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    LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

    Game » consists of 22 releases. Released May 10, 2011

    The game follows the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and others from the movies. The title features characters and scenarios from all four films: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Dead Man's Chest, At World's End and On Stranger Tides

    realnewby's LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Xbox 360) review

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    Captain Jack Isn't Just for Kids

    Ever since Johnny Depp stumbled into our hearts as Captain Jack Sparrow, we have been clamoring for a video game adaptation that captured the feel of Pirates of the Caribbean. Until now, most of the attempts at digitizing Will, Elisabeth, and Jack have been fairly disappointing. Traveller’s Tales have changed that streak of disappointment with Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.

    Why is this adaptation successful? The main reason is that the developers stopped trying to write witty banter for the characters that would be in the same vein as the movies. Instead, they took the silent formula from the other Lego games and added whimsical sounds and expressions to the main characters. When Jack has an argument with Will in The Curse of the Black Pearl, they just grimace at each other and make growling noises. This approach saves the developers from the impossible task of creating fresh dialogue and it adds an entertaining aspect that every age can enjoy.

    Capturing the characters of the film would seem to be a difficult task because the story only revolved around a small number of characters. However, Traveller’s Tales took the small characters from the movie and expanded on their roles and abilities. The cursed pirates from the Black Pearl can all walk underwater to find hidden areas. The crew from Davy Jones’ ship can walk through walls covered in coral. There are over 50 unlockable characters in Lego Pirates that can be used for different purposed.

    The one part of the films that did not need to be completely changed was the music. Hans Zimmer created a masterful soundtrack for the Pirates franchise that perfectly covered moments of romance, epic battles, and every other situation. These songs transfer to the game perfectly from the large sword fights to exploring the hub world where you find missions. Certain characters even have unique songs that play when they are on-screen.

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    The gameplay is much improved from earlier Lego games such as Star Wars and Batman. The sword fighting mechanic has been redone so the characters do not have to rely on one move to defeat enemies. The main characters such as Will and Jack also have finishing moves that are unique to each character-Jack can trip enemies and Will can throw them over his shoulder. The jumping mechanic has also been changed so the mix of 2d and 3d does not result in falling to your death. The best change to the gameplay is the addition of Jack’s compass and the direction indicator. The compass can be used to find hidden objects in the level that can complete objectives or unlock special areas. The direction indicator helps you find the purpose of the mass amount of objects that you pick up throughout the game. Both of these additions cut down on the time searching for that one specific item that will complete the main objective.

    Lego Pirates is one of the best entries in the Lego universe, but it still has one main flaw. The flaw is the split screen mode for multiple players on the same tv. The original Lego games featured “same-screen” mode which meant the players had to be in the same area of level at all times. The game now includes a dynamic split screen that allows the players to explore freely without the other player. This system seems to work fairly well, but it can cause headaches and dizziness in players that wear contact lenses or glasses. This problem does not seem to affect players with normal vision, but it is a major flaw for the players with vision problems.

    Lego Pirates of the Caribbean has been viewed by many people as a game mainly for children. The game is very streamlined and the tone is family-friendly, but the entertainment value is high for all ages. The gameplay systems work well, and the developers manage to capture the feel of the movies. The only issue to get past is the split screen, but this is not a problem for solo players.

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