LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game – Xbox 360 Review

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: TT Games
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, PC, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS
Genre: Adventure
MSRP: $49.99
ESRB: E10+
Release Date: May 10, 2011

Review By: Eduardo Zacarias

It was hard not to see this one coming but after having given LEGO versions of everything from the Star Wars universe to the magical world of Harry Potter; it was definitely about time the LEGO gaming franchise finally embraced the Pirates of the Caribbean series. As it turns out, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game for the Xbox 306 is a perfect fit for the series and makes for one fun game set in the high seas.

Much like past LEGO games, especially those with violent yet memorable scenes such as the ones you’d expect in the Indiana Jones movies, the violence takes a backseat to a more amiable adventure with more than enough action to make each level exciting. On top of that, the charming comedic – albeit still voiceless – interactions of the characters make for a good time whether you fit the game’s intended target audience age or not. LEGO Pirates manages to capture the feel, look and settings of all three films plus the upcoming On Stranger Tides movie.

The game starts from the very beginning as we are introduced, via a funny cut scene, to Captain Jack Sparrow who happens to be a pirate. It is on land that he meets the dashing (even for a LEGO character) Will Turner who always had eyes for the fair Elizabeth Swann. In an instant, these characters become a part of a grand adventure that spans the course of each film’s main events. You’ll find yourself joined by the familiar cast as well from Captain Barbossa to – personal favorite in the game – Davy Jones.

Traveller’s Tales does a great job making many memorable sequences from the films loads of fun to play such as when Jack Sparrow’s sword fight on a moving wheel or taking on Davy Jones’ assortment of cursed pirates. Like every LEGO game, you’ll have the ability to switch between characters with the push of a button or you can have a friend assume the role of the secondary character. You’ll need certain characters to carry out certain tasks. Elizabeth, for instance, has the ability to jump really high so you’ll need her to climb up to areas that Jack or Will can’t reach on their own.

Of course, all the other usual elements are back including collecting LEGO studs, unlocking new characters to use and the platforming bits that are a big part of every LEGO game. Of course, some of the best (and funny) stuff don’t come from the movie whether they involve monkeys, goats or pigs. Speaking of goats, Jack gets to ride one and it’s downright hilarious. There are even some great moments in the On Stranger Tides chapter of the game. I won’t spoil the plot but there are some interesting characters and situations that make this a really good part of the game.

Unfortunately, there are a few weak spots in the game and most of them will be familiar to anyone who picked up a LEGO title. You’ll often find yourself getting killed thanks to the other characters and oftentimes they will get themselves killed by falling off a ledge or crowding you so you’re the one who falls off the ledge. Enemies tend to respawn at the most inconvenient time when you’re concentrating on solving many of the game’s simple puzzles.

My biggest gripe is one of the more obvious, though, and that is the lack of online gameplay. How fun would it be to play with a friend online without split-screen? This game was definitely meant to be played with a buddy and the lack of online gameplay just feels like a missed opportunity.

Gameplay-wise, the game adds more than enough things to do and reasons to play again. The hub that allows you to enter different chapters in the game offers a peek at all the interesting characters you can use to replay a favorite sequence and possibly even discover things you missed the first time around or couldn’t access without a rare character.

As far as the graphics are concerned, though, the game could have looked a lot more spectacular and that’s even considering the fact that the characters are LEGO. The environments are meant to be exotic and they’re actually easy on the eyes but then again things such as waterfalls or water in general could have been better on the Xbox 360 or even on the PS3. Still, you’ll find the characters’ gestures and movements do a great job of conveying emotion. Then there’s the sound, which is simply composed of sound effects as well as that amazing Hans Zimmer score from the films.

Despite a few annoyances, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean manages to be addictively fun enough to keep you playing for a very long time. With more than enough collectables and reasons to replay the game again with all the things you unlocked the first time around, fans of the LEGO series or anyone who really enjoys Captain Jack Sparrows adventures (including parts from the new film) will find a lot to like about this adventure game.

GAME FRONTLINE RATING

Gameplay: 7.5
Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 8.0
Appeal: 7.5
Overall: 7.5

Review copy provided by Disney Interactive Studios

Crysis 2 – Xbox 360 Review

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Crytek Studios
Platform: Xbox 360 (also PC and PlayStation 3)
Genre: First-Person Shooter
MSRP: $59.95 US
ESRB: Rated M
Release Date: March 22, 2011

Review By: Angelina Sandoval

If anything, the first Crysis will best be remembered around the office as a game that needed a nuclear-powered PC to play this first-person shooter to achieve the full effect of everything it had to offer shooter fans. Thankfully, EA and Crytek Studios decided to go cross-platform with the sequel and the result is Crysis 2 … a game that aims for something epic and hits its mark in the best way possible.

THE BIG APPLE BLUES

Set in the year 2024, Crysis 2 takes us away from the tropical paradise of the first game and opts for a New York City under siege by alien invaders that turn the already troubled city into a battleground as humans battle the Ceph hordes. You play Alcatraz, a tough marine who happens to be wearing the familiar Nanosuit of the first game the comes with advanced technological perks such as giving you a speed burst, the ability to jump really high, invisibility by way of cloaking and other customizable modules I’ll get into a bit later.

You’ll find that the Big Apple is a large environment with more than enough room to move around without feeling like you’re forced to stick to one small piece of an area before moving on to the next area within the campaign mode’s chapters. This is a good thing, really, since there are a number of environmental objects to play off and use to your advantage as well as hidden extras such as the speed cameras scattered throughout the city. Of course, there are buildings to navigate through, badly damaged bridges and familiar New York City landmarks.

DO NOT MESS WITH THE MARINES

While the game doesn’t give you any real background on Alcatraz, it is clear that he is the kind of Marine who deserves the right to wear the Nanosuit, which he earns quickly in the beginning of the story. On top of the options you get to unlock for the Nanosuit, there is the number of weapons you’ll have at your disposal that will give you an edge against the Ceph but also the human forces of CELL are trying to take you and the Marines down as well for reasons that make the story quite interesting.

Having human opponents as well as the alien ones add more variety to the shooting action since both opposing forces react differently during combat. In fact, the CELL forces aren’t very sharp compared to the Celph so you’ll have moments where the CELL forces won’t use cover or will sometimes run past you in search for a good spot to start attacking you. The Celph, on the other hand, makes for more formidable opponents with their exoskeleton suits and other impressive alien tech they bring to the battlefield.

There are scripted moments in the game that does drag the first part of the game down a little but once you get past that you will find yourself drawn into the convincing scenario as well as the heat of battle. Even the mini boss fights are intense and thrilling affairs that will keep you on your toes. Thankfully, the Nanosuit comes in handy as you can implement stealth in moments that require it, speed and even push your suit to the limits to withstand heavy damage or add more power to your melee attacks that you’re able to send enemies flying. Half the fun is finding ways to combine different attributes to the Nanosuit to fit your fighting style.

IF YOU CAN MAKE IT HERE …

The campaign mode clocks somewhere around 10 hours with more than enough variety to keep you glued to your seat to the very end as it adds moments where you’ll be manning a vehicle or taking pleasure in making great use to a good grenade or a rocket launcher. The story could have been better but it’s hard to complain when the action is this hot, thrilling and visually impressive.

As far as the controls are concerned, the game plays flawlessly on consoles whether you pick up the Xbox 360 version or the PlayStation 3 version. An update fixes some of the stutter the game experiences when it was released but there are still some slight hiccups and glitches that pop up but I’ve experiences nothing that will take you out of the game.

When you want to give the main story mode a break there’s always the multiplayer mode that – naturally – fixes some of the AI problems and thanks to a healthy number of players out there you will have a blast taking on and teaming up with other players. On top of the deathmatch modes and the awesome Crash Site game mode as well as Assault and Extraction. There are enhancements and extras you unlock the more you play, which gives you more of an incentive to keep playing the multiplayer mode. At the time of this writing, the multiplayer mode has been patched to run smoothly enough without much framerate stutter.

A CITY UNDER FIRE

Visually speaking, Crysis 2 looks straight up gorgeous on the Xbox 360 and having seen the PlayStation 3 version as well as the PC version I have to say that the Xbox 360 comes close to being as good as the PC version of the game. There are moments that will blow you away in terms of the visual presentation that makes the alien invasion look frightening as drop ships move into view and crazy alien tech is implemented on the battlefield. The effects are also amazing so not only do explosions look great but the damage you do to the enemy also looks spectacular.

While it won’t revolutionize the first-person shooter game, Crysis 2 stands as a title that attempts to bring gamers an outstanding shooter that doesn’t follow the same FPS formula and actually succeeds in the process. Sure, there are a few problems but they hardly distract from all the qualities that make this a riveting and spectacular game that won’t fail to keep you hooked for a long time to come. If you’ve been looking a game to give Call of Duty: Black Ops a much needed break then look no further.

GAME FRONTLINE RATING

Gameplay: A-
Graphics: A+
Sound: A+
Appeal: A
Multiplayer: A
Overall: A-

Review copy provided by Electronic Arts