Lego Pirates Ahoy! As the fourth film sets sail this week, we check out the video game.
His Review with Ian

Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, published on all platforms, is the latest bricksy offering from developer Traveller’s Tales who’ve built the market of Lego film adaptations in the past 5 years from Indiana Jones and Batman to Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. However it’s only now, with the swagger and charm of Jack Sparrow at the helm, that it feels like we’ve arrived at a buccaneering partner that’s a suitable match.

Lego Pirates tells the story of each of the four films (which have become increasingly bloated in their story and plot, yet continue to do megabucks on the big screen) as well as a special bonus area in the witty and affectionate parody style that has become synonymous with the Lego franchise.

Ahoy, ye scurvy knaves (I needed at least one piratey outburst)! This is a game that will satisfy every kleptomaniacal urge you’ve ever had, as you destroy all barrels, trees and baskets, which deliver a satisfying flurry of Lego studs as they melt beneath the touch of your trusty blade. Not only can you collect studs, but there’s dozens of characters to unlock, ships in bottles to horde and red hats to find - oh those red hats are mighty useful for some serious stud accumulation later in the game. The character pool is particularly important as you progress through each of the stories, encountering shiny plastic friends with differing abilities. Once a level is complete, you can return to that area in Free Play with someone who can breathe underwater or shoot or give you access to previously inaccessible areas through their special ability. Maximum achievements here we come.

The local co-op play worked really well for Tracey and I as we were together aiding and abetting each other in our piratical ways, but the non-onlineness will prove difficult, nigh on impossible, for those who’s gaming buddy is not in the same town/county/country, because you aren’t able to play with anyone other than the AI.
Whilst playing alone, I found the NPC’s awkward, clumsy and sometimes downright obstructive – blocking routes, pushing me off ledges etc. it’s lucky that the game is so generous with life/hearts and the instant respawn in close proximity to where you died. Other irky bits including the camera angles and foregrounding of large objects like palm trees, masts etc. that block your view and not allow you to see around them.

The quality of the visuals and level design – as we saw in the preview we played – is consistent and varied right across the game with a particular highlight including the Lego take on the scene in Davy Jones’ Locker – including a brilliant bit of goat riding. The movie lighting grading technique is brilliant with some of the water visuals breathtaking and the juxtaposition of the tiny plastic Lego characters with the neo-real backgrounds should really work, but again fits perfectly. The Hans Zimmer score and cues from the films is prevalent throughout and although you hear it a lot, the quality of it stops it from getting boring. It fits the swordplay and moody ship atmospheres because it’s Hans Zimmer and he knows how to score.

Although it’s aimed at 7+, both young gamers and oldies alike will have plenty to occupy themselves with. Whilst appealing to fans of both the Lego and Pirates franchise, it’s a good enough game to standalone without the Disney endorsements as you stud your way through the game, collecting, fighting and puzzling all the way back to port to what is a very satisfying gaming experience.

Her Review with Tracey

So it turns out Johhny Depp really IS a stud. Or to be more precise is made up of many studs as he boldly sails into our living rooms from not just one but all four films of the mega franchise that is Pirates of the Caribbean.

The clever bunch over at Travellers Tales seem to have done what director Gore Verbinski failed to do and that’s tell some whopping story through a blend of pretty succinct, brilliantly animated and very funny cut scenes that have been presented wonderfully in LEGO and often include carrots and pigs (surreal but works). Fans will delight in not only being able to play with Captain Sparrow’s compass and taking part in their favourite scenes from the films including as Ian said, the brilliant Davy Jones’ Locker and the rolling watermill wheel from Dead Man’s Chest and the amazing horse and cart chase from the opening sequence of latest film On Stranger Tides but they now have all the less exciting, complicated plot bits trimmed and dashed through in under a minute instead of a bum numbing 169 minutes. For those not familiar with the plot lines (which yes, does include a huge number of people who actually saw the movies), things get a little fuzzy around the third story but it doesn’t distract from the overall feel.

As you progress, not only do you get to play all the main characters (plus a fair few that although don’t add much to proceedings, will bug you if you don’t unlock, all of which you can switch to quickly with ease via a selection window), you can also rack up some serious treasure. Studs are hidden everywhere in everything and we’ve spent hours seeking them out then spending them on extra red hats (lets be honest, these are really cheaty cheats but we like that) which ultimately boost your stud multiplier which will allow you to unlock more characters, which unlock new areas, which unlock new studs etc. It became an obsession! This is the driving force behind the replayability factor and completionists will love it. Sure this is sometimes made harder than it should be with fixed cameras not quite allowing you to make certain jumps and yes, on the levels where you are pushed down/off a narrow plank into deathly swamp water or are bundled into fighting who knows who on the lower decks of your ship by 5 other AI characters can get frustrating but as a family title, there’s still plenty of good game play with a variety of level design and puzzles combined with enough humour and challenge so everyone can get satisfaction from it – it’s just such a shame that you can’t play co-op online for the ultimate pirate fun as the most fun we had was when working together. The Co-op screen allows you to wander miles away from each other without ever being detrimental to the game but if you don’t have any real life friends to share your sofa with, you won’t get to appreciate this.

Still, with picture icons to guide you through and the chance to unlock some cheats early on to stop you losing life for example when the niggly camera or other pirates get in the way (though if they hamper your progress or annoy your too much, you can always slice them through and collect their studs *evil laugh*), this is a simple but addictive title. With fabulous colour grading taken straight from the film series, I found it way more enjoyable than sitting through the movies and is one I would probably come back to time and again via the FreePlay option. Bash those bricks, build ‘em up, bash ‘em again and again until there’s no more studs left!

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean The Video Game is available now on Xbox360, Playstation3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, DS and 3DS