His Preview with Ian
SFL recently went to a pub...to preview a new videogame...what a smashing idea. I think there should be more videogames in pubs; it creates camaraderie, high jinx and a useful distraction to all the temptation that a pub has to offer – so hats off to Tim from Renegade PR for a great venue.
The game in question is, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, the latest from the quirky LEGO stable of developer TT Games. It combines the entire PotC trilogy to date as well as the forthcoming instalment PotC: On Stranger Tides – released later this month in one whole game with the familiar wit and swagger of Jack Sparrow as seen in the opening scene when his ship slowly sinks, mangling the port as it arrives and he pops out of the crows nest into the arms of his captors captures the spirit of the film perfectly – it’s heartening that TT Games are obvious fans of the franchise with their attention to detail. Accompanying Jack is his motley crew plus a range of characters that matches the already famed Lego humour and approach much better than previous film/LEGO tie ins.
It’s published by Disney and is aimed at 7+, so we’re not going to see the gore of Mortal Kombat or sexual ambiguity of Dragon Age II, but it doesn’t need to – it knows its audience and X marks the spot, it strikes gold. I completed the first level (single player) on 2 platforms (Xbox 360 & Nintendo 3DS) to compare and contrast and hopefully save you a bit of money and more importantly, time. If you love Disney, LEGO, PotC or simply like drooling over anything associated with Johnny Depp – you’re going to love this game on the Xbox 360. It has bundles of filmic and gaming goodness all rolled in to one title and I’ll tweak your inner geek with this... it uses the same movie grading lighting techniques to give it an authenticity akin to the films.
If however, you’re thinking about this game on the 3DS – skull and cross bones alert, the initial omens do not look good. Everything that’s brilliant about the game on the Xbox (funny cut scenes, taxing piratical puzzles, interchanging playable characters) feels sorely lacking on the 3DS; it didn’t have the lightness of style, it felt diluted and was hardly worth exploring the small 3DS lands and, and, AND it doesn’t use the bottom screen at all and, and, AND again, the 3D is almost invisible. This game has been made for a single screen only and does not translate AT ALL on the 3DS. This is one of my major beefs, when games are released by publishers on every platform going; it’s a cynical, money grabbing venture that doesn’t have the gamer or the game at the core.
However, this should not detract from what should be a cracking game on the Xbox/PS3.
Her Preview with Tracey
From the opening titles on the Xbox version, the piratical Disney world as seen in the films is instantly recognisable and you’re whisked away to the warm shores of the Caribbean. Featuring scenes, locations and over 70 characters from all four films, fans of the franchise are in for a treat as there is great humour, sweet sword fights, puzzles a plenty and hidden items galore to hunt down. LEGO fans will already be familiar with the building aspect of the game but never before has it been so easy to swap characters lickety split quick in order to get the job done. In fact, by far and away, the most impressive thing for me during the preview was how this worked in the excellent two-player Co-op. A second player can drop in or out at any time during play and you can choose to play any character you’ve unlocked at any time. Player two isn’t merely there to mop up after the lead character, picking up missed studs etc. Often it’s only by working together that gets you through – pressing switches at the same time, selecting the right characters to dig a hole or find a key in order to release the other. It’s inventive, engaging and the split screen is brilliant. If you’re working close together in the same area it’s one screen, then it divides and allows you to wander off, roaming and exploring where you like without dragging the other player in your direction. It means the flow of two player isn’t interrupted and feels like player two actually adds value to proceedings – almost like two simultaneous one player games. It’s very satisfying and impressive.
There’s also Super Free Play where you can go back to areas already completed. In fact they pretty much insist on it as you can only gain access to certain areas of levels with characters you unlock later on in the game but it will certainly keep completionists happy.
Similarly to Ian, I wasn’t very impressed with the 3DS version and think having Jack Sparrow in your pocket to play with at whim will still only appeal to die-hard fans. The Xbox version is beautifully rendered and packed with the same tone, humour, atmosphere and aesthetic of the films. If you’re not familiar with the films, you may be forgiven for not being able to follow exactly who is on whose side as the mute but charming LEGO characters don’t utter a peep but the story is strong enough for newcomers to the pirate franchise whilst the help system although unobtrusive, isn’t going to appeal to regular mature gamers. Overall, it’s charming Caribbean addictiveness with piratical fun in abundance and am looking forward to the full game.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game is due for release on 13th May 2011 for Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PSP, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and 3DS whilst the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will be released in cinemas on 18th May.
