Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Given that the majority of attractions in Disneyland are based on movies it surprised everyone when the House of the Mouse announced, some years ago, that they were to develop movies based on The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean both of which were considered 'original' attractions. The Eddie Murphy led Haunted Mansion was not well received critically and while the general public still enjoyed the movie it didn't exactly break box office records. Pirates of the Caribbean was both a critical and financial hit causing Disney to green light two sequels immediately and three years later here's the first. For games it was a different story and while Haunted Mansion was embraced by developers and publishers alike clearly no one thought a Pirate game would excite the gaming community. It's different this time around of course, with a version of Dead Man's Chest gracing all 3 handheld formats (PSP, DS and GBA) but should you be crossing your local Game manager’s hand with silver?

Without question, the most exciting part of being a pirate is fighting with everyone and everything that get in your way with a trusty sword as your chosen weapon. With this in mind, developers Amaze Entertainment have attempted to turn the latest handheld outing for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise into a swashbuckling action adventure with you controlling none other than Captain Jack Sparrow. It takes place from a central hub, which is actually a Treasure Map, giving you the ability to re-visit areas once completed. Once you select a location it's simply a matter of getting to the 'exit' without losing all your health although should you find yourself falling into a slump on the ground you'll be quickly transported to one of the many check points completely re-energised. It's also important to remember that you don't have to kill all the enemies and some can be avoided although given that many of the areas have to be created before the door to the exit is cleared it's probably best that you try and battle it out to the best of your ability. In addition to the fighting you'll also be presented with the odd puzzle although these seem to be almost none-existent as the game progresses. They mainly consist of placing gunpowder in front of doors before igniting it and flipping switches although there are a few that require a little more thought than this.

In addition to the single player experience the developers have seen fit to add a rather different multiplayer experience, which takes place on the high seas. This is a kind of naval warfare game, which is highly enjoyable and it’s a real shame that elements of it weren't included in the main game. The rules are very basic indeed and simply challenge you to sail around firing upon other ships from both your port and starboard sides. There are three different modes to select here, Catch the Flag, Survival and, the all-important Deathmatch. While this is far from a classic simulation you will have to consider carefully your ship selection to match your style of gameplay because for instance a strong ship with a significant amount of firepower may lack speed where faster vessels are far more fragile.

As far as PSP games go Dead Man's Chest is pretty good looking without being outstanding and the animation of Captain Jack Sparrow is particularly good. If you want to know what I mean just watch one of the movies and you'll notice that Jack is in a constant state of inebriation and always of the bring of toppling over. The animation during combat is also very solid with the visuals in general well designed and rendered. There is a down side to all this though and it comes in the form of an inconsistent frame rate which unusually, appears to be completely random as opposed to, the usual occurrence, when the screen becomes too cluttered with action. Whether this is the result of the hardware's shortcomings or a rushed job is uncertain but one thing is for sure, this really shouldn't happen in any commercial product at this level.

As usual with movie tie-ins the soundtrack has been done with sound-alikes to avoid paying the actual stars another squillion dollars for their acting abilities. Surprisingly Dead Man's Chest is one of the better attempts at this with Mr. Depp's performance in particular very close to the original. The rest of the voice acting is also well above average and it's refreshing to see developers take care of an area that’s often overlooked. In addition the whole thing is accompanied by a full orchestral soundtrack, which will no doubt encourage some gamers to purchase the soundtrack but even if you don't you should really listen to this though a set of decent headphones. It's wonderful and adds to the overall experience immensely.

The control is awkward to say the least and your first problems will begin with the camera which, while fully moveable, will often get stuck meaning you can't see the pirate behind you about to end your life or line up when attempting to judge one of the many jumps. The same can be said of the collision detection, which can occasionally be very unfair especially if you wander too close to a dangerous area like lava, for example. The combat is a little better although this has been kept incredibly simple and you'll always have the required moves to overcome your enemies even when you are overwhelmingly outnumbered. You have a variety of moves at your disposal, which are all effective when used on the correct enemy. There's no need to learn this though as the game will display the required button over the head of the enemy you are currently fighting. If this all getting a little tiresome there's also the opportunity to kill enemies from a distance providing you have picked up one on the many weapons lying around such as bottles, knives and guns. A direct hit from any of these will pretty much guarantee an instant kill and there enough of them scattered around meaning you'll hardly ever have to actually engage in combat. Another way to 'kill two birds with one stone' is by utilising a variety of items you'll find which appear to make up the background if it wasn't for the flaming skull and crossbones logo hovering over them. This can be bundles of stones which, when activated, fall on your enemies or barrels which can be rolled into their paths. There are many more of these but it's up to you to discover the best way to use them.

Dead Man's Chest could have been a great game and the various individual elements are certainly entertaining. Unfortunately the end product is just a little too unpolished to be the summer blockbuster which the movie is undoubtedly heading for. The outcome is by no means a terrible game and this PSP version has many redeeming features but for every plus there's a minus. The single player game is very enjoyable, for example, but is far too short and hampered by awkward camera angles and an inconsistent frame rate. This is rescued, to a certain extent, by the multiplayer modes that add much needed replay value to the main game but as always you'll need to seek out someone else to play with. A definite 'try before you buy' affair, just don't stay too long as you may just complete it.

By Andrew Blanchard