I think people are being a little harsh here... I liked it.
-Jack Sparrow's crazy and awesome antics
-Over-the-top swordplay that doesn't have to make sense
-Pirates being pirates
-Some good movie-based swordfights
-Good amount of characters for multiplayer
And what did I get? All those listed. Indeed; while the game didn't have the best wii-motion control there is; and while the graphics are PS2-esque; I got what I spent fifteen bucks for.
GAMEPLAY:
The gameplay is set up in a third-person brawler; you do different Wii-mote movements; you do combos as Captain Jack or whoever you are playing as. Throughout the levels; you will battle legion after legion of enemies using your sword, gun, cannonballs, knives, and some other fourth extra weapon. While the sword is the most used since all the rest are in short-stock; at least it has more diversity than most slash-em-ups. The locations are all from the movie; and while a bit too large and some dull for my liking, some of them were good. I enjoyed the forest parts; especially what lead into a one-on-one battle atop the watermill as it tunneled down through the forest.
While combat is dull in third person I admit; what I did enjoy is the occasional one-on-one battle. The game goes 2-D, and the swordfighting gets way more intense. Grapples; swings, all the like. Playing these portions reminded me why I wanted to play a Pirates of the Carribean game, to emulate the epic swordfights; and I got that. Also included are some acrobatical feats for Jack; swinging from a rope into a guard; slingshoting himself through locations, typical Sparrow fare which is just fun to watch. Also; a mechanism is included for extra content called "Jack-a-nisms". You have to get a bunch of controller combos done in a VERY Pirate-ish cutscene to get some unlockables. A bit irritating when they don't give you a second shot; but very in-character as they last. Also; the cannon fight against the krakken and dodging his tentacles was a highlight.
There are also some games like Blackjack available and pubs. There are a few funny little side-missions too that let's you use your lying abilities to fool people into giving you as much money as possible. I did get a few chuckles from some of these. 7/10
GRAPHICS:
Okay... It's what you'd see in a pretty good PS2 game. The characters look great; but the locations tend to be very meh. The worst is in villages where it seems the same texture is on repeat. But the ships and whatnot tend to have a bit more detail put to make them stick out. Subpar; but better than a lot of Wii games... 6/10
MUSIC/SOUND:
They used the movie soundtrack; thank god. Sound effects are fine; since there are many (at least thirty) playable characters, it is good to see they all have individual catchphrases. While some VAs couldn't be used; they had great impressionists for say; Jack. I honestly didn't know they weren't the real thing. Honestly; I can't complain much here; everything is set up pretty well. 7/10
REPLAYABILITY:
There is a multiplayer mode which offers some good sword duels. There are over thirty unlockable characters; including ALL the movie characters just about. So if you have a favorite; they CAN be played. I liked that. There are different swords to be unlocked for all characters; some of which are very cool. The Gunsword was cool if you ask me. There is concept art too, which is good if one is into that sort of thing. Basically better than most licensed games in terms of replayability. Not to mention the game included Dead Man's Chest AND At World's End's storyline; so you basically get to play through two full movies. The game has a good length to it. 8/10
IN CONCLUSION:
So while it may not be the best title out there by far; it definitly isn't the worst. If you want some swashbuckling fun; pick up a copy. It's what; ten to fifteen bucks now? It's worth it; and you'll probably have a good time if you just remember what the game is supposed to be; a game to be a pirate and slash stuff; nothing more and nothing less. 7.3/10