. You have to be VERY patient with some of these boss battles. When the going gets tough don't do what I did at first and quit, because the pay off is worth it in the end.

Summary: A short game that's ideal for multiplayer fun and gamers of all ages and abilities.