All ashore that's going ashore
Now you might be thinking that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest isn’t worth the bother and I have to say that the replay value is pretty much nil, especially as the game requiresyou to explore thoroughly first time around. With PC games, it’d be about now that you’d be looking to the multiplayer for salvation and the same can be said of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
The multiplayer side of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest has nothing at all to do with the single player game. There’s not a sword in sight. In fact, there’s not a body in sight either as all the action, unlike the single player game, takes place on the high seas with you in command of your very own warship.
You’ve a choice of ships to choose from, each one with their own particular merits. You could go a for a lightly armed but very fast schooner, or opt for the medium speed, medium armed brigantine, or go all out with the super slow, super powerful gunship. The actual gameplay is more like a deathmatch style with you trying to sink your opponents using broadside volleys of different types of shot and various power-ups floating around the seas. Control of your ship is simply a matter of pushing the joystick in the direction you want to go before using the buttons to fire off either a port or starboard volley.
This little multiplayer game is actually surprisingly good with a heavy level of tactics being needed to be continuously successful and rule the waves. Given the slightly disappointing single player game, this multiplayer gem is a godsend.
So, what do we have in summing up Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest? Well, the single player game is something that nothing but the most avid of fans will ever go back to unless you find yourself with nothing to do on a wet early closing day in Hull, and even then I’d give serious consideration to watching paint dry instead.
The multiplayer is in stark contrast to the single player game and even playing against bots, there’s plenty to keep you going for hours. If you’re lucky enough to find someone else playing this then definitely give them a multiplayer session as there’s plenty here to keep you going, even for such an outwardly simplistic game.
What we’re left with is a bit of a letdown then, as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is not a particularly good game in it’s own right though fervent fans of the film will no doubt disagree. The multiplayer side is superb and anyone who enjoyed the film will enjoy the game too. Unlike the films, it's likely you'll enjoy this only the once and never find a reason to go back to it.
Pros
Looks good
Fun for a few hours
Voiced by Johnny Depp
Multiplayer is superb
Cons
Repetitive single player
Annoying access to final level
Limited variety of baddies
Simplistic puzzles
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest… best left locked, to be honest
HEXUS Awards
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – PSP
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HEXUS Where2Buy
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is available now, click the following links to order:Play.com
