Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

The third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, At World’s End, is due for release any day now. The second, Dead Man’s Chest, broke all sorts of box office records worldwide. It’s safe to say that everyone loves pirates. And if by chance you really don’t love pirates, then odds are that you love Johnny Depp. Or Orlando Bloom. Or Kiera Knightly. Yep, it’s safe to say that this is one game with some serious hype. Disney knows what it's doing with this one.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is being released for practically every platform known to mankind: PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PC, PSP and DS. While all will have similar storylines, each variant of the game will differ slightly depending on which platform it's being released. We thought the Wii version looked pretty cool, so decided to focus on that for the purposes of this preview.

At World’s End (AWE) naturally covers material from the upcoming film (coming soon to a theatre near you), but what many people don’t realise is that the storyline from Dead Man’s Chest is also included here. Whether or not this will result in a huge game, or just one huge mess, is anyone’s guess at this stage (Disney has been loath to give much away about a film that’s not yet been released). In any case, if you’ve seen DMC, you’ll recognise many of the film’s locations reproduced in the game. There will also be animated cut-scenes to reproduce key moments in the films. In addition to all of this, however, there will also be some new action sequences, additional to what you’ll see in the movies.

Most of the combat centres around swordplay (not surprising, really), using combos of light and heavy attacks through the use of the Wii remote. Swinging the Wiimote left and right produces a light attack, while an up and down movement gives a heavy attack. A staunch prod forward produces a jab. In addition to these there are unlockable combos, and further interaction can be achieved through the nunchuck and its trigger buttons. Sword aside, you can also pick up a gun or some throwing knives, if you don’t like your combat at such close quarters.

While you wouldn’t expect the Wii to produce something as beautiful as the PS3 or the 360, the Wii still looks better than the PS2; though, as always, the emphasis is on gameplay, not slick graphics. In addition to using your sword for combat purposes, it’s also a useful tool for solving various puzzles around the place. In addition, the Wii sports the unique “Jackanisms”, or Jack-specific interactive moments, that games for the other platforms apparently won’t have.

In terms of replayability, the game does seem to have some potential. Once you’ve finished a level, you can then go back and replay that level with another character (potentially resulting in some bizarre scenarios). In addition, there are quite a few minigames included, including duelling, Liar’s Dice, Texas Hold’em and Hearts.