Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
Jack is back, and he's got a few tales to tell.
Preview by Aaron Drewniak (Email)
May 11th 2006
With the second Pirates movie about to set sail, Seven Studios has concocted a string of "playable lies" in a series of not quite true to life adventures that make up the legend of this dastardly pirate. Johnny Depp has reprised his role as Jack to provide voice work for the game, helping to keep it full of the same humor and charm that made the first movie so memorable, and without spoiling the events of the upcoming sequel.
The core of Legend is a third person slash 'em up with the ability to control Jack, Will, or Elisabeth; each with their own unique fighting styles and special abilities. You can quickly switch between characters when playing on your own, but there's also a co-op mode for taking down undead and other villainous scum with your best mate. Mix together weak and strong attacks, special moves, while blocking and dodging with up to twenty five characters on screen at once. There will also be mini-games and other small tasks to keep Legend from being nothing but cutting up your foes. While the lack of blood keeps with the family spirit of the films.
"Moonlight technology" follows the same spirit, revealing the true nature of cursed characters bit by bit as they pass through shafts of moonlight. Unfortunately, this couldn't be seen in the demo version, which was comprised of a lush day at the tropics where the player is taken through the ins and outs of the controls. The graphics were crisp and the animation fluid for the most part, with all the lightning and shader effects people have come to expect from next generation games. How much this will suffer from the conversion to the PS2 is hard to say since it wasn't shown, though the screenshots reveal only minor differences. With the PC version being played on a 360 controller, porting to Microsoft's new console seems like it would be a natural, but alas that ship has already sailed.
It's not a game meant to change the world, but it is a game that's got plenty of swashbuckling action that's far above the quality people usually expect from licensed games. If you are a fan of the movies, there's an attention to detail to the world of Pirates of the Caribbean, including a bounty of unlockables in the form of concept art, movies, and other extras. Even if you're not a fan of the movies, The Legend of Jack Sparrow is a fun and fine looking co-op slash up that should keep you entertained right up to the moment when the credits roll.
