“Here we go again”, is the first thing that comes to mind when plopping another LEGO title into the Wii. That’s because Traveller’s Tales is becoming synonymous combining those playful brick toys with popular movie franchises. The result is almost always the same – a game with source material that not everyone can follow, but usually packed within an enjoyable experience none-the-less. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean takes gamers on a light-hearted journey through all of the movies including the upcoming release of “On Stranger Tides” due out this summer. Even the most diehard fans of the Pirates movies won’t be able to follow everything happening in the fourth part of this game. It’s not the unfamiliar source material that will cause frustration to gamers, but instead it’s some of the game’s mechanics that will have you scratching your head.
Just like in Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, Harry Potter and the other LEGO titles, there is the available drop-in and drop-out co-op play via split screen. In total, you can play as over 70 different characters but honestly, outside of the main 10 characters, the other 60 are pretty lame and useless. Specific characters have particular abilities that you’ll need to use in order to solve puzzles and unlock certain areas in levels. For example, Will Turner can throw his axe to hit far away targets and the female characters can jump longer than the men (Potentially a nod to Princess Peach?).
As mentioned above, it’s not the story or number of characters that is an issue by any means. Instead it’s the controls that appear to be the recurring issue with LEGO games. Some jumps are just downright frustrating to do thanks to awkward cameras and even worse – NPCs bumping into you. For example, you might be trying to maneuver your way across a skinny board (plank if you will) and the characters in tow will knock you off the board … repeatedly. It’s also hard to aim your attacks during fights. This becomes especially true if things get chaotic and you are trying to avoid hitting your partner.
The design isn’t bad though and for the most part, the levels are nicely done and help keep the game interesting. There’s no doubt that Lego Pirates of the Caribbean takes the gamer farther into the world of Pirates than the movies ever did; thanks in great part to the fourth chapter, which fans haven’t been able to see yet.
The sound and visuals in Lego Pirates of the Caribbean are all pretty solid. Things did get a little choppy in the graphics department on a few occasions, but for the most part had the same plastic-sheen that we’ve come to associate with LEGO games. The audio is there, but sometimes you almost have to focus on it because you forget there’s anything to be heard. Of the AV twins, the audio is the ugly sister this time around.
Overall, Lego: Pirates of the Caribbean is a title that kids will enjoy and fans of the movies will pick up because they’ve got Johnny Depp fever and want to know what’s happening on the high-seas before the movie releases. For casual gamers and those that view the Pirates of the Caribbean as a “can take it or leave it” franchise, this game is just a disc packed full of everything you’ve seen before. Yes, the LEGO characters are cute. Of course you’ll be smashing set-pieces non-stop to collect bits so you can build more stuff. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean isn’t bad by any means. It’s just that we’ve seen it quite a few times already.
Article source: http://gameplaytoday.com/nintendo/nintendo-wii-reviews/5627-lego-pirates-of-the-caribbean-wii-review
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