Aye, aye, a happy Lego gamer I be.
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
For: Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS, PC
From: Disney
Sorry for breaking into Pirate-ese, but it gives me great pleasure to report the popular series is back on track.
It is only a matter of weeks since Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars released, and my response after playing a few levels was a good hearty "meh". For the first time, a Lego game didn't last long in my console.
Pirates covers all four movies - the fourth, On Stranger Tides, has just hit the big screen, to mixed reviews.
Each movie is split into five levels, within which there are millions of Lego studs to be unlocked as currency to purchase more than 70 unlockable characters and a swag of fun extras.
That formula has been tried and tested over all the Lego games, and the developers shouldn't be panned for sticking with something that works.
Inside the levels, the game unfolds roughly along the lines of the movies, with gameplay (as usual) involving lots of bashing, plenty of puzzle-solving and a bit of fighting.
The two player drop-in-drop-out system remains in place, and many of the levels are more fun in co-op mode.
As usual, the skills of varying characters must be utilised to complete tasks. Cap'n Jack Sparrow has a compass to uncover useful items, Will Turner throws an axe, and the lovely Elizabeth has the ability to double-jump.
The best Lego games have leaned heavily on humour, and Pirates is one of the best examples yet. There are laugh-out-loud moments, often involving carrots, that are rare in games these days.
Again, like other games in the series, the controls and the perspective are occasionally finicky.
I am forever jumping from one log/barrel to another, only to find I have misjudged the length or direction of the jump.
And the AI can still be staggeringly dumb. I actually quit one level in disgust because my idiotic companions kept bumping me off a ledge.
But all in all, this is a great return to form for what now has to be considered one of the great video game genres.
It's block-bashing fun for everyone.
