Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Silicon-Fusion.com (8 out of 10)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest follows is the sequel to the original Pirates of the Caribbean film, The Curse of the Black Pearl and continues the adventures of Jack, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan. Set an undefined time after Curse we find that Jack is in trouble as a deal he made with ol’ Davy Jones is coming back to bite him – hard. The sole item that can save his backside, not to mention his soul from a hundred years servitude on the Flying Dutchman (presumably with his very own locker) is the mysterious Dead Man’s Chest. Soon it is a race to claim said object with more than just the Captain and Davy Jones after the contents.

Deeko (8 out of 10)

When the original Pirates of the Caribbean was released to theaters, my opinion of what the movie would be like were mixed. I mean, sure, the trailers looked good, but I couldn't get the damn ride out of my head and thus I walked into the film with some very low expectations. That's not to say I wasn't interested in the film, as I was, especially considering the big names that had been recruited for the film, such as Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathan Price, Keira Knightly, and the always entertaining Johnny Depp - I simply couldn't get over the fact that Disney wanted to take a popular tourist attraction and attempt to turn it into a big name motion picture. After seeing the film, however, I was amazed and I couldn't help but beat up on myself over my own ridiculous misconceptions.

N-Zone (70 out of 100)

Das Piratenfieber hat mich gepackt! Die schöne 3D-Umgebung vermittelt wesentlich mehr Flair als auf dem GBA, allerdings hinkt das Gameplay etwas hinterher - mehr als geradlinige Actionkost wird nicht geboten! Dafür ist der Mehrspieler-Modus besonders gelungen!

Armchair Empire, The (7 out of 10)

As far as movie tie-ins go, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest could have been a lot worse. The single-mindedness of the gameplay makes it easy to get into, but in the long term, the game has less to offer.

DS-x2 (6.5 out of 10)

In theory Dead Man's Chest should have been a killer game with the developers managing to fulfill many of the aspects required for a high scoring game. There's strong source material, engaging gameplay and great visuals. The problem is it's all just too similar and every single location has the same objectives: defeat the enemies, collect the booty and find the exit. In addition it is an incredibly linear affair with paths only ever slightly deviating from the main route. Even so it's still one of the better movie tie-ins available, just don't expect to be still playing it by the end of the summer.

411mania.com (6.5 out of 10)

Like most movie games. Pirates boils down to the realm of mediocrity. The game isn’t horrible, but it’s definitely not great. Simply put, it’s a decent rental. If you enjoy the source material, you’ll definitely enjoy the game. If you are like me and haven’t seen the film, the game will still offer up enough fun for a while. It’s decent but just that. Decent.

Yahoo! Games ( )

Sorry, scurvy dogs. Unlike the summer blockbuster on which it's loosely based, the DS-exclusive edition of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest isn't what we'd call exceptional. Nor does the cartridge -- which reserves the system's lower display for weapon status readouts and mini-game usage -- make much use of the machine's touch-sensitive capabilities. Still, it does draw upon the portable's processing power and a wide range of weaponry to craft a satisfying, if all-too straightforward adventure filmgoers will appreciate.

GameDaily ( )

Pirates of the Caribbean is a big license right now. What could've just lived on as a ride in the Walt Disney Land theme park has instead engrossed into one of the better cinematic series, starting with 2003's Curse of the Black Pearl and moving on to the mega-successful Dead Man's Chest, now in theatres. So...can the pirates make a killing on the handheld front with the video game rendition ofChest?

IGN (6 out of 10)

When in doubt, clone Double Dragon. That seems to be one of the mantras for game developers faced with the opportunity to reproduce a high-profile summer blockbuster to a videogame. It's definitely something that could work for a franchise such as Pirates of the Caribbean, a flick that actually focuses on mano-a-mano combat in many of its action sequences. What developers need to do is find a design that isn't just a game where the same move can be used over and over and over to get through to the end - and that's where Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest falls a bit short. The developers poured a whole lot of effort into level design based on the movie and playable characters with a whole lot of moves, but all that becomes lost when all you really have to do is hammer down on the same button repeatedly.

Pocket Magazine / Pockett Videogames ( )

Les points forts sont la fréquence de sauvegarde automatique : ceci permet de progresser régulièrement même en ne jouant que quelques minutes. Par ailleurs, le nombre d’armes est impressionnant, mais leur effet est limité. En Wi-Fi, il est possible de jouer à deux simultanément. La réalisation est d’un bon niveau : graphismes 3D réussis et maniabilité sans accroc. De bons bruitages aussi. C’est une habitude sur DS, trois mini-jeux sont présents, mais peu originaux. Ajoutons qu’à la boutique des bonus il est possible d’acheter des graphismes du film, un sound test, de nouvelles armes, de débloquer de nouveaux personnages par achat, mais aussi d’autres en récupérant la statue du personnage dans le jeu (croque-mort, Lord Beckett...), etc.

GameSpot (5.9 out of 10)

Hot on the heels of Bethesda's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow, which filled us in on some of the past exploits of cinema's most flamboyant buccaneer, comes Buena Vista Games' Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which aims to bring us up to speed on Captain Jack's most recent voyage concerning a certain seafaring spirit named Davy Jones. Unlike the film, though, which bristles with danger and a grand sense of the fantastic, Dead Man's Chest has nothing particularly exciting to offer, as it focuses on uninspired swordplay and a handful of unremarkable minigames. The whole game feels pervasively dull.

Jeuxvideo.com (10 out of 20)

Malgré une réalisation très honnête, Le Secret Du Coffre Maudit ne décolle pas en raison d'un gameplay trop redondant et manquant cruellement de peps avec ses combats des plus limités. Les amateurs de Jack Sparrow y trouveront une gentille distraction de courte durée, les autres peuvent passer leur chemin.

4Players.de (37 out of 100)

Ich bin enttäuscht. Fluch der Karibik hinterlässt die leere Erkenntnis, dass sich Amaze diese Filmumsetzung hätte sparen sollen. Sie wurde so lieblos von der Leinwand auf den LCD-Schirm transportiert, dass sie ein fragendes Loch im Magen hinterlässt: Ist das alles? Die Erzähler erzeugen keinen Spannungsbogen und den Leveldesignern fällt nicht mehr ein, als euch Dutzende Gegner entgegen zu schmeißen. Die hohe Anzahl der immer gleichen Rätsel nervt sogar, unübersichtliche Blickwinkel verhindern präzise Säbelhiebe. Dabei erweckt die Kulisse glaubhaft das Flair der mittelalterlichen Karibik und eigentlich ist es klasse, mit Flaschen nach Untoten zu werfen, die Fieslinge kurzzeitig zu betäuben oder jede Menge Kombos auszuteilen. Schade nur, dass der langsame Ablauf auf der einen und einfallslose Widersacher auf der anderen Seite den interessanten Gefechten jegliche Dynamik entziehen.

Nintendo Vision (6 out of 20)

Comme si la Nintendo DS n'avait pas assez de mauvaises adaptations à son actif avec les éditeurs habitués aux licences diverses, BuenaVista s'y met aussi et nous refourgue un Pirates des Caraïbes absolument grotesque. Les développeurs d'Amaze Entertainement ne parviennent décidément pas à offrir quelque chose de potable à leurs joueurs et on se demande encore comment un tel jeu à pus passer les tests qualité sans être victime de railleries en tout genre. A éviter !

Cubed3 (3 out of 10)

Why do people still try and make sequels to films? Don’t they know the film sequel was perfected in 1974 when Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo wrote the Godfather Part 2 and made every sequel attempt prior to and afterwards an exercise in futility? The same could be said for the whole film to game tie in genre that has been in gaming ever since they dug holes in the desert for E.T to spend the rest of his days in. Thinking back there seem to be two examples of good film game tie-ins, Goldeneye and Chronicles of Riddick… and even they have their flaws. So the combination of a film sequel and a film tie-in doesn’t bode well for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”, but can this be the game that breaks the mould and gives the DS a film tie-in to be proud of? Let’s find out…