Customer Reviews

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Every once in a while a video game based on a movie comes out and it turns out to be a great game. But most of the time movie based games are full of generic and uninteresting gameplay and seem to do little more than plug the movie they're based upon. This is one of those games, pretty standard fare and just like the myriad of movie games you've played before, only this time it's Johnny Depp's likeness and not that of some other Hollywood heartthrob.

In the interest of fairness this game is not a total waste, though it's close. The combat is amusing for a minute or two, mostly because Jack (that's who you begin the game as) has some pretty cool animated counterattacks. But it gets tedious fast, and pretty soon you're just mashing buttons in between yawns as you fend off another generic group of enemies.

This game does have a 2 player co op mode, but from what I can tell you can only play a mission in co op if you've already completed it alone (this may change later in the game). Pirates also features a system of dueling, which is as dull as the regular combat option. I've only played the PS3 version of this game, but I assume the game was made to play on previous generation consoles like the PS2 and then just released as is on the PS3 as well, because the graphics, while not bad, just don't seem worthy of the Playstation 3.

In short, At World's End is just another generic video game based on a movie. If you're really a Pirates fan I guess you could rent it--I doubt the game would hold your interest longer than the rental period anyway.

I didn't see any instructions on what key combinations to press to kill a super opponent. Therefore, I couldn't go any farther in the game.

Otherwise, I would have rated it a 5 star.

Pirates of the Caribbean is suprisingly good and better than your average movie game. You play as Jack, Will, and Elizabeth through different levels with swords, daggers, guns, and even bombs. The graphics are stunning with the PS3 graphics engine, and the environments fit the mood. You will have fun punching the bad guys and swashbuckling the bad pirates. The only things wrong with the game are that the controls are very awkward when you first begin to play. Also, the game has a weird camera even though you control it. Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a fun game for PS3 owners and is a must have for fans of the movie.

Walking into this game, I didn't have huge expectations. The game was based on the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, which did not live up to the previous entries, though it wasn't terrible. Also, because it was a movie based game, my expectations were pretty low. Fortunately Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was better than I expected. However, there are still problems with it that do make it a true "movie licensed game".

A strong point to the game is the story. The good thing about the story is that they don't spend the entire game on the third movie, which often times had an awkward pacing and tended to drag too often in scenes. The game instead focuses half of its narrative on the second movie, Dead Man's Chest, along with At World's End. This is a good thing, because the exciting scenes from both movies are recognized and it keeps the pacing a little smoother than the two movies. Even when you aren't in brawls and sword fights, At World's End the game still manages to pull off some enjoyable platforming and puzzle sections, along with some story moments that are accurate to the film and will be enjoyable for most. The narrative isn't the greatest, but the voice acting is solid and the look and feel of the game screams Pirates of the Caribbean, so it keeps in the spirit of the films while eliminating some of the other problems within the narrative.

At World's End's gameplay consists mostly of swashbuckling combat. The combat is pretty simple and straightforward. You will go up against enemies and swing your swords until they turn their backs, and finish them off with a blow. Along with this, you can punch enemies to stun them for a second and then hit them with your sword, and utilize a variety of weapons including throwing knives, grenades, and a pistol to spice up the combat. Fortunately, the game doesn't encourage you to mash one button, as using real swashbuckling techniques like punching and using weapons actually is rewarding, as it helps fill up a meter to perform finishing moves. The weapons also help add some variety to the combat. Other than these couple of cool flavors to the combat, it is actually pretty repetitive. While there certainly isn't that much button mashing, there isn't a great variety of enemies and difficulty as you go through the game. There will on an occasion be an enemy that takes a few more swings of your blade to eventually take down, and there are some stronger enemies that require a finishing move in order to be taken out, but that's about it. The rest of the combat gets repetitive, but not so repetitive that you can't have fun. If the game were a bit longer though, the combat would become a chore fast. In addition, though you play as multiple character throughout the game, they each share the exact same combat, besides some different finishing move animations. Other than these, the combat remains the same for each character.

Some segments also have you in sword fights switching back and forth between characters to take down enemies, and you also have to try and keep each one alive. Again, the combat doesn't vary much, and the AI of your friendlies is quite underwhelming, so these segments aren't very enjoyable, though utilizing some of the unique finishing moves of each character can be fun.

What is more fun than the sword play are the handful of fistfighting sections in the game. Thanks to some interactive environments, including objects you can pick up and use in combat, and the tone of bar fights in classic pirates fashion, some of these are enjoyable, although few and far between. You can use most of these moves in the sword play too, but the sense that you are in a bar fight makes these fist exclusive fights more enjoyable than some of the swashbuckling.

Some of these segments also have you switching between characters like some of the swashbuckling sections, but they are slightly more enjoyable because punches don't damage your characters as much as swords.

Besides the standard combat, At World's End also has a boss dueling system. In some of these segments, you will face character that you may or may not have faced in the film, such as Davy Jones, Will Turner or Jack depending on the part from Dead Man's Chest, and some other pirate characters you will meet in some missions. These segments utilize a sword dueling mechanic not seen in the main combat, where you will have to flick the analog stick in a certain direction to block or swing a high attack towards the head, a low attack towards the legs, or a stabbing motion. In these, you can also utilize counter attacks, special attacks that will allow you to hit your enemies in a single hit, and occasionally there will be a button prompt that will allow you to avoid a falling object or use the environment to your advantage. Like the main combat, these are pretty easy, however they are enjoyable thanks to the slight cinematic flair that they offer and they end with often humorous cutscenes.

Besides the combat, you will also spend some time solving puzzles which aren't excruciatingly difficult, but do break up the action nicely, and some enjoyable platforming sequences. The platforming isn't always thrilling, but on some occasions there will be some cool set pieces where the platforming becomes enjoyable. One sequence in particular has you playing as Elizabeth Swan as the Black Pearl is sinking and being torn apart by the Kraken. As Elizabeth, you will have to navigate a ship being torn apart by the Kraken as you are walking across the ship's mass and you watch your crew members being smacked off the boat by the Kraken. These segments can be enjoyable, and can provide some thrills in the game.

So in short, the gameplay is enjoyable, and the game has its moments, although some parts of it can become redundant and nothing here is particularly new or breathtaking.

The best part of At World's End is probably it's presentation. The game has the look, sound, and feel of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

The graphics, to start, are quite good. The character models look solid, the detail in the environments is nice, and the locations in the game look very accurate to that of the movie. The cutscenes also look pretty nice and the animations of the characters are pretty believable in there as well as when you are walking around. Not everything about the graphics is spectacular though. Sometimes in combat, the swashbuckling can look a bit awkward and slow, particularly when enemies just turn your backs and let you slice them. Also, the frame rate tends to drop when there is a lot of stuff going on onscreen. Still, this is forgivable when you are watching some cool sword fights take place, and when you look at the fantastic recreations of locations from the movie. Again, for today's standards, these aren't as good as some of the games we have seen today, although they certainly are good.

The sounds is even more impressive. While none of the voice actors from the movie reprise their roles in the game, the sound alikes are pretty spot on, particularly the person who voices Jack Sparrow. The dialogue isn't present that much during actual gameplay, but in the cutscenes it is quite enjoyable and gets you in the Pirates mood. The design of the sound is also impressive, with pirate battles, cannons, swords, and locations all sounding quite good and believable. There are sometimes audio sync issues that sometimes occur during framerate drops, but these are pretty rare, and the score has the pirates feel and is exciting, minus not having the main Pirates of the Caribbean theme song in it. Still, during the action, the music does add to what is going on onscreen.

The biggest problem with At World's End is the length. The game is very short, and I mean even shorter than the combined running time of the two movies. The game took me just under five hours to beat, and it was hardly a challenge, as I only died on some platforming sequences, and some occasionally cheap deaths during combat. There are a couple of hints of replay value, such as collecting scrolls, Wanted Posters, and other collectibles in levels to unlock some bonus videos and art work, but these are pretty joyless things, and if you aren't a big fan of collecting, this isn't really going to be a game you will return to. There are some multiplayer features in the game. There are some co-op missions where you and a friend take on swarms of enemies, and another one where the game utilizes the entertaining dueling system in one on one matches, but neither of these are online and don't have any expansion or reason to keep you coming back, despite the fact that they are mildly enjoyable. On the XBOX 360 version, there are some leaderboards for the Co-Op missions, but that isn't much more of a reason to keep coming back to the game.

So with all of these components coming together, At World's End comes to being good, but not great. There are some enjoyable moments in gameplay, the story is enjoyable for someone who has seen the movie, and the presentation is impressive. However, the game's repetition, short length, and tedious design to hut it a bit, making for an experience that has its moments, but the game was definitely a missed opportunity. Still, the game is enjoyable enough, and is worth an extended rental or a ten dollar bin purchase for fans of the movie.

Presentation: 8/10: The strongest point of the game. The story is more interesting than the third movie, although it isn't particularly fantastic for someone who hasn't seen them. Still, the feel of the game screams Pirates of the Caribbean, and this brings some enjoyable moments.

Graphics: 7/10: Looks like pirates, with some accurate recreations of scenes from the movie and some good looking cutscenes and moving animations. The combat can look a bit awkward though, and the framerate can drop quite a bit.

Sound: 8/10: The game does lack the classic Pirates of the Caribbean theme, and some of the voice acting of enemies is pretty corny, but the sound alikes of major movie roles are great, the score helps make the action exciting, and the sound design of everything going on screen is impressive, despite occasional syncing issues.

Gameplay: 6.5/10: Enjoyable, but flawed. The swashbuckling is fun at first and encourages less button mashing, but gets repetitive fast and is quite slow in pace, with some fist fighting sections that are better, but far in between. The dueling is fun and cinematic, but also a little slow. The platforming and puzzles help break up the action, and some of the greatest thrills come from the environmental set pieces during the platforming.

Replay Value: 3/10: A five hour long story is too short for two movies to work off of. On top of this, the item collecting unlocks some pretty unenjoyable videos and artwork. The local multiplayer is enjoyable, but not expansive at all or a reason to come back.

Final Tally: 6.5/10 An extended rental or a price drop bin purchase.

It's ver realistic and fun in a dark and scray kind of way just like the movie! I really feel like Jack Sparrow when I play this particular one out of all the Pirates of the Caribbean games. One of the better movie-game spinoffs. If you want to be Jack Sparrow, this is the one for you!

for the price is good but Isn't a good game for have a nice experience in the PS3! not recomended...

Pirates of the Caribbean the Video game, is not a very good choice to invest your money in. I know you liked the movie and all, but do your wallet a favor. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. Why?

Yes,you get to be jack Elizabeth, Will Turner, and Jack Sparrow. So what? All you do is beat up the bad guys, with a sword, dagger, bomb, and some punches. Lame. The graphics are fairly good enough, but why put good graphics when the game play absolutely stinks... Come on Pixar!

The enemies are dumb, and you can easily beat them up with a couple of corny sword clanks. Your enemy then turns around for you to finish him off, which you can either slice his back, or just tear him apart. The controls are fairly easy to master, and you kind of get tired of seeing Jack and Will doing the same moves over and over again.

Another gameplay mode is dueling. HA! And I thought this was going to be fun. No... Not actually. It really stinks. All you do is get up on some high place and duel someone until they fall to their death. You duel by reading the persons "pulse" which you then move the joystick in the direction to deflect, and then you throw a couple of stabs and slashes, and before you know it you've completed the game.

I expected to see more but, after having owned this game for 2 years... I really think i should trade it in for another game like Little Big Planet. Pirates of the Caribbean is a good movie, but the game is horrible. Lets hope they do it better next time.

BEWARE: People may say it is fun but SERIOUSLY, It isn't. :(

Don't waste your money. Buy this used. I was so fed up with the crappy controls on this game, I just stopped playing it and went back to GTA4 and COD4.

I would have been the first to be critical of a movie-based game, but I've got to say that "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is all kinds of fun.

The gameplay is unique and captivating. Mostly you play Jack Sparrow, but occasionally you'll come across scenarios where you may become the other characters as well (unless you're satisfied with their programmatic behavior) by cycling through characters with the left control pad and taking control of that character - you keep your eye on how they're all doing healthwise and if someone looks like they're wearing out, you want to switch to them, earn a special move then use it in hopes of more health shooting out of your fallen opponent.

The levels are very well done - the rainy surfaces are great. The characters are fantastic. The musical score is great. Sound effects are excellent. The "puzzles" that you come across can be easily figured out if your paying attention, but they're not so hard that you would get to a point of not wanting to bother with it anymore - the game remains comfortably enjoyable.

There's plenty of variety in scenery, special moves, hidden treasures and characters to battle with. The sword battles are a nice challenge and there are certain bonus battle features that pop up on occasion.

Characters are large and well detailed...many different ones may occupy the screen at any given moment, giving a nice, somewhat "epic" feel. I really enjoyed defending the ship as enemies make their way on board. I enjoy the firing of cannons, the knife throwing, the grenade lobbing, taking souls with the "Jackanized" sword, walking across beams using sixaxis to stay balanced, and I especially enjoyed scaling the walls and cliffsides.

There are all sorts of fun things about this game and I've played it beginning to end. You can choose "extras" at the main menu if you want to go back and earn a better ranking on any of the levels you've already completed, or if you'd like to unlock one of the special treasure chests that you may have missed the first time around - these open up cool "special features" such as artwork, character meshes, music and much more that you can also explore on the "extras" menu.

This is an awesome game! It's a bit more violent than the films, though. The graphics - although not in the highest possible resolution - are truly incredible. They're lifelike in a video game kind of way - not the highest resolution, but high resolution enough and there are plenty of outstanding special effects, too!

I highly recommend this game, especially now that it's dropped down to $40! It is worth it and could stand on its own as a game without the movie tie-in...but it is a movie game, so enjoy it anyway! I loved it!

It's a typical movie game here the developer spent all there time trying to match the movie, and not creating good gameplay. You have like two attack moves and that's it. so have fun pushing one button the whole game.