Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

We don't want to cough quietly in the corner and suggest that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will just be a quick, summer-blockbuster cash-in, but that's easily the first thing that comes to mind. But with some two-player, cooperative action, this typical action-slasher might be more than the shallow sea it appears to be.

Clearly based on the upcoming film, Chest has you parading goofy-drunk pirate extraordinaire Jack Sparrow and his co-stars through 19 levels of switch-hitting excitement. It appears Jack owes Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman, a blood debt. Naturally, Jack's searching for a way to weasel out of this pact. Along the way there'll be all sorts of enemies to impede your booty-huntin', but of course you've got 17 types of weapons and nifty combos with which to cut them down. Touch-screen minigames and plenty of mortal and immortal creature-bashing round the whole thing out.

While the game sounds oh-so standard, being able to run through any level in a wireless co-op mode does sound interesting. Each of the three characters (movie hero/heroine Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are the other two, if you couldn't guess) will have some unique moves to set them apart - and you'll be able to unlock six other characters with their own powered-up attacks.

Chest is promising an adventure filled with "disloyalty, humor and revenge" when it surfaces on the DS in June, but a little burly swashbucklin' wouldn't hurt either.

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.