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> Results: Pirates of the Caribbean
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Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of Fun?Basing a movie on a theme park ride, particularly a ride based on a genre that hasnﾒt done well in Hollywood for over 50 years, is a risky proposition. This is why the critical reception and smash success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie is such a shock. The fact that thereﾒs a game based on the movie available already will surprise fans, and the fact that this licensed game is pretty good is yet another surprise. The final surprise is in store for anyone buying the game and expecting to relive the movie. That wonﾒt happen. This Pirates of the Caribbean sails pretty much on its own power.  The reason? Because Pirates of the Caribbean is actually a game called Sea Dogs 2. A quality pirate themed RPG-sequel from the Russian Studio Akella (an outfit best known for "wooden ships and iron men" simulations like Age of Sail and the original Sea Dogs). It seems Disney came shopping around for a game and Bethesda offered them the just about completed Sea Dogs 2. Thus the title change and thus the fact that aside from the setting, some plot points, and the villain near the end of the game, you wonﾒt find much of the movie in this game. Thereﾒs no Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and thereﾒs no Orlando Bloom (though there is Kiera Knightley). Thereﾒs just a pirate captain and his free-form adventures at sea.  Whether movie buffs will get what they want pales in comparison to what RPG fans get. A quality experience if also a daunting one. This game isnﾒt easy and, like Morrowind before it, it sort of throws you into the world without a clue what to do. Such freedom has its own rewards as you manage your character, your crew, go on quests, seek out treasure, trade, fight pirates, maybe make war on the French, and do all of these at your own speed. The game begins with a tutorial, a sea dog who, through the magic of conversation trees that donﾒt really branch, shows you the ropes. Once youﾒre on your own a cutscene has you escape a French attack and sends you to warn the British of the upcoming war.  Sailing is interesting. You sail until you see ships (you can use a spyglass to identify their colors) and youﾒll see frequent sea battles between ships and pirates all from a charmingly cartoony top down perspective. You can intervene and eventually, if you choose to be a scourge or Privateer, you can attack innocent ships yourself. Sea combat is challenging and a bit unrefined. You get a 3rd person view, or first person, and it (somewhat) realistically has you tacking with the wind to maneuver for broadsides or to board the enemy. Destroying ships or capturing them grants you experience and cash to upgrade your skills, the skills of your officers, and repair and outfit your fleet. Later in the game youﾒll face multiple ships, so you better have a fleet going by then. On land you walk around and visit taverns, loansharks, and other locales to talk to the good people. But if you make a country angry, expect a chilly reception when you visit (or a fiery one if they have a Fort). You can also shoot your musket into bad guys, or engage in simplistic sword fighting.  Pirates of the Caribbean is frought with problems. The controls in the PC version are a little sluggish and unintuitive. Plus the PC version is plagued (cursed?) with crash bugs and a nasty bug that corrupts your save files (I didn't experience this one, but I can't imagine anything worse.) It seems this game was made for the Xbox first, and then ported over to the PC. The Xbox version is a little better but there are some changes that didnﾒt make it into the manual and there's some stuttering to the gameplay. Maybe if it hadnﾒt been for Disneyﾒs flick, Akella would have had more time for refinements. Or maybe the tail end of their development cycle was thrown off when they suddenly found they had to incorporate bits from the movie.  The graphics are stunning. The maps and interface are clean, the sunsets are breathtaking, and combat is glorious. Like Morrowind this is a game thatﾒs worth exploring as much as itﾒs worth playing to win. While not a perfect game, and probably too much game for simple fans looking for an action movie license, Pirates of the Caribbean is a must have for RPG fans looking for something other than orcs and dragons. This will shiver their timbers for sure. Ages: 12+ ESRB: T- Teen (Violence, Gambling, Use of Alcohol) Developer: Akella Producer: Bethesda/Disney Interactive Platform: Xbox, PC 
Kids love pirates and if theyﾒre old enough to see the film in your estimation, theyﾒre old enough for this game. Itﾒs a good intro into the world of RPGs as well, and just might teach them a bit about the age of sail and piracy. The game will let your teen be the bad guy though, and admittedly pillaging is an easier path to wealth and advancement in the game, but there are consequences as entire ports become hostile and huge ill-mannered fleets and privateers join the pirates out to get them.
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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