Here's how it works: instead of combining sword thrusts with blocks and parries dynamically, like in most (virtual) sword fighting, you need to pay attention to a button icon floating above an opponent's head.

Combat only seems to work well when Jack is up against two, maybe three people, but the game constantly uses more than five.Īnd it's not the traditional swordfight, either, which isn't much of a problem but takes some getting used to. Problem is, the game shoots for those multi-person battles made famous by the movies, but the engine in place is ill-suited for the task. Combat, for instance, should make up the most fluid and stable element yet it's downright clunky and rough. And while each element works well within the context of the game, none of them feels refined. It has all the necessary elements, including combat, puzzles, upgrades and various enemy types. But this much is fact: A series of flaws plagued Legend of Jack Sparrow and very different, yet equally serious flaws plague Dead Man's Chest.

Whether the differences make Dead Man's Chest a better game lies with your personal taste. Apart from the pirate theme, nothing ties the two products together.

But give it a few more minutes and you soon realize the two games couldn't be more different. Both titles make combat their focus and each plays from the third-person perspective. For the first few minutes, Dead Man's Chest plays a lot like its console sibling.

The pirate plague of the dead screen