Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Despite the wacky camera and the must-have-at-all-costs treasures, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dean Man's Chest is a game worthy of a few stolen hours while sitting on a deck sunning yourself as you listen to the waves roll by.

Easily one of the biggest problems with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is the fact that the game is way too short. The game can easily be completed in less than six hours of playtime, and there really is no reason for a replay, either-- no unlockables or anything.

It’s most successful at emulating the film’s atmosphere, particularly with wise-cracking Jack Sparrow taking centre stage, but the gameplay feels unambitious and ultimately stuck in a rut.

The spirit of the source material is there in the presentation, and the multiplayer is a pleasant surprise, but the single-player experience is too stiflingly repetitive to ignore.

While the sword-slashing provies a bit of fun, glitchy graphics and repetitive action sever any lasting appeal. [Sept 2006, p.68]

Dead Man's Chest had the makings of a good, maybe even great, portable pirate adventure. Unfortunately, poor execution and shoddy control sabotages much of the experience.

The PSP version of Dead Man's Chest is quite literally a game of two halves, with fairly satisfying (if frustrating) single-player experience, and quite frankly abysmal multiplayer experience. The combat system is quite an interesting idea that staves off repetition for a little while, but ultimately it's a game that doesn't offer any real chance for replayability.

Predictable and repetitive adventuring that's rescued by an engaging lead character and excellent mini-games. [Sept 2006, p.84]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest has all the components of a great game and a movie tie-in, but with such a heavy focus on combat, the designers really needed to polish the combat engine and balance things out for the overwhelming odds they throw at you.

Enjoyable in short doses, but too repetitive an annoying to really succeed. [Sept 2006, p.69]

Although the world is fresh and visually enjoying they stick to the basics and wrap this movie adaptation into an average hack n' slash package.

It’s surprising that none of the developers noticed the glaring issues in the game. This is really too bad as the multiplayer is actually a lot of fun and a bright spot in this otherwise piece of garbage.

The multi-player will amuse you for a while, if you've got the patience to load it, but otherwise you'd be better off getting soused on rum. [Issue 143, p.88]

Ultimately, it's a good, pirate-heavy distraction but, thanks to the game's repetitiveness, it won't do much to keep your attention past the first few levels. [Oct. 2006, p.91]