Ranking All Games Published By Bethesda Softworks From Worst To Best
29. Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003)
Originally built as a sequel to Sea Dogs, the well-received pirates RPG, half-way through development, due to the surprise success of the first POTC movie, Bethesda and developer Akella decided to tie this directly into the movie franchise.
Asides from Keira Knightley's narration in an opening and closing cut scene, and a surprise appearance from the Black Pearl, the thing pretty much plays like Sea Dogs 2 anyhow.
Sure, the game is dated, but it can provide some enjoyment as a basic pirate sim, as your captain gathers crew, negotiates trades, and then hits the high seas in search of loot. Shame, then, that the naval combat is such a slog. Even in a pre-Black Flag world it was kind of frustrating.
For those interested in some pirate action, you could do worse... but you can also do a lot better if you're (Davey) jonesing for a genre hit.