Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow (PS2) Review
Posted by David Wilcox on 07.21.2006
Ahoy - here be mediocrity.
This, mateys, is what we call a cash-in. "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow" (PS2) is a movie tie-in video game phoned in by developers and very likely pushed along by greedy producers who salivated at the prospect of piling even more coins onto their precious booty stash. And yet, for all the loathsome profiteering at work behind this game, it's not entirely terrible.
STORY:
"Pirates" begins with Captain Jack Sparrow and Will Turner plundering about in Panama until they are captured and sentenced to hang by a local magistrate. With the noose securely fastened to his grungy neck, Sparrow sets about explaining his and Will's journey for the magistrate and bloodthirsty townsfolk. Sparrow's self-congratulatory version of the events of "The Curse of the Black Pearl" immediately meet with an incredulous "That's not how it happened!" from Turner. The gamer is nonetheless thrust into playing through these exaggerated episodes of the first "Pirates" movie.
GRAPHICS:
All likenesses of Sparrow vividly capture the finer details of Johnny Depp's face; in the FMV sequences in particular, Sparrow bears a beautiful resemblance to the revered actor. Meanwhile, Turner and Elizabeth Swann get the ugly treatment with respect to the pristine young visages of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. The environments of "Pirates" vary from flat and drab, like the Port Royal mansion, to gorgeous and detailed in the dim shantytown of Tortuga. Meanwhile, the in-game cut scenes contain some of the most awkward animation this side of South Park. Turner's mouth appears to be vice-wrenched with each syllable he spouts, and Sparrow's oscillating arms look more like they belong to a sea creature than a sea captain.
GAMEPLAY:
"Pirates" offers standard swordplay in an action/adventure format, but slowed down just a speck. Combos are laughably easy to execute because of the lengthy duration of each sword strike. Without the jump button characteristic of most action/adventure games, "Pirates" frustrates gamers looking to explore their environments and diversify their attacks. The environments are often annoyingly linear, impeding the player from even entering nearby staircases or passing through foliage. A bare bit of puzzle-solving requires the gamer to quickly press a sequence of buttons, but the sluggish hack-n-slash pace predominates. Enemies and especially bosses offer meager resistance - as pirates go, they're pushovers. Provided a gamer has the patience to play through the whole game in one sitting, he could easily do so without once dying or getting stuck.
SOUND:
Voice actors noticeably fill in for Knightley and Bloom, while Depp lends his unmistakeably sleazy voice to Sparrow. The dialogue maintains just about the same level of playfulness of the films. The score of music from the first "Pirates" film heightens the suspense of the gameplay, but more lines from the characters mid-game would elevate the fun factor altogether and offer a break from the rather redundant barrage of sword-slashing sound effects.
LASTING APPEAL:
If stacked next to far superior action/adventure games like "God of War" or, as movie games go, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," it's quite unlikely one will pick up "Pirates" after completing Captain Sparrow's quest. Even doing that requires a higher degree of patience than other games. After about one or two hours of play, boredom creeps like salt water into a ruptured hull.
FUN FACTOR:
Again, there is some fun to be had playing through "Pirates," but the joy dissipates quickly. The slow, easy and redundant pace of the gameplay quickly wears down a player's patience and at that point, the game becomes as fun as a walk on the plank.
THE 411:
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow" for PS2 reeks of a lazy attempt to leach even more money off the hottest property of the summer. Although there's enough of a game to satisfy diehard Jack Sparrow enthusiasts, all other gamers would be best advised steering away from these seas.
Graphics
6.5
Occasionally dazzling but no pearl for the most part.
Gameplay
5.0
“Pirates” amounts to little more than one ten-hour-long, semi-slow-motion swordfight.
Sound
7.0
Depp’s suave vocal talents carry the cut scenes, while the game’s score adds an appreciated cinematic aura.
Lasting Appeal
5.0
Unlike a good pirate hooker, this game isn’t likely to inspire a second visit.
Fun Factor
5.0
This game’s like a bottle of rum - fun in small doses but just agonizingly painful in abundance.
