Xbox 360 Fanboy

So the previous week has come to a close and I'm back with another glorious edition of X3F Achievements 101. The past seven days had some serious grinding behind it as I finished off the amazingly tedious Eragon. Hopefully Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End be a third time's charm for film-to-game adaptations. I'll also give my interpretation of the release of the Halo 3 Achievements, which took the interwebs by surprise this week. Either way, there's a lot to cover from the past week, so let's get started.

Ah, there's nothing better than surprise demos in the morning. Actually, come to think of it, there are lots of things better than surprise demos (at any time of day really). Still, let's not sully the moment and ruin the fun of a new Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End demo gracing Xbox Live Marketplace (though the demo has already made the voyage to other shores). We've been impressed by the game's visuals so far, and now we can sample the actual swashbuckling gameplay. Let's hope for a pleasant surprise, shall we?

Anyone out there gotten a chance to play this yet?

The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End demo has arrived on Marketplace, which is a good thing. The weird thing is the regions that it is available in, or more specifically, not available in. It's listed as available in all Xbox regions except the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Asia. So no go for North America, which is a little odd, considering the movie and its game are being made by American companies. So, Europe and other regions that don't fall into that category, can you play that first tutorial level and tell us how the game looks and feels?

Pirates and videogames have been friends for a long time. Movies and videogames ... not so much. With the upcoming release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, we are faced with a conundrum. You see, Pirates is a game that is (naturally) filled with pirates. Sounds good, right? However, said game is also based on a film, which typically means bad mojo for any game.

With the release of four new clips from the game, our hopes were high. Unfortunately, upon actually watching the new videos, we're thoroughly unimpressed. On the outside everything looks all right. In fact, the character models and animations are top notch. The combat, on the other hand, looks bland at best and awful at worst. It's clear that Disney Interactive Studios is attempting to borrow a few tricks from games like God of War and Prince of Persia, but the results are hardly convincing. From the "one guy at a time" AI to the lack luster swordplay, Pirates doesn't look too promising. There's also a distinct lack of sound. The Pirates movies are very loud and raucous, which isn't evident in these clips at all. Check out the videos after the break.

No, we're not referring to the elusive Pimps At Sea Alpha. Disney Interactive Studios announced that they will be releasing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for new generation consoles, including Xbox 360. Players will have their chance at the life of a pirate as Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and of course, Captain Jack Sparrow. Looking to coincide with the film's release, the game is slated for May 22nd, 2007. DIS' President of Marketing, Craig Relyea, promises that the game will feature environments above and beyond those featured in the films as well as multiple endings. So, does this make you want to search for that bottle of rum, or are you going to get a case of scurvy?

No, not software pirates, silly! Seafaring pirates. Atari recently announced it will distribute Playlogic Entertainment's upcoming swashbuckler, Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales. Director of Marketing, Rick Mehler, describes Age of Pirates thusly:

"Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales provides a deep role playing experience that encourages development of captain, crew, ships, towns, fighting abilities, weapons and more. With a chest full of features, Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales is a treasure of a game."

PR lingo aside, Age of Pirates looks like it could be pretty good. Developed by Akella -- the people behind Sea Dogs, Age of Sail II, and Pirates of the Caribbean (often described as Elder Scrolls on water) -- the title looks like it's definitely in experienced hands.

The title is scheduled to be released for Windows this September, making it an easy candidate for a 360 port. Haha, port. Get it? Oh, never mind. Hit the read link to visit the Age of Pirates website and see a juicy trailer.

[Via Xbox Solution]