Movies & TV Shows On Sale Win A Trip To Universal Studios! Movies Buy 2 Get 1 Free! 25% Off Top 50 TV Titles How Cheap Is Your Love?One of the unsung strengths of the Lego games is that their reductive approach to plotting allows them to skip or gloss over the weaker elements of their inspiration. In the case of Pirates of the Caribbean, that's several hours' worth of storytelling bloat - and at times, TT Games punctures it perfectly. In particular, the ludicrous convolutions of third film At World's End are beautifully skewered in one single scene where the characters rapidly exchange places until half are on one side and half on the other. Who needs two hours of cross and double-cross when a single thirty-second sequence can cover similar ground without the audience looking at their watches - and offer a knowing chuckle into the bargain? Just as the Star Wars prequels were shorn of midichlorians, younglings and dialogue about sand being rough, and transformed into lean, exciting, set-piece-driven action films, the Pirates movies suddenly become much more appealing in Lego form.
Sure, there are perhaps too many stages where you're fighting aboard a ship at night and/or during a storm, but you can blame the apparently light-phobic helmsman Gore Verbinski for that. The parodies, as ever, are on the money, and the naturally dark tone of the Pirates films was clearly more fun for the developer to subvert. Here, the dramatic climax of Dead Man's Chest sees Jack Sparrow happily embrace his imminent demise, stepping into the mouth of the Kraken not wielding a sword, but a toothbrush with a generous squirt of Aquafresh. As with the films, Jack is the undoubted star. That walk - half stagger, half swagger - is even more of a hoot in miniature. He constantly looks on the verge of toppling over, leaning backwards then forwards as he capers along. In fact, Lego Jack is an idealised version of the character - a little more akin to the dashing anti-hero Bruckheimer and co. imagined before Johnny Depp decided his portrayal needed a little more kohl, Kilo Kai and Keith Richards.
He might not have the walk of a swashbuckler, but his swordfighting skills are much more impressive than in the films. Michael Bolton would surely approve. Finishing flourishes see him revert to type, distracting his enemy by pointing one way before whacking them with an empty rum bottle, or stepping back and lobbing a banana skin under their feet. Best of all is when he picks up a guitar; while most characters will strum a gentle acoustic melody, Jack scratches out a scuzzy rock riff. Try to move while playing and - brilliantly - he adopts Chuck Berry's famous duckwalk. When he's not clashing swords with guards or piratical foes, Jack's compass is his most important weapon, used to find secret items by following a twisting path highlighted in blue, with the added bonus of a breadcrumb trail of Lego studs. Most items can be located simply through thorough exploration, but it's much more satisfying to find them properly - where X marks the spot. Not that you'll be able to find them all on your first play.
Perhaps even more so than previous Lego games, the real meat of the game is found in the Free Play mode. To truly complete a stage, you'll need to have unlocked and purchased a wide range of characters - from the Flying Dutchman crew members able to slip through strange, slimy portals to the blunderbuss-wielding bit-parters whose weapons can blow a hole in silver objects. Price: low to high Price: high to low LEGO Batman Movie Batcave Break-in 70909 LEGO Batman Movie The Scuttler 70908 LEGO City Police Prison Island 60130 LEGO Ninjago Tiger Widow Island 70604 LEGO Batman Movie Mr. Freeze Ice Attack 70901 LEGO Batman Movie Catwoman Catcycle Chase 70902 LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures 71017 LEGO Batman Movie The Joker Balloon Escape 70900 LEGO Friends Heartlake Cupcake Cafe 41119 LEGO Friends Heartlake Grand Hotel 41101 LEGO DUPLO My First Farm 10617 LEGO Ideas Doctor Who 21304 LEGO Angry Birds Bird Island Egg Heist 75823
LEGO Architecture Buckingham Palace 21029 LEGO Architecture London 21034 LEGO Architecture Sydney 21032 LEGO Batman V Superman Kryptonite Interception 76045 LEGO City Airport Airport Air Show 60103 LEGO City Airport Airport Cargo Plane 60101 LEGO City Airport Airport VIP Service 60102 LEGO City Fire Ladder Truck 60107 LEGO City Fire Response Unit 60108 LEGO City Fire Starter Set 60106 LEGO City Flexible Tracks 7499 LEGO City Great Vehicles Buggy 60145 LEGO City Great Vehicles Ferry 60119 LEGO City Great Vehicles Race Plane 60144 LEGO City Great Vehicles Van & Caravan 60117 LEGO City Points 7895 LEGO City Police Bulldozer Break-in 60140 LEGO City Police Mobile Command Center 60139 LEGO City Police Police Patrol Boat 60129 LEGO City Police Starter Set 60136 LEGO City Police Station 60141 LEGO City T-Junction and Curve Plate 7281 LEGO City Volcano Explorers Volcano Crawler 60122
LEGO City Volcano Explorers Volcano Exploration Truck 60121 LEGO City Volcano Explorers Volcano Starter Set 60120 LEGO Classics Blue Creativity Box 10706 LEGO Classics Creative Supplement Bright 10694 LEGO Creator Airshow Aces 31060 LEGO Creator Beachside Vacation 31063 LEGO Creator Corner Deli 31050 LEGO Creator Fast Car 31046 LEGO Creator Island Adventures 31064 LEGO Creator Lakeside Lodge 31048 LEGO Creator Lighthouse Point 31051 LEGO Creator Mighty Dinosaurs 31058 LEGO Creator Propeller Plane 31047 LEGO Creator Robe Explorer 31062 LEGO Creator Twin Spin Helicopter 31049 LEGO Creator Vacation Getaways 31052 LEGO DC Comics Batman Gotham City Cycle Chase 76053 LEGO DC Comics Batman Killer Croc Sewer Smash 76055 LEGO DC Comics Batman V Superman Clash Of The Heroes 76044 LEGO DC Superheroes Batman Scarecrow Harvest Of Fear 76054 LEGO Disney Moana Ocean Voyage 41150 LEGO Disney Princess Annas Snow Adventure 41147
LEGO Disney Princess Arendelle Castle Celebration 41068 LEGO Disney Princess Berrys Kitchen 41143 LEGO Disney Princess Elsas Magical Ice Palace 41148 LEGO Disney Princess Petites Royal Stable 41144 LEGO Disney Princess Rapunzels Best Day Ever 41065 LEGO DUPLO Baby Animals 10801 LEGO DUPLO Batcave Challenge 10842 LEGO DUPLO Busy Farm 6759 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play My First Bird 10852 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play My First Bricks 10848 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play My First Bus 10851 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play My First Cakes 10850 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play My First Carousel 10845 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play My First Plane 10849 LEGO DUPLO Creative Play Number Train 10847 LEGO DUPLO Deluxe Box Of Fun 10580 LEGO DUPLO Disney Mickey & Minnies Birthday Parade 10597 LEGO DUPLO Disney Princess Cinderellals Magical Castle 10855 LEGO DUPLO Jungle 10804 LEGO DUPLO My First Caterpillar 10831 LEGO DUPLO My First Playhouse 10616