Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s
End for the Wii, doesn’t do everything wrong, but the list of rights is
dreadfully short. You begin that game escaping from jail where the 2nd
movie in the series begins. As a matter of fact, a lot of AWE is actually story
from Dead Man’s Chest. You will “get” to play as savvy Jack, effeminate Will,
and the beautiful Elizabeth, but the main arc of the game is seen through Mr.
Sparrow’s eyes. The story will take you all over the world of Pirates and face
you up against a relentless (and seemingly endless) onslaught of enemies.
Pirates does a good job of creating
the environments and for the most part the overall “feel” of the movies. With
very good voice actors (they sound almost identical to the actor’s real voices)
and beautiful art design, you feel like you’re actually in the world. These are
coupled with the movie’s wonderful soundtrack that adds to the mood even more.
But sadly, this is where the fun walks the plank: when the game actually starts.
A level in Pirates consists of a
short in-game cutscene followed by instructions. You then continue along the
very narrow and linear path set out for you and furiously hack and slash
everything that comes up. Each character has their own unique moves but they are
all initiated the exact same way: frantically waving the Wii-mote like a madman.
The game claims the ability to do combos by following through with different
movements but to actually get them to work takes more time, effort and
ultimately less effective than just swinging it around. That’s it. That is the
game. Never-ending hordes of enemies and waving your Wii-mote as fast as you can
back and forth.
Lastly, Pirates doesn’t totally sink
in the graphical department, but it isn’t very impressive. The textures and
character animations are fairly good, but the models are blocky and the aliasing
is horrendous. I don’t know if this was a hardware limitation with the
Wii’s lower specs, or ill-attempts by the development team to smooth them out.
Either way it isn’t prettiest game out there.
In the end, AWE is another licensed
movie game of lackluster quality and play-value. Although being true to the feel
of the films, the gameplay is dreary and the control scheme is unrefined. This
ship ultimately ends at the bottom of Davy Jones’ Locker.
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Review Scoring Details for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End |
Gameplay:
6.0
Get ready for a
workout with this swashbuckler. If you like endless repetition, this game is for
you.
Graphics:
6.0
Blocky, muddied,
and jaggy; the only real thing complimentary are that the mannerisms look spot
on from the film.
Sound:
7.5
The soundtrack is
by far my favorite part of this game. But the sound, although not bad, is
nothing spectacular by any means.
Difficulty: Medium
If you find
swinging your arm hard, then this game will be impossible for you. Otherwise
it’s pretty simple and easy to play.
Concept:
8.0
Being a pirate is
one of every boy’s dream; this is your chance to play as one.
Overall:
6.2
Another licensed movie game of lackluster
quality and play-value. Although being true to the feel of the films, the
gameplay is dreary and the control scheme is unrefined. This ship ultimately
belongs at the bottom of Davy Jones’ Locker.
