1. Jowser11

   8

   Seriously, one of the most surprising games on the 3DS. Also surprising, how good the subtle 3D works. It makes the graphics look better than PS2 and even the gameplay is just as smooth. It's very easy though when it comes to combat, but this isn't a hack n slash, it's about exploration, and the free play sure as all lets you do that. If youre into exploration in platformers, get this game. Only negative being that it's very easy.… Expand

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2. andrewcruze

   7

   I never thought I’d say this, but a Lego game made it onto my list of most anticipated games for spring 2011: Lego Pirates of the Caribbean for the Nintendo 3DS. I bought my stately, black 3DS on March 27th, and have spent the past month-and-a-half wringing as much life out of it as possible. I tore through Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars in a week, collected nearly all 1,000 Lums in Rayman 3DS, sunk a solid 50 hours into Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars, and got my ass kicked all over Super Street Fighter IV. Then I ran out of games. Well, 3DS games. I still had my untouched copy of Dragon Quest IX to beat, which I did, and some puzzles left to solve in the latest Layton adventure. But as much as I still enjoy last generation’s handheld titles, I find myself craving the more graphically robust 3D romps of the 3DS’ still-thin library. That’s why Lego Pirates was so intriguing. I know the Lego game drill (cute Lego characters dressed up as familiar franchise personalities hack through enemies and destroy blocky environments to collect all the hidden items), but the formula has taken on a whole new relevance since my obsession with the 3DS. Oddly enough, on the one platform without real multiplayer, these Lego games come to life. Take Jack’s Pelegostos costume. On the PS3 or Xbox 360, I’d immediately write off that version of Jack Sparrow. The hat’s way too over-the-top. It’s tall, ostentatiously colored, and it bobs and weaves precariously to Jack’s drunken gait. However, on the 3DS it gives his character model a very real presence. It lifts him from the screen and makes him look substantial. I feel like I can almost pluck that hat from his head between my thumb and forefinger and wear it like a Bugle. Controlling Jack (or any of the other roughly 70 playable characters) through the 3D environments is also a pleasure for the gamer charmed by Nintendo’s dual parallax screens. The 3D effect is often subtle, but in a good way. Unlike, say, Rayman 3DS, there are few occasions of blurring when a wall or a dock jut out from the foreground. The best way to describe the effect in this game is immersive. Lego Pirates does little to remind you, overtly, that you’re playing a 3D game, but when you turn the 3D slider all the way down, it’s quickly apparent what the 3D adds. It adds a smoothness to the graphics and an elegant separation between the background and foreground that makes you feel like you’re playing on a much more powerful system. However, your enjoyment of this game will likely be contingent upon a number of caveats, as it has been for me. First of all, you have to be looking for some mindless fun. Lego Pirates has almost no challenge to speak of, aside from locating the stray collectables in Free Play mode. Enemies are infrequent and a cinch to beat—just press the attack button five times and they’re vanquished. There are zero unique boss battles. Bosses always engage you using the dull, QTE-based duel system. But if you do somehow manage to die, like in other Lego games, you respawn with almost no penalty right where you left off. The platforming is also incredibly simple. Don’t expect any Mario-style ledge leaping or wall jumping here. And, while we’re at it, don’t expect any head-scratching puzzles. Not sure how to proceed to the next area? Well, have you smashed all the blocks? Have you held down the build button on top of that pile of Mexican jumping bricks? If you do decide to pick up this game, be prepared to play beyond the Story mode, because the biggest sense of accomplishment, by far, comes after the main campaign is over. But don’t worry. It doesn’t take long to get there. The campaign takes only 5-6 hours to complete. Then it’s time to round up your crew of smarmy misfits and hit Free Play mode, which is where the levels really open up in terms of space and complexity. One of the more sincere compliments I can give this game is that it makes you want to replay its levels. Notice those clumps of moss, those doors guarded by the floating skull and crossbones, those cones of mucous-green light? Of course you did. They’re all over the place in this game, and you can’t unlock their secrets without the right set of characters and the ability to return in Free Play mode. I’m sorry to say the challenge doesn’t ramp up when you can finally access these new areas, but if you came to this game craving 3D exploration you will be rewarded for your return trip. The unlockable environments are often full, sometimes multi-tiered, rooms—not just tiny nooks hiding an errant Ship Bottle or Red Brick. And they’re plentiful. Each level contains multiple offshoots accessible only in Free Play mode (and, again, only with the proper set of characters and special abilities). If you’re looking for a point-of-comparison, look no further than... (Continue reading at andrewcruze.com.)… Expand

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3. hit925

   5

   As a fan of the films, I didn't really enjoy this. The cutscenes were very funny and the 3d effect looks very good but the gameplay is far too repetitive and the game is a bit too short despite spanning 4 films.… Expand

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